Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), the umbrella organisation of all domestic carriers in Nigeria, yesterday asked Virgin Nigeria Airways to move its domestic operations to the local terminal of the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos (MMA) as directed by the Federal Government.
The operators said the Federal Government�s decision to ask them to move bordered on security issues, which would be jeopardized if domestic operations continue to take place at the international terminal.
Addressing newsmen at the presidential lounge of the airport, the organisation�s secretary-general, Capt Mohammed Joji, said AON, after intense negotiations with Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited, the operators of the Murtala Muhammad Airport domestic terminal (MMA2), agreed that all domestic airlines would move there after Bi-Courtney agreed to bring down the charges to the level that meets the demand of the operators.
He said Virgin Nigeria had since refused to comply with the directive even after the management of the airline pleaded with AON and the Director-General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) during a meeting convened by the Federal Government on the issue, requesting that it should be given two weeks to move to the new terminal.
Joji reasoned that Virgin Nigeria�s insistence on continuing domestic operations from the international terminal would jeorpardise national security and that this was therefore enough reason for the airline to move to the domestic terminal.
He wondered why the airline refused to obey the Federal Government�s directive, something, he noted, would be unheared of in other societies.
He recalled a situation in 1992, when the government ordered the defunct national carrier, Nigeria Airways, to relocate its domestic operations from the international terminal and said that the directive was immediately complied with without further arguments.
�The reason for relocation of airlines was cited as national security, all airlines complied. Even Arik, one of the two airlines operating at the international wing agreed in principle to move to MMA2 despite the shortcomings, if any at all,� Joji said.
He added: �Virgin Nigeria took the Federal Government to court even though the reason for the relocation order is for national security. The exigencies of these times occasioned by security in and around MMIA and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, compels the government to relocate local airlines operating from the international wing to the local wing of both airports.�
The AON secretary-general further noted that after the September 11 attacks in the United States, the government of that country demanded all passengers flying to the country to have their finger prints taken, adding that Virgin Atlantic, the technical partner to Virgin Nigeria, did not sue the American government, which based its decision on national security.
�Several draconian decisions were taken by European countries and America in the name of national security and the whole world complied, but we are at a loss at Virgin Nigeria�s insistence of violating a government order, aided and abetted by its technical partner who should know better on issues concerning national security�, he added.
AON said it was ignorant of any report by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which Virgin Nigeria claims has certified MMA2 inadequate and unsafe by international standards.
�AON is not aware of any IATA report that raised concerns over the terminal. In fact, IATA has carried out audits on all the Nigerian airlines, but has never visited or written on MMA2,� the organisation said.
Feb92008