The Minister of State for Air Transportation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, said yesterday there was no going back in federal government directive that domestic airlines in the country re-fleet with brand new aircraft.
He spoke at the seminar on �Stimulating Growth in the Nigerian Aviation Industry�, organised in Lagos by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) in collaboration with the Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce (NACC).
According to him, it has become necessary for airlines in Nigeria to use new aircraft for their operations because of the high cost of maintaining older generation aircraft.
�There is no going back on fleet renewal. We are committed to it because we want quality service for air travellers in the country,� he said
Chief Fani-Kayode noted that the federal government was aware of the high cost of acquiring new aircraft, but added that it was doing everything possible to put at the disposal of airline operators windows of multilateral finances overseas.
He said the state of equipment (aircraft) plays a key role in guaranteeing safe and secured flight operations by airlines, noting also that aviation remained an appropriate engine for economic growth and development.
The minister said that in the next few weeks, he would be travelling to the United States with NCAA Director-General, Dr. Harold Demuren, to hold talks with officials of U.S. Export-Import (EXIM) Bank on aircraft financing for Nigerian airlines.
He said Nigeria�s excellent performance at last November�s audit of the aviation sector by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has afforded the NCAA the impetus to seek category 1 certification of U.S. Federal Aviation and Administration (FAA).
According to him, the technical assessment team of the FAA will be in the country next month for the purpose.
Speaking at the forum, the Commercial Officer, U.S. Embassy in Nigeria, Mrs. Hannah Kamenetsky, said the aviation industry was a key component of the trade relationship between Nigeria and the United States.
She said Nigerian airline operators imported aircraft spare parts and other goods used in the aviation industry to the tune of $109 million in 2005, adding that the figure for 2006 for the same goods stood at $85 million.