Rising from the brink of collapse, Aero Contractors, one of Nigeria’s pioneer aviation companies, which has been on receivership, has successfully conducted the first ever Boeing 737-500 series C-check in the country.
The roll out of the conducted c-check, which took place at the Aero Hanger in Lagos is a milestone the aviation sector in Nigeria and indeed the West African sub-region, according to Ahmed Kuru, managing director of AMCON, adding that it “is a boom for the industry because it would save millions of dollars that Nigerian airlines and not just Aero, spend outside this country on facilities such as this.”
“What we are witnessing here today, which is the Roll Out of the First Successful Conduct of a Boeing 737-500 series C-Check in the country justifies AMCON’s resolve and commitment towards the development and stabilisation of our challenged aviation sector.
“We are all living witnesses to the controversies that have trailed AMCONs intervention in the Aviation sector particularly for those who did not really understand AMCON’s mandate as a resolution and stabilisation vehicle, and the good intentions of both the Federal Government and AMCON in the sector,” Kuru said.
For aviation analysts, the milestone signals a revival of the airline’s business following the takeover by the new management.
On his part, Capt. Ado Sanusi, managing director of Aero said: “Today’s occasion proves that with good policies, smart management, effective oversight and professional dedication by staff, hard work gets rewarded and companies dedicated to public services can be revived from the brink of collapse,”
“It is our belief that Aero’s maintenance facility will achieve huge savings for operators even from other neighbouring African countries, thereby attracting the much needed funds that is required to strengthen our economy.
“This success can be replicated across other industries in Nigeria. I strongly believe that more can be done if we imbibe good corporate governance, hold management accountable, and have responsive regulators,” he stressed.
C-check maintenances are performed approximately every 20–24 months or a specific amount of actual flight hours (FH) or as defined by the manufacturer.
The C maintenance check is much more extensive than a B check, requiring a large majority of the aircraft’s components to be inspected.
A major concern of airlines in today’s competitive business environment is lowering their airplane-related operating costs (AROC). These costs directly affect an airline’s cash flow and ultimately its financial health. An airline’s total AROC falls into six categories: flight and cabin crews, fuel, maintenance, navigation and landing fees, ownership and spares, and depreciation .
A sizable part of AROC is related to airplane maintenance. Although maintenance costs, as a percentage of AROC, will vary — depending on such factors as airplane type, average flight segment length, and airplane age — typical maintenance costs range from approximately 10 to 20 percent of AROC.
These percentages may seem somewhat small at first glance, but they represent significant sums of money. Large carriers, for example, have maintenance budgets in excess of $1 billion.
