L-R: Henry Àgbebire, director, special services, FAAN; Alex Nwuba, VP2, ASRTI; Albinus Chiedu, publicity secretary, ASRTI; John Ojikutu, (retired group captain), ASRTI; Adeola Omikunle, treasurer, ASRTI; Demola Onitiju (retired air commodore), president, ASRTI; Olubunmi Kuku, managing director/CEO, FAAN; Abdullahi Mahmood, director, operations, FAAN; Adebola Joy Ogunbiade, director, commercial & business development; Obiageli Orah, director, public affairs & consumer protection; Thomas Olalekan, director, cargo development & services; and Emiola Luqman, director, human resource & administration, at a meeting of members of Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI) with FAAN management at FAAN headquarters in Lagos, recently

Sade Williams/Business a.m.

A dossier of demands aiming to ensure air passengers’ safety, comfort, as well as general airport safety and security, improved infrastructure standards, and revenue maximisation opportunities, is now in the hands of the managing director and chief executive officer of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

Olubunmi Kuku, the FAAN chief, leading her management team to meet with  executives of Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI), received the dossier from the aviation sector policy lobby group for consideration in the course of her work administering airports across the country.

The dossier of demands forms part of a catalogue of proposals they put forward for Kuku to consider during the meeting of the two parties.

The ASRTI team led by Demola Onitiju, a retired air commodore and its president, made a case for enforcement of compliance with Service Level Agreements (SLAs) signed between FAAN and concessionaires at the airports, provision of better comfort for airport users, including physically challenged passengers, who require separate facilities to access the terminal lounge.

They also demanded the regulation of concessionaires’ access to the newly commissioned terminals and a monitoring device to ensure that duty free shop operators sell only what they were granted FAAN approval to sell at the airports.

“In the interest of health and safety of travellers, who are consumers and standard international best practices, it is important for FAAN to evolve some certification processes and establish who is selling what among the retail shop operators,” said Onitiju.

He also called for urgent action on the menace of rats at the new terminal of the Lagos airport, which equally constitutes a health hazard. The issue of establishing security fences at the airports in line with ICAO standards was emphasised and the need to relocate the Lagos airport toll gate and have two, such that there is an entry into and exit from the airport area, was proposed. Those driving into the airport road area would then pay a toll, but while exiting at the exit point, they don’t pay, and vice versa. This ASRTI believes, would help FAAN revenue generation.

Responding to these and other proposals, Kuku commended the efforts of ASRTI, an NGO. which she described as a pressure group, to contribute to the industry’s development.

Kuku said the ongoing infrastructure projects already incorporated the needs of physically challenged passengers and that a brand new elevator was already being installed, adding that the physically challenged passengers were being considered in the ongoing facilities upgrade plan.

She also noted that FAAN was already working on a revalidation process for concessionaires, as the business development directorate was already reviewing the activities of retail shop operators to check standards, while the challenges of security at the cargo section were already being addressed by the cargo services directorate.

She further stated that on assumption of office, there was a huge gap in fire simulator training for airport fire personnel but that the personnel could confirm that the gap was being filled already.

On the dilapidated road linking FAAN Training School to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Kuku said her leadership succeeded in getting the Lagos State government to indicate interest in contributing to the road repairs, and that discussions were ongoing with both the state government and the federal government.

She added that some of the airport projects such as perimeter fencing of all the major airports were humongous projects, way beyond what FAAN’s internally generated revenue (IGR) could carry and may require the federal government’s involvement. She however stated that some aspects of the projects were already being done.

Henry Agbebire, FAAN’s director of special duties, said major steps were already being taken to tackle the menace of rats at the terminals, which ASRTI had noted was a health safety hazard and an embarrassment to the country.

ASRTI is a foremost aviation NGO in Nigeria with the objective of “advancement of the Nigerian aviation sector, through a consistent working relationship with the government, and knowledge sharing with stakeholders.”

The organisation has, as members, professionals in aviation and allied businesses, with decades of experience in their turf. There are also corporate members made up of organisations in the sector.