Over $90 million will henceforth be saved as capital flight being spent on aircraft maintenance by the Nigerian airlines whenever they take their aircraft to foreign countries for maintenance.
This has been made possible with the successful in-house maintenance checks conducted on a Boeing 737-500 plane in the fleet of Aero Contractors by its engineers. The check, which was in the category of C-Check, was well celebrated by stakeholders across the sector coming over 15 years after similar checks were carried out by the defunct Nigeria Airways.
With the maintenance cost of about $2m to $3m approximately depending on aircraft type and condition for a Boeing aircraft, it is expected that about 30 Boeing aircraft operating in the country would gulp over $90m per each C-Check undertaken.
The airline had rolled out the first successfully conducted Boeing 737-500 C-Check in Nigeria and indeed West and Central Africa by the airline. Speaking at the event, Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, who commended Aero said that, with the new initiative, Nigeria would save huge sums of money hitherto, spent in doing C-Check overseas.
Sirika said “Nigeria experienced huge capital flight of nothing less than $1.8m and $3m per Boeing aircraft that left our shores for C-Checks and there are more than 30 of such aircraft operating in the country. All that is about to and is changing with this initiative birthed by Aero.”
The minister, who was represented by the Commissioner For Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), Engr Akin Olateru described Aero achievement as phenomenal and significant, adding that it would be for the benefit of all Nigerian airlines.
“It would ease business process for their major maintenance checks; drastically reduce maintenance cost while optimising their cost because of the benefit of making a major part of the maintenance service fees in Naira and also reduce aircraft maintenance downtime and create job opportunities for our teeming workforce amongst several other benefits”, the minister said.
Speaking further, Sirika applauded the expertise, competence, industry of AMCOM and the Receiver Manager for a job well done in the turnaround programme to making the airline take back its pride of place in the industry.
He equally advised airlines and aviation related companies to henceforth establish and devote resources into creating Research and Development (R&D) units in their organisations. In his welcome address, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Aero Contractors, Captain Ado Sanusi said the achievement is as a result of good policies, smart management, effective oversight and professional dedication by staff.
Commending the Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika for his encouragement, Capt Sanusi said Sirika’s support set the pace towards concerted efforts of ensuring that Aero sustained operations so as to serve the public and keep staff employed. On AMCOM, Sanusi said “The management of AMCOM deserves special accolades as well.
AMCOM plays and continues to play critical roles that have culminated with Aero being able to sustain its operations and slowly returning to viability.
Without the support of AMCOM, some tough decisions would have never been taken and we wouldn’t have gathered here today.” While commending the Receiver Manager of Aero, Mr. Adeniyi Adegbonmire, Sanusi also applauded the Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority NCAA, Capt Usman Mukhar for certifying Aero suitable for conducting Boeing Aircraft C- Check in Nigeria.
