ABDUCTED CLERGYMAN, WIFE ,DRIVER REGAIN FREEDOM AFTER 3 DAYS IN KIDNAPPERS' DEN LAGOS - Overseas maintenance of commercial airplanes operating in the country currently costs Nigeria at least $2.5 billion or N1.52 trillion ($1:N608) in capital flight yearly.
The mandatory maintenance programme, ranging from minor to complex checks per session on an aircraft, costs about $2 million (N1.2 billion), and a cumulative burden on the industry in particular.
Besides, the misfortunes of the weak Naira-to-Dollar exchange rate, perennial lack of high-capacity Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facilities since the 90s has been the undoing of the country. Though the current administration promised to have one in place as part of the Aviation Roadmap initiative of 2016, the plan is yet to become a reality.
Speaking yesterday in Abuja, at the maiden edition of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) National Aviation Conference (FNAC), the Managing Director of FAAN, Capt. Rabiu Yadudu, said such capital flight would have been avoided if the country had MRO facilities that could adequately cater for all types of commercial airplanes.
No comments:
Post a Comment