BEVERLY HILLS, May 24, (THEWILL) – Following recent incidents of bird strikes that affected two domestic carriers: Aero Contractors and Max Air, in a space of two days, Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Aviation, Honourable Nnolim Nnaji, has stressed the need for more funding for the relevant agencies.
The House in plenary had mandated the Committee on Aviation to summon the ministry and its agencies to give clarifications on the two incidents to avoid a major disaster in future.
Honourable Nnaji made the plea on Monday during an interaction between the committee and the heads of agencies led by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Aviation, Engineer Hassan Musa.
According to Nnaji, there was an urgent need to investigate claims of engine failure and bird strikes that almost caused the serious incidents of aircraft departing Kano and Port Harcourt Airports to Abuja respectively.
The Chairman demanded assurances from the team, which included the Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, (NCAA) Captain Musa Nuhu, the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, (FAAN), Captain Rabiu Yadadu, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, (NAMA), Captain Fola Akintotu, and the Commissioner Accident Investigation Bureau, (AIB) Engineer Akin Olateru, that flying was still safe.
He stressed that the insecurity in the country had placed high premiums on air travel that required that the ministry and the agencies needed to do more to sustain the safety records the country achieved in the past years.
The Permanent Secretary assured that the problem of bird strikes was a worldwide phenomenon and the several studies proved that it did not pose much threats to safety.
His assertion was corroborated by the trio of Captain Musa Nuhu of NCAA, Captain Rabiu Yadudu of FAAN and the Commissioner Accident Investigation Bureau, Engineer Akin Olateru.
Captain Yadudu specifically stated that bird strikes impacted negatively more on the finances of airlines than safety, adding that it cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and sometimes up to a million to replace an engine damaged by bird strikes.
The heads of the agencies especially the Managing Director of FAAN, Captain Yadudu, explained that a lot of funding was needed to upgrade some of the aviation facilities, including the bird strikes control equipment.
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