August 21, (THEWILL) – The National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), has advised the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to put adequate measures in place to stop sector payment of pilots by airlines and other aircraft operators.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the National Delegates Conference of NAAPE held on 30th July, 2021 at Hotel Interconnect, Gwarimpa, Abuja, the professional body observed that several airlines and aircraft operators had formed the habit of paying their pilots based on the sector payment methodology.
NAAPE therefore, opined that sector payment to pilots, which is calculated based on the number of successful flights a pilot performs on daily basis, has been perceived to have very grave safety implications.
It stated: “For the purpose of earning more money, pilots could be negatively induced to attempt flying when an aircraft is unserviceable, when they are not medically fit to fly, when they are under intense pressure, when there are unfavourable weather conditions that may endanger flight, and to fly beyond the maximum hours stipulated by Nig.CARs 8.12.1.4.”
The body also pointed out that several aircraft operators do not have sufficient number of qualified and experienced technical personnel to operate and maintain their aircraft fleets.
The pilots and aircraft engineers group lamented that inadequate personnel would make the available technical personnel over-worked, with the safety implication that several errors arising from fatigue could set in.
It said: “NAAPE is concerned about this development, and hereby strongly advice the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to intensify its surveillance on operators to ensure that airlines and aircraft operators employ and retain sufficient number of qualified Pilots and Engineers to operate and maintain their aircraft fleets without compromising safety.”
NAAPE body equally expressed the need for authorities to stem the tide of bird strike in recent times, which has increased the running-costs of airlines and aircraft operators as huge sums of money are often expended in order to rectify these defects caused by the birds.
The conference noted that, green-algae have been found growing along the runway shoulder in some airports, a situation that could make those runways contaminated and this may adversely affect the braking capabilities of an aircraft which could lead to run-way excursions.
The communiqué further stated that “NAAPE frowns with dismay that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) Staff Condition of Service (CoS) that was revised since 2016 has not been approved by all concerned agencies till date. The agency’s staffs are still being paid based on 2013 Staff Conditions of Service. In recent years, nearly thirty (30) qualified and seasoned Aviation Safety Inspectors have resigned from the Regulatory agency and sought employment with airlines and other international organisations due to their poor remuneration that is not consistent with their education and experience.
“This poor remuneration of the Inspectors poses serious threats on safety as there are no longer sufficient qualified Inspectors to carry out safety oversight on operators, and the remaining Inspectors who are over-worked and clearly de-motivated would most likely fail to satisfactorily perform their job functions which are very critical to the sustenance of safety within the Nigerian aviation industry.
“Consequently, NAAPE calls on the Minister of Aviation, Head of Civil Service of the Federation, the Management of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and all other concerned stakeholders to give this matter the attention it deserves by ensuring a speedy approval of the NCAA Staff Condition of Service. Also an upward review of the remunerations of Aviation Safety Inspectors should be carried out and implemented expeditiously.”
Noting that quite a number of Pilots and Engineers from Nigeria College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) Zaria are resigning due to poor remunerations, NAAPE advocates for: “Upward review of remunerations of Pilots and Engineers in NCAT so that they could be at par with the remunerations of their counterparts in private aviation establishments.
“Training and retraining of these professionals and harmonisation of salaries and wages of all Nigerian Aviation Agencies.
In terms of recruitment, NAAPE stated that” some Aviation Agencies have been observed to recruit staff into technical positions on Salary Grade Levels 12 and above without considering existing staff on lower Salary Grade Level who possess the requisite qualifications and experience to occupy such positions. This practice is in flagrant disregard of the Public Service Rules 160302 and other approved documents such as the Staff Conditions of Service, Scheme of Service, etc”.
This development, according to NAAPE, has been observed to be counterproductive to the public service for some years now as hardworking and dedicated members of staff have been demotivated with attendant reduction in productivity.
Other issues deliberated at the conference include: failure to remit staff pension contributions into their respective Retirement Savings Accounts (RSA); wrong designation of holders of Aircraft Maintenance Engineer Licence (AMEL) as “Technicians” by some airlines and maintenance organisations amongst others
About the Author
Anthony Awunor, is a business correspondent who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Linguistics (UNILAG). He is also an alumnus of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria Kaduna State. He lives in Lagos.
