Age
of aircraft is one issue that dominate national discourse in Nigeria
whenever there is a plane crash. “Aviation experts” begin to theorise
(even before AIB concludes its investigation that) that the crash was
caused by the age of the ill-fated aircraft.
To many, including
journalists that should know better, we rush to judgement and begin to
pass judgement calling on the Ministry of Aviation to ground or suspend
the airline’s operating licence.
We go further to call the
operator(s) murderer(s) and all sorts even when investigations are yet
to commence. The National Assembly assume the know-it-all attitude by
immediately looking for punitive measures; they suddenly spring to
action and begin to act in a matter they do not know anything about.
Most times, they advertise their crass ignorance.
I think it is important to bring up the matter of aged aircraft and to see where we missed the point.
I travelled to New York from London via Amsterdam recently. As I
patiently waited for a connecting flight at Schiphol Airport, I observed
from where I was sitting that KLM which has its hub there has many of
the aircraft we refer to as ‘geriatric’ in Nigeria in its fleet. On the
apron were 37 B737-200, 300, 400, aside the NextGen airplanes like
B737-700, B737-800 and B737-900. In the fleet are also B767-300, 15
McDonnell Douglas 10 (DC10), 16 Fokker 100/70. These aircraft operate
both short and long haul. We all know the age of these airplanes. If
these airplanes are unsafe as we erroneously think, I am sure countries
in Europe and the United States will not be operating them. The decision
to retire them in 2014 is purely that of the airline, occasioned by
high fuel price and comfort for its customers.
Airline operators are
now going for fuel efficient aircraft like the Dreamliner, A330s, and
not A350s which experts say is a fuel guzzling airplane; the reason that
aircraft type is not popular in the world. Only very few, less than ten
airlines have it in their fleet.
KLM said the MD-11s will remain
in service until 2014. The first Boeing 777 was received on October 25,
2003, entering commercial service on the Amsterdam–Toronto route, while
the first Airbus A330-200 was introduced on August 25 2005 and entered
commercial service on the Amsterdam–Washington Dulles route.
These
are aircraft that the so called members of Aviation Committees in the
National Assembly would readily condemn as no more airworthy. Even the
Ministry of Aviation will rush to the media to begin to peg age limit
for aircraft before they are allowed to operate.
Former Aviation
Minister, Kema Chikwe in the heat of EAS crash in Gwarmaja, near Kano
attributed the crash to age of the plane and aircraft type like DC-9,
BAC 1-11, B727, B737-200 etc were barred. Operators lost money and it
put a lot pressure on the industry.
While we thought all was well,
Dana Airlines recorded the worst accident in the history of crashes when
over 150 people perished in Iju-Ishaga. Instantly, the Ministry of
Aviation, rather than the NCAA grounded the firm’s operation. Even an
operator in the industry was ready to condemn other operators for using
what he termed, ‘old aircraft’ forgetting that a five or six year old
airplane is no longer considered new in aviation. Is it a case of crass
ignorance or clear mischief?
God forbid there is another crash in
Nigeria involving a plane of about 10 years; will the Ministry say the
age of airplanes should further be reduced by five years?
What the
Ministry needs to do is look for ways to strengthen the CAA without
necessarily meddling in the day to day running of the authority. If it
does, it would imply that the NCAA’s autonomy is only on paper.
Wole Shadare is Aviation Correspondent for the Guardian Newspaper
To many, including journalists that should know better, we rush to judgement and begin to pass judgement calling on the Ministry of Aviation to ground or suspend the airline’s operating licence.
I think it is important to bring up the matter of aged aircraft and to see where we missed the point.
I travelled to New York from London via Amsterdam recently. As I patiently waited for a connecting flight at Schiphol Airport, I observed from where I was sitting that KLM which has its hub there has many of the aircraft we refer to as ‘geriatric’ in Nigeria in its fleet. On the apron were 37 B737-200, 300, 400, aside the NextGen airplanes like B737-700, B737-800 and B737-900. In the fleet are also B767-300, 15 McDonnell Douglas 10 (DC10), 16 Fokker 100/70. These aircraft operate both short and long haul. We all know the age of these airplanes. If these airplanes are unsafe as we erroneously think, I am sure countries in Europe and the United States will not be operating them. The decision to retire them in 2014 is purely that of the airline, occasioned by high fuel price and comfort for its customers.
Airline operators are now going for fuel efficient aircraft like the Dreamliner, A330s, and not A350s which experts say is a fuel guzzling airplane; the reason that aircraft type is not popular in the world. Only very few, less than ten airlines have it in their fleet.
KLM said the MD-11s will remain in service until 2014. The first Boeing 777 was received on October 25, 2003, entering commercial service on the Amsterdam–Toronto route, while the first Airbus A330-200 was introduced on August 25 2005 and entered commercial service on the Amsterdam–Washington Dulles route.
These are aircraft that the so called members of Aviation Committees in the National Assembly would readily condemn as no more airworthy. Even the Ministry of Aviation will rush to the media to begin to peg age limit for aircraft before they are allowed to operate.
Former Aviation Minister, Kema Chikwe in the heat of EAS crash in Gwarmaja, near Kano attributed the crash to age of the plane and aircraft type like DC-9, BAC 1-11, B727, B737-200 etc were barred. Operators lost money and it put a lot pressure on the industry.
While we thought all was well, Dana Airlines recorded the worst accident in the history of crashes when over 150 people perished in Iju-Ishaga. Instantly, the Ministry of Aviation, rather than the NCAA grounded the firm’s operation. Even an operator in the industry was ready to condemn other operators for using what he termed, ‘old aircraft’ forgetting that a five or six year old airplane is no longer considered new in aviation. Is it a case of crass ignorance or clear mischief?
God forbid there is another crash in Nigeria involving a plane of about 10 years; will the Ministry say the age of airplanes should further be reduced by five years?
What the Ministry needs to do is look for ways to strengthen the CAA without necessarily meddling in the day to day running of the authority. If it does, it would imply that the NCAA’s autonomy is only on paper.
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