Chairman of Bi- Courtney Aviation Services Limited, the builder and manager of Lagos Airpport domestic terminal (MMA2),Dr Wale Babalakin has canvassed for the zoning of airports to make them easy for concessioning.
About eight years ago the federal government contemplated concessioning the airports through this zoning formula before the plan was jettisoned for continued full management of the airports by the government agency, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria.
Recently there has been calls by aviation stakeholders and others for the concession of airport facilities, as government may not have the funds to support airport infrastructure, maintenance and expansion of these facilities.
Babalakin who has successfully managed MMA2 built in 2007 and rated as best airport terminal in the country, suggested that these airports should be broken into four zonal structures headed by Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt.
He said without injection of private capital the airports would not be modernized, maintained and service air travellers efficiently, so an enabling environment has to be created so that the facilities would be turned around in the next 30 months.
Babalakin spoke at a meeting in Lagos organized by industry think tank group Aviation Round Table Safety Initiative.
He clarified at the forum that Bi- Courtney Aviation Services Limited signed agreement to operate regional flights from the MAA2, Lagos and was awaiting approval from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority ( NCAA) to enable it commence operations.
Babalakin said the clarification has become imperative because of insinuations making the round that the firm wanted to commence operations for regional flights without regulatory approvals.
The Chairman of Bi – Courtney explained that NCAA was invited to inspect the terminal and that the regulatory body gave some conditions that should be met by the terminal before it could commence regional flights from the facility.
“Approval was not given, we signed an agreement to operate regional flights. NCAA was invited to inspect the facility and gave conditions that must be met and these conditions have been fulfilled and we are waiting for the implementation,” he said.
He condemned attempts by FAAN to take over its hotel opposite the MMA2, insisting that a fresh agreement has been signed to enable work resume at the project site, adding that serous airport development could only take place under a well articulated concessioning system devoid of disagreements.
He stated that airport development could only manifest in the Nigerian aviation sector if Nigerians
themselves harness the potential that the country has, noting that for the aviation sector to be developed, the rule of law must be followed and bemoaned a situation where concession agreements that were approved were later violated.
