The over 100 disused aircraft that litter various airports across the country are an eyesore and constitute environmental, security and safety hazards, especially at a time when airports in the nation are being remodeled.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has raised the alarm that the abandoned planes obscure airspace which, by implication, can obstruct routine and emergency operations. Also, emissions from their dysfunctional equipment are said to be capable of impeding navigational signals and interfering with flight instruments of operating airlines.
Although about 40 per cent of air accidents in Nigeria are weather-related, the continued stay of abandoned aircraft at our airports constitutes the prospect of an avertable threat whose repercussion would be inexcusable. Former aviation minister Fidelia Njeze had, early last year, constituted a 12-member committee to advise her on what to do with the disabled airplanes.
It was held that the removal of the aircraft was the responsibility of their registered owners or operators. However, the response from the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) was far from pleasant.
The current directive by aviation authorities for owners of those old airplanes to remove them is about the third time government would be asking operators to remove their dysfunctional planes without seeing through the directive, because the AON secured a court injunction against FAAN. This has prevented aviation regulators from removing the abandoned aircraft.
One merit of the airline owners' position that relevant government agencies should provide logistical support for evacuation is that most of the affected airlines are not in a position to clear their mess because they are no longer operating. Okada Air, for instance, stopped operation in the late 1990s, and has since been delisted by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
But beyond the issue of responsibility for logistics, we are concerned that airliners' arguments concerning the removal of the old aircraft are tilted towards selling or auctioning their carcasses as scraps. It would be mutually beneficial for the aircraft owners to look beyond making profit in dealing with this problem. With many of the aircraft apparently in a state of decay, they can only be sold as scrap to smelting factories.
The way forward is for the nation to creatively put those planes into use. For example, those in fairly good condition could serve as classrooms, children's libraries and public conveniences.
Also, the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria, which has an aircraft maintenance engineering school, could use the old planes as part of its simulation facilities and support for fleet training.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201203250138.html
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