Crisis: Unions seek ways to reposition Aviation industry

Crisis: Unions seek ways to reposition
Aviation industry
on october 27, 2013 at 4:11 pm in news
Ikeja – The three aviation unions in the country said
they were prepared to offer solutions in the ongoing
crisis in the sector with a view to repositioning the
industry.
The unions are the National Association of Aircraft
Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), Air Transport
Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria
(ATSSSAN) and the National Union of Air Transport
Employees (NUATE).
Mr Isaac Balami, the National President of NAAPE,
made the unions’ position known in a statement on
behalf of other unions on Sunday in Lagos.
He said a meeting would be scheduled with notable
elders and prominent professionals in the industry
in order to brainstorm on the contending issues.
Balami added that the meeting would seek to chart a
course for more participation by stakeholders in the
aviation sector for the purpose of moving the
industry forward.
“We are going to focus on critical areas of the
Nigerian aviation industry such as the need for
continued and greater levels of investment in civil
aviation.
“We shall also look at the training of the next-
generation pilots, engineers, traffic controllers,
among others.
“We, therefore, collectively call upon these elders
and experts to attend this crucial meeting.’’
The union president said one of the objectives of the
meeting was to collectively make valuable
contributions on how to proactively move the
industry to greater heights.
He said: “if Nigeria is to attain its vision of 20:2020,
it must grow its aviation sector to a level befitting of
the physical size and population of the country.’’
The meeting was also aimed at complementing the
ongoing efforts of Federal Government to reposition
the civil aviation sector, he added.
He noted that the present transformation in the
sector would place the industry back on the path to
rapid and sustainable growth.
Balami said an industry veteran, Capt. Paul Tahal,
would moderate the one-day meeting, scheduled for
Abuja on Oct. 29. (NAN)