by Rachel Ogbu

The Nigerian airspace is facing a huge dilemma as 24 foreign airlines are considering stopping or continuing flights into the country pending when the Federal Government approves their summer schedule.

The summer season began on March 28, 2013 but it’s illegal for any airline to fly into another country without obtaining approval for its winter and summer seasonal schedules from the host countries, aviation experts familiar with the situation have said.

According to country manager of one of the foreign airlines speaking privately to local media:

“We are in dilemma whether to stop our flights to Nigeria or not because we don’t know why the summer schedule has been delayed up till now. We started implementing our summer schedule since March 31, but we are very worried.

“This has not happened in a very long time. So, that is why we are worried. The approval comes usually days ahead of the commencement of the new season’s schedule.”

Head of another foreign airline said: “We don’t know the reason for the delay this time around. We have never experienced this kind of delay before. All of us are just keeping our fingers crossed, looking at what is going to happen.

“Well, we can’t stop our flights since they have not asked us to stop. Neither can we continue the former (winter) schedule because if we do so, our passengers from Nigeria will miss their connections in our hubs in Europe due to the time difference in the new winter schedule. And of course, Nigeria alone cannot be operating a winter schedule in a summer season.”

The Punch reports:

Although most of the foreign airlines have begun implementing their winter schedule, which has yet to be approved by the Ministry of Aviation, a number of them are, however, worried that the delay in the approval process may put them in an unpleasant situation.

It was gathered that one of the numerous implications of not getting approval for the schedule before flying was that in the event of a crash or major accident, insurance companies might refuse to pay compensation to the affected airline and its passengers because such would be regarded as an illegal flight.

The development has generated concerns among the foreign airlines’ executives and top officials of the Ministry of Aviation, who felt that any further delay might force some of the carriers to consider halting their flight operations into the country so as not to find themselves in an unpleasant situation.

Findings revealed that the airlines’ winter schedules expired between March 28 and 31, depending on each carrier’s schedule.

It was further gathered that the proposed summer schedules of all the 24 airlines were currently at the ministry awaiting the approval of the Minister of Aviation, Ms. Stella Oduah.

Sources at the ministry, however, could not give reasons for the delay, saying the minister had the final approval.

According to them, the final approval is usually given by the Aviation minister based on the recommendations of the Schedule Approval Committee comprising officials from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria and Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, and headed by a director in the ministry.

However, the Special Assistant (Media) to the Minister of Aviation, Mr. Joe Obi, said Oduah had not refused to approve the foreign airlines’ summer schedules, adding that they would be approved very soon

Obi said, “The minister has not refused to sign the schedules. There is a procedure and all schedules are currently being processed. This is routine exercise and the minister has no reason to withhold or refuse to sign them.

“But the process must be followed. In a short while, all the schedules will be signed once the processes have been concluded.”