…aims to train about 2000 aviation professionals in the next decade

By Lawani Mikairu

Nigeria’s Green Africa Airways has expressed a desire to become a major carrier in the country with a powerhouse for the training of aviation professionals in a near future.

At the launching of its ‘gFuture’ initiative on Tuesday in Lagos, the airline said it aims to build human capacity in the sector by training young Nigerians who have the passion to become aviation professionals.

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the airline, Mr Babawande Afolabi, said in the next decade, the company would have produced over 200 pilots, 145 flight dispatchers, 500 cabin crew, 100 engineers, and about 500 other professionals for the sector.

                                                         According to him, this will stretch beyond the decade, as the airline is hopeful that its business template and training programmes will contribute immensely to the growth of the sector.

“Over the next decade, we are planning to graduate about 200 Captains, about 140 flight dispatchers, 500 cabin crew, 100 engineers, and about 500 other professionals. When we say other professionals, some people think of our training programme for pilots and engineers but there is a whole lot more within the aviation business, so you have network planning, aviation, and aircraft financing, so you see other areas where the 500 can attract,” he said.

He said the initiative aims to get four young pilots type-rated every month with a view to grooming them to become captains in four to five years’ time, according to professional standards.

He added that, already, 8 trainees will begin their FCC training in Zaria from March 9 this year; and the company will continue to send trainees every month within the timeframe of 10 years.

“We plan to send four young pilots to the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) in Zaria every month, we want to infuse a new generation young vibrant Africans into the system, we are very keen on this, we recognize that there is a gap and we are ready to contribute our quota to filling it, eight young officers will start in NCAT by March 9, they will be through with type-rating afterward,” he said.

On financial implications of the training, Afolabi said he wouldn’t know exactly how much the training would cost but it would be determined based on the timelines for regular training and the expected expertise required for certification.

According to him, from the regular FCC in NCAT (Nigerian College of Aviation Technology) to type-rating and licensing, the cost of training one pilot, on average, is about $40,000, while that of training an engineer is between $15,000 and $20,000.

“If you convert that to Naira with the current exchange rate, we are looking at N20 to N25 million; just to go to a pilot training school. For an engineer, it will cost at least 15 to 20 thousand dollars to train.”

He said each of the programme takes at least five years for one to become certified.

However, the business climate in Nigeria and Africa has not been friendly to airlines, especially new entrants like Green Africa Airways still bearing the tag of ‘local carrier.’

The airline said in the last 12 months, the operational cost of airlines has doubled due to an increase in the price of fuel, foreign exchange, among others; “these are some of the realities that we have to grapple with,” Afolabi lamented.

But going forward, the airline said it will adopt the philosophy of simplicity in everything it does – “training, flight operations, change of fleet and going international will be determined as we grow with our philosophy of simplicity.”