BY Inalegwu Shaibu

THE anomaly in airfare between Nigeria and the United Kingdom and obtainable charges between the United Kingdom and other countries has aroused the chagrin of many Nigerians.

The Senate miffed by the alleged discrimination in fares and the gross violation of indigenous aviation laws by foreign airlines, rose from plenary on the 28th of March with a resolution to call the airliners to order and ensure sanity in the nation’s aviation sector.

The resolution came on the heels of motion moved by the chairman Senate Committee on Aviation, Senator Hope Uzodinma.

Senator Uzodinma in the motion raised an alarm that the Federal Government was being cheated of several billions of naira through flagrant disregard of indigenous aviation laws by the duo of Virgin Atlantic and British Airways, BA.

He also cried out that there was a wide disparity in fares charged by these two airlines between their Nigerian routes and others. Compounding the plight being suffered by Nigerians in the hands of Virgin Atlantic and BA he claimed is collaborative role played by Federal Government regulatory agencies.

Uzodinma told the Senate that regulatory agencies such as Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA and National Airspace Management Authority, NAMA aided foreign airliners in the alleged defrauding of the Federal Government and the indiscriminate services rendered to Nigerians.

“First class Lagos-London return fare is $10, 816, Abuja-London return flight is $10,144 whereas the same booking for passenger on the Accra-London route is $4, 798. While business class Lagos-London return fare is $7, 370. On Accra-London route it is $4, 098.

“Return economy ticket from London-New York is $625, London-Dallas is $787, London to Florida is $730, and London-Atlanta is $772. These routes are 9-hours flight minimum while the cheapest economy returns ticket from Abuja-London which is 6-hours amounts to $1200.”

The outcry by Senator Uzodinma prompted the Senate to direct his committee to investigate the anomalies in service charges by BA and Virgin Atlantic and the abuse of Bilateral Air Service Agreement, BASA, even as the Senate President, David Mark lambasted NCAA, NAMA and FAAN of gross failures in their statutory responsibilities.

He described the arbitrary price charged by British Airways and Virgin Atlantic as exploitative and unreasonable.

Mark said, “The prices given are completely out of range it is unreasonable; it is exploitative and nobody should tell us to sit down here and not do anything about it because Nigerians are willing to pay.”

“Our regulatory agencies have done absolutely nothing in fact they are part of the problem because they have been colluding with them otherwise they would have been the ones to raise the issue. They have watched helplessly, they have refused to act otherwise they would be the ones to force British Airways to look at what they are doing.”

In the course of the investigative hearing, it was confirmed by the operators that they had different fare regimes for Nigerian routes and others.

The committee also discovered a gross violation of the BASA between the United Kingdom and Nigeria by Virgin Atlantic and BA.

Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah who was at the hearing attested to the fact that Nigerians are being exploited by foreign airliners.

She described the fare disparity as exploitative and bad, and told the committee that she had issued stringent warnings to BA and Virgin Atlantic that the price imbalance would not be tolerated and must be dismantled.

But BA Country Manager for Nigeria, Kolawole Olayinka, who expressed reservations with the Senate’s open investigation of airfare disparity and profitability, was however resolute on the fare charged by BA.

He noted that the fares cannot come down unless more airliners are allowed into the market, even as he explained that BA alternates it fares charges to accommodate passenger demands.

Mark, who was represented by the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu at the hearing, challenged the Federal Government to take advantage of the present scenario in the aviation sector to make its impact felt in Africa.

He said: “It is important that we direct the Minister of Aviation before the end of this tenure that Nigeria Airways is brought back on stream. I do hope that they will accept the challenge.

“We feel very embarrassed each time we travel abroad and see other airlines carry the national flag of their countries and the names of their respective countries and Nigeria is missing. It is not only for the purpose of national pride, it’s important for the development of our tourism. It will also generate income and create employment for our people. This is the time for us to do something about it and restore Nigeria’s past glory in respect of aviation and air travels.”

Foreign Affairs Minister, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru, who was also at the hearing faulted FAAN, NCAA, and other agencies, and warned against allowing what he described as commercial dispute degenerate into diplomatic row.

He said, “It should be a commercial discussion and not dispute. What we have is a commercial dispute and what we see happening now is a failure of regulatory agencies to do their jobs.

If the regulatory agencies had done their job very well, we would not have got to this stage. There is no justification for the rip off that Nigerians are going through.”

But even as the Senate canvasses for improved access for Nigeria’s national carrier, Arik Air, and the rebirth of the dead Nigerian Airways, a begging question yet to be answered is the state of facilities at the airports.