Maintenance facility prerequisite to aircraft manufacturing in Nigeria

An expert, Dr. Titus Olaniyi has declared any hope of Nigeria manufacturing an aircraft in the foreseeable future is mirage unless Maintenance, Repair Overhaul MRO facility is establish to carry out repairs and maintenance of aircraft in the country.

He noted that the current Nigeria aviation policy required a paradigm shift, and lamented that as it is currently composed the format amount to a blank cheque opportunity to foreign operators to strangulate Nigeria domestic carriers.

Presenting a paper, “the imperative of Building a sustainable Aircraft maintenance Hangar in Nigeria” Olaniyi, who is a special resource person at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology Zaria, explained that it is not feasible to achieve the feat of aircraft designing and manufacturing in Nigeria in the next ten years but declared that the country’s aviation must begin to sustainably operate, maintain and assemble in the progressive order.

Citing the MRO facility in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state as an example, he opined that facility is a viable step in the right direction to achieve such feat adding that once it was completed, the facility will become a national hangar that will accommodate two B747 – 400 or six B737 in a closed air conditioned space.

He said “it will require the services of technically capable human resources that will provide high quality maintenance services needed, the MRO in Uyo should consider collaboration first with Original.

Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and later with third party suppliers in order to strategically upgrade the facility to an assembly plant and later collaborate with manufacturers.”

The expert called for the imitation of planning and policy frame work inclusive of its implementation strategies that would encourage the establishment of MRO to protect the Nigerian aviation industry and its workforce.