LAGOS — Slok Airlines may have finally closed shop in Nigeria, with the de-registration of the company by Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) last week. The airline was last March 12 banned by the Federal Government over what were described as "unethical practices." Sources told Vanguard yesterday that the airlines’ management filed for de-registration of its four aircraft parked at the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, domestic tarmac, after several failed attempts to get the ban lifted. According to the sources, a domestic airline operator (name withheld) has actually indicated interest to pick the aircraft on lease.
At press time yesterday, a Slok Boeing 737-200 aircraft was seen entering the Nigerian Air Force hangar for some checks. The aircraft have been parked since March 12, 2004 when the ban was imposed.
Vanguard also gathered that the airline's de-registration of the aircraft may be connected with the airline’s plans to use them for operation in The Gambia as well as to cut losses from accumulating parking charges. Slok management had a few weeks ago indicated interest to start off operations with the aircraft in the West African country, having disengaged its workers running into a thousand.
Slok and IRS Airlines were banned by the Federal Government same day for different reasons but while the ban on IRS Airlines was lifted a week after, that of Slok Airlines remained till date.
Meanwhile, a pressure group in the aviation industry, Aviation Round Table (ART) has called on the Federal Government to urgently ratify the Cape Town convention on aircraft leasing. Chairman of the group, Group Capt. John Obakpolor (rtd), told newsmen at a briefing yesterday that the delay in ratifying the convention was creating problems for domestic airline operators in obtaining favourable lease terms.
According to him, it will do Nigeria a lot of good, if the document was ratified before year’s end. ART also expressed concern that safety facilities at the nation’s airports were of the lowest category, adding that a lot of the facilities needed to be brought to acceptable standards.
"Some of our busy airports have facilities that are below safety level for such airports as Lagos runway 19L and 19R. At the Lagos Airport, approach lights system is of the lowest category and its intensity cannot be varied. Runway lights intensity cannot be controlled and the VASI is unserviceable and when serviceable, is uncalibrated.
"Port Harcourt Airport runway approach light has no VASI; approach light intensity not controlled, while Calabar Airport runway also has no approach and threshold lights," Group Capt. Obakpolor said.
He flayed NCAA’s inadequate monitoring of the performance of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), as, according to him, NAMA needs as much monitoring as airline operators.
