NAAPE wants airlines to stop sector payments of pilots

By Chukwuemeke Iwelunmo

The National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), has called on the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to put adequate measures in place to stop sector payment of pilots by airlines and other aircraft operators.
NAAPE argued that there were reports that several aircraft operators do not have sufficient number of qualified and experienced technical personnel to operate and maintain their aircraft fleets.
In a communiqué issued at the end of its delegates conference in Abuja, NAAPE noted that such development has led to the over-working, with the safety implication that several errors arising from fatigue could set in.
“Several airlines and aircraft operators are in the habit of paying their pilots based on the sector payment methodology. Sector payment to pilots, which is calculated based on the number of successful flights a pilot performs on daily basis, has been perceived to have very grave safety implications”
The communique signed by Engr Abednego Galadima president of NAAPE, said the association was concerned about this development, and strongly advice the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to intensify its surveillance on operators to ensure that airlines and aircraft operators employ and retain sufficient number of qualified Pilots and Engineers to operate and maintain their aircraft fleets without compromising safety.
“For the purpose of earning more money, pilots could be negatively induced to attempt flying when an aircraft is unserviceable, when they are not medically fit to fly, when they are under intense pressure, when there are unfavourable weather conditions that may endanger flight, and to fly beyond the maximum hours stipulated by Nig.CARs 8.12.1.4”
NAAPE said it observed from recent happenings that incidents of bird strikes within the vicinity of our airports have continued to increase stressing bird-strikes posed serious threats to aircraft as they can lead to serious structural damage to aircraft components and it often happen during critical phases of flight such as take-off and landing.
“This problem has also increased the running-costs of airlines and aircraft operators as huge sums of money are often expended in order to rectify these defects.
Also, there are reports that green-algae have been found growing along the runway shoulder in some airports.  If this is not controlled on time, those runways may become contaminated and this may adversely affect the braking capabilities of an aircraft which could lead to run-way excursions”
NAAPE, called on the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to double its efforts towards reducing the numbers of birds/birdstrike incidents on airports by reviewing the practice of grass cutting in the day when birds are most likely to be attracted adding that the growth of algae along runway shoulder should be checked and controlled in a timely manner.
NAAPE frowned with dismay that the NCAA Staff Condition of Service (CoS) that was revised since 2016 has not been approved by all concerned agencies till date. “The agency’s staffs are still being paid based on 2013 Staff Condition of Service. In recent years, nearly thirty (30) qualified and seasoned Aviation Safety Inspectors have resigned from the Regulatory agency and sought employment with airlines and other international organizations due to their poor remuneration that is not consistent with their education and experience”
According to them, the poor remuneration of the Inspectors posed serious threats on safety as there were no longer sufficient qualified Inspectors to carry out safety oversight on operators while the remaining inspectors who were over-worked and clearly de-motivated would most likely fail to satisfactorily perform their job functions which were very critical to the sustenance of safety within the Nigerian aviation industry.
The body called on the Minister of Aviation, Head of Civil Service of the Federation, the Management of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and all other concerned stakeholders to give this matter the attention it deserved by ensuring a speedy approval of the NCAA Staff Condition of Service.
NAAPE said it has observed that quite a number of Pilots and Engineers from Nigeria College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) Zaria were resigning due to poor remuneration and advocated for
upward review of remunerations of Pilots and Engineers in NCAT so that they could be at par with the remunerations of their counterparts in private aviation establishments
“Some Aviation Agencies have been observed to recruit staff into technical positions on Salary Grade Levels 12 and above without considering existing staff on lower Salary Grade Level who possess the requisite qualifications and experience to occupy such positions. This practice is in flagrant disregard of the Public Service Rules 160302 and other approved documents such as the Staff Conditions of Service”
The communiqué noted that there were reports that several aviation employers were in the habit of not remitting staff pension contributions into their respective Retirement Savings Accounts (RSA) adding that most of these required remittances were overdue for years despite their pensions were deducted from staff gross salaries.
“NAAPE totally condemns the wrong designation of holders of Aircraft Maintenance Engineer Licence (AMEL) as “Technicians” by some airlines and maintenance organizations. The AMEL is issued by NCAA based on the Nig.CARs. Therefore, any designation other than an engineer that is given to these license holders would be perceived as a violation of the Nig.CARs”