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By Ayoola Olaitan
Despite the colossal fiscal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the aviation sector, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, (NCAA) has warned that staff retrenchment in the air travel industry would be suicidal.
The Public Relations Officer of NCAA, Mr Sam Adurogboye made this assertion during an interview with MMS Plus correspondent, yesterday.
The aviation sector is one of the industries mostly hit by the pandemic having been banned from operations since March by the Federal Government in a bid to curb the spread of the pandemic and the sector has already faced huge losses as normalcy is yet to return.
With airlines gradually opting for different options to remain in business after the pandemic, staff layoff and cut in salaries have emerged top options for airline operators and other players in the sector as there is no definite return date for operations.
However, according to the NCAA spokesman, it would be catastrophic for the air travel industry if airlines, government agencies and other companies emulate the downsizing strategy already witnessed in many sectors of Nigeria’s economy.
Adurogboye encouraged operators to explore other avenues for revenue generation, arguing that there are other opportunities that could be discussed with no certainty to the end of the pandemic.
“I think government is not thinking towards retrenchment. How can people come out of this pandemic only to face the agony of retrenchment? It is like asking them to commit suicide” he said.
Adurogboye noted that NCAA was already thinking of alternative sources of income distinct from the already established modes prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
