AVIATION MASTER PLAN - A PARADIGM SHIFT – ENGR. DUNOMA

By Yakubu Dati

The Aviation Master Plan has been described as a paradigm shift in the formulation of aviation policies by the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Engr. Saleh Dunoma at the just concluded seminar organised by the League of Airport and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC), at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja.

Eng Dunoma stated that "never before have aviation policies in the country made such immediate impact on the airport landscape and the economy than we are witnessing today".

He also acknowledged and applauded the vital contributions that LAAC had made, over the years, in the development of the country’s aviation industry through robust and fruitful deliberations and the communication of ideas and facts about developments in the industry, using their various media.

According to him, "There is no doubt that most policies in the country’s aviation industry, over the years, have been influenced, directly or otherwise, by observations, contributions or resolutions made at the LAAC seminar by experts invited to brainstorm on ways of moving the industry forward."

Engr. Dunoma who was represented by FAAN’s Director of Maintenance and Engineering, Engr. Oluwafemi Ogunode, added that the theme for this year’s LAAC seminar, did not only align with the thinking of the Federal Government on the aviation industry today, but also provided a friendly atmosphere for the fertilization of ideas needed to complement the Transformation Agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan in the aviation sector.

Earlier, the Chairman of LAAC, Chukwuemeka Iwelumo, in welcoming participants to the event, applauded the efforts of former Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah, in transforming the sector. He however said that more efforts needed to be made so that the country could take her rightful place in the industry globally.

The seminar which attracted aviation experts like Capt Meggison, President of AON, Chris Aligbe, Capt Dele Ore and Engr. Sheri Kyari, was attended by major stakeholders including government agencies, labour unions and Airline operators who had an interactive session on the theme “Aviation Infrastructure and Policy as Stimulus for Economic Growth in Nigeria”.