Aero Maintenance Facility Will Effectively Service Airlines in West Africa, Says Ghana Civil Aviation DG

Chinedu Eze

The Director General, Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Rev. Stephen Wilfred Arthur, said Aero Contractors Aircraft Maintenance Organisation (AMO) will effectively service all commercial aircraft operating in West and Central Africa approved for maintenance in the facility.

Rev. Arthur stated this after the facility tour of the maintenance facility located at the Aero head office, General Aviation Terminal (GAT), the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

The Director General was obviously impressed after visiting different sections of the facility and seeing the equipment available and the technical personnel, he said, “This is unique by all standards. And I least expected to see what we have all witnessed today, especially from this part of the continent.”

He linked the cost of aircraft maintenance to the cost of flight ticket, saying that ferrying the aircraft out of the West African region to the United States or Europe increases the cost of maintenance which is eventually passed to the passenger.

“Many of us out there have no idea how cost of aircraft maintenance affects the overall cost of operation, which eventually translates to the cost of air ticket. This is because it is not just the fuel that is used to fly, but the cost of maintaining, repairing, and overhauling the aircraft.

“If such a facility is not readily available within a certain geographical precinct, it adds more to the cost of the airline’s operations and business. And which eventually will be translated to the paying passenger.”

He said that having major MRO nearby reduces the cost maintenance because the airline will not pay hugely for crew expenses, the cost of fuelling the aircraft for long haul flight, navigation cost and also if the MRO is nearby, it cuts time for the maintenance of the aircraft, which means more money saved by the airline.

“So, we as Ghana and other neighbouring states, especially in the ECOWAS region, I believe that it is a great blessing to have this facility being operated, owned and managed by Aero Contractors. It is really good news to celebrate and to promote,” he said.

Arthur, who confirmed that Ghana is in the process of establishing a national carrier, said he was happy that Aero Contractors already has a maintenance facility in Nigeria.

“I think that we should celebrate the existence of Aero MRO and encourage airlines to patronise it because it is in patronising it that they can also expand and offer more. In our local parlance, we say that if you cannot beat them, you join them. So, Ghana will join our big brother in Nigeria, taking a very bold lead in using its services. It is not just something for Nigeria. It is not just for the sub-region but it is for the aviation industry as a whole that we have such a facility here in our neighbourhood. So, it is a cause to celebrate, to patronise and to see expansion,” Arthur said.

He disclosed that Nigeria is the first country he has visited after the confirmation of his appointment.

In his opening remarks, the Managing Director/CEO of Aero Contractors Limited, Captain Ado Sanusi, who happily welcomed the Director General, said the airline was established in 1959 and it started in oil and gas shuttle services and later progressed into scheduled flight services and aircraft maintenance.

“We operated helicopters and then later we started operating fixed wings and we became very, very dominant in oil and gas and then we ventured into airline business. We are the first again to perform C-check on Boeing 737 Classic in West and Central Africa and since then we have been operating our maintenance facility, providing services to airlines within West Africa and beyond.

“Now we have approvals in a number of West African countries and beyond. Our intention is to get EASA (European Union Safety Agency) approval and FAA (US Federal Aviation Administration) approval for line maintenance and go to even base maintenance. We also have desire to start flying back to Accra which we will do very soon,” Captain Sanusi said.