Operators canvass mandatory insurance for airports nationwide

 

Operators canvass mandatory insurance for airports nationwide 

Chief Executive Officer of Overland Airways / Landover Aviation Company,  Captain Edward Boyo has called for  mandatory insurance of  airports nationwide to mitigate losses incurred by airlines over runway over run.

He said  a significant number of accidents and aircraft damages at airports could be traced to poor infrastructure .

Such critical gap, he said is the  direct responsibility of airport authorities, highlighting a vacuum  in the nation’s aviation insurance framework.

Speaking at the 5th CHINET Aviacargo Conference in Lagos with the theme, “The Emerging Synergy Between Aviation and Insurance Industry,” Captain Boyo expressed his surprise that industry discussions consistently focus on insuring airlines, passengers, and luggage, while overlooking what he termed the “causative factor” in many incidents: the airports themselves.

He pointed out that numerous jet aircraft have been damaged or destroyed due to failures in airport infrastructure and operations.

Captain Boyo ol said, the call has become  a consensus amongst operators, berating the poor state of many airport environments, comparing them to poorly maintained roads.

He cited specific areas of negligence, such as inadequate wildlife control, substandard runway conditions, and a general lack of “hygiene” in operational areas, all of which contribute to accidents.

Boyo said  these airport-related failings represent a significant and uninsured liability within the aviation ecosystem.

He said : “It’s like I am driving a car, I have insurance, and you are not allowed to drive a car on the road without insurance,” he stated, implying that airports, which provide the “roadways” for aircraft, must be held to the same standard.

He insisted that this oversight must be corrected and called on the government to step in and ensure it meets its responsibilities by enforcing compulsory insurance coverage for all airport facilities and operations.

Responding to the call by Captain Boyo, an insurance broker and President, Professional Insurance Ladies Association, Mrs. Bimbo Onokomaiya, expressed firm confidence that federal regulators will take decisive action on the call to make insurance coverage for airports and other critical aviation assets compulsory.

“I can rest assured that our regulator will definitely, definitely do something about it.”

She acknowledged that while new industry acts already include some forms of “compulsory  insurance,” the proposed law covering airports is particularly critical for the sector’s stability.

The Commissioner for Insurance, Mr.Olusegun Omosehin represented by the Deputy Commissioner, Technical, Mr. Usman Jankara, affirmed the Commission’s readiness to advance discussions on the compulsory insurance of Nigerian airports, assuring stakeholders that recent reforms have granted the regulator the necessary authority to enforce such mandates.

The Commissioner emphasized that the fundamental rationale for compulsory insurance is to safeguard the public interest, ensuring that innocent individuals are not left without financial compensation in the event of harm.

He explained that while regulations have been in place, the Commission historically lacked the direct authority to enforce them, a situation that has now been rectified.

“As regulators, we work within the ambit of the law. There was a reform path… the president actually now imposed a reform to enforce composite insurances. Before now, those regulations were in place, but the authority to enforce wasn’t there.”