The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority NCAA, says, initiatives by airlines in addressing the dearth of manpower in the industry will get its full support.
Such initiatives, the NCAA says would not only grow the sector, it would help to sustain the zero accident so far recorded in the industry for over 10 years.
Speaking at the launch of an initiative by one of the domestic airlines to train over 1,440 technical personnel in the next decade, the Director airworthiness Standards, NCAA, Mr. Kayode Ajibola said, the agency is elated to know that many pilots, maintenance engineers and other technical personnel who perhaps have been trained and waiting to be employed for years, taken off the unemployment market and given the opportunity to contribute their quota to the development and safety of the industry.
According to him, the airline management must first give consideration to Nigerians over foreigners to sustain the initiative.
The initiator of the programme tagged g-future, Mr. Babawande Afolabi says, in the next decade, the company intends training 200 Captains,140 flight dispatchers, about 500 cabin crew, 100 engineers and about 500 other professionals.
Director in charge of flight operations in the airline, Captain Sunday Arome said, the first sets of people to benefit from the programme would be technical personnel who have been trained and licensed like pilots who have been waiting for type rating.
Those to be trained are expected to sign a bond that will be negotiated.
