Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL), operators of the domestic wing of Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal Two (MMA2), Lagos, has flawed the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria’s (FAAN’s) alleged claim of its indebtedness to the tune of N1, 943,323,516.50, saying the claim lacks merit
In a statement issued on Monday to debunk the FAAN’s allegations, the company restated its commitment to ensure efficient flight operations and services at the airport.
The FAAN had on Sunday in a statement threatened to withdraw its personnel from MMA2 due to the alleged indebtedness effective from mid-night of December 9, 2018.
In a letter dated October 30, 2018, FAAN demanded Bi-Courtney to pay for the provision of the aviation security, rescue and fire-fighting services, among other charges or it would withdraw its personnel from MMA2.
BASL, in a letter addressed to FAAN management, demanded for payments of outstanding liabilities arising from court judgments over non-implementation of the concession agreement by Federal authorities.
The letter reads: “We have consistently brought it to your notice that we have a judgment credit of N132, 540,580,304.00 since March 03, 2009. This credit arose directly from the non-implementation of the concession agreement by the appropriate authorities. The courts have consistently ordered that any liability we have to FAAN or any Federal Government agency should be deducted from this amount.
“Despite the receipt of BASL’s response, FAAN have flagrantly disregarded several court orders, including the most recent with reference suit number – FHC/ABJ/CS/1422/18/ issued on Wednesday, November 28, 2018, pertaining to this matter, duly served to FAAN, ordering that “the status quo be maintained and that nothing that may disrupt and / or hinder the operation of the airport should be done pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice”, the company added.
The company stated further, in its statement made available to the media, that adequate safety and security measures had been put in place to ensure that the withdrawal of FAAN personnel did not in any way disrupt smooth flight operations and other business activities at the terminal.
For instance, it maintained that there were adequately trained and NCAA-certified personnel to man the various parts and sensitive points at the terminal, pointing out that since inception it has trained its own aviation security personnel to work along with FAAN security at the terminal.
BASL clarified further: “Since 2016, BASL have been performing the same service that FAAN performs in their absence. Staff are trained in accordance with the National Civil Aviation Security Training Programme (NCASTP) in respect of X-ray Image Interpretation and physical security screening.
“It should be noted that the withdrawal of FAAN personnel in no way jeopardises security levels – in fact, it is known that the NCAA have conducted numerous audits on FAAN personnel at the terminal revealing that many of the staff are absent and that the required number are not on duty or do not have the requisite training.
“BASL assures all air operators and the travelling public that the regulatory requirements for security and safety will be strictly adhered to and complied with in full.
“BASL is prepared and continues to consistently ensure safety, security and smooth operations at MMA2, without entertaining compromise on aviation best practices”, the company assured.
