How choice of candidate, COVID-19 stall AON poll

The choice of a suitable candidate to head the body of Airline Owners in Nigeria (AON) is causing ripples among them.

Some airline operators are not happy that after the end of the tenure of Captain Nogie Meggison in February, the election was yet to be held to usher in new executives.

Meggison had done two terms as the chairman of the Airline Operators of Nigerian (AON). During his tenure, salient issues affecting domestic airlines were brought to the fore. 

BusinessLive, reliably gathered that some members of the association, largely made up of those without a single aircraft, are still jostling to contest for the chairman’s position.

AON has been described by stakeholders as barking without biting, hence the government is not taking them seriously.

A majority of members of the association are without planes and are interested in contesting for the chairmanship. An airline operator told this correspondent that it was becoming difficult to arrive at a conclusion on how and when to conduct the election.

The anonymous operator said: “If you mention airline A’s name they will tell you he talks too much and you suggest the other, they will say he will not fight for their interest. This is where we are now, no election since March.”

But a source disclosed that apart from the choice of candidate, the Coronavirus also contributed to the non-conduct of the election

The lack of unity among the airline operators has made it difficult for them to find solutions to myriads of problems bedeviling the aviation industry among them is the increasing price of Aviation Fuel, which is most expensive in Nigeria than any other African countries.