The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation, Honourable Nnolim Nnaji, has stated that foreign airlines that are operating in the country will be subjected to audit in a bid to ascertain the number of Nigerians they employ as their cabin staff and technical crew (pilots and engineers).

Nnaji stated that the audit would be done through the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, adding that, “If it is discovered that Nigeria is being shortchanged in any way, we will not allow it.”

The committee chairman also tasked foreign airlines to employ Nigerians as cabin crew members.

Nnaji, who disclosed this in a statement in Abuja said, “The parliament would also be interested in finding out the percentage of their tickets that are sold by local travel agents and at what commission.”

He noted that the country had been over generous to the airlines with unrestricted access to the Nigeria travel market, an act which they must reciprocate by engaging indigenous pilots, engineers and licensed cabin crew into their technical staff.

“Most of the foreign airlines are granted multiple entry points into the country so as representatives of the people we will be interested in knowing how such gestures reflect on our economy and labour force

“It is equally important that we know the percentage of their tickets that are sold by our local agents so that we ensure that what obtains in other climes are same here,” Nnaji further stressed.(Punch)