The untold story of Nationwide-Air

The Hague (Holland) -- In the continuing hunt for a rescue package for Ghana Airways, the country’s distressed carrier gutted by the government and systematic corruption.

The Ghana government didn’t have to look far South Africa Nationwide Air, a budding company which can be swallowed many times by Ghana Airways’ debt alone.

For President John Kufuor, the troubles and mountains of debt of Ghanair is a scare-crow and requires a whole ministry-perhaps, Ministry of Ghana Airways. But the government’s choice of Nationwide Air is even more befuddling than the solution to the problems of Ghanair.

Nationwide-Air is a one-man business owned by one Vernon Bricknell, an East Londoner and a motor racer who initially set up the company as charter-flight company in 1991 originally with a single Cessna 172.

The choice of Bricknell as the “Minister of Ghana Airways Affairs” and Nationwide-Air as the “Ministry of Ghana Airways” can only be described as a fools deal and a scandal of the dummies.” Bricknell, the sole proprietor of Nationwide-Air, only purchased his first big, aircraft, a BAC I-II in 1994 and started flying scheduled services within Africa.

As late as 1999-2000, he was still struggling with the South African Civil Aviation as the Aviation Authority had phased out his BAC I-II aircraft. Nationwide Air, was born when Vernon Bricnell purchased a small (defunct) airline.

It started with what was called the Nationwide-Air Group in 1991, providing services within Africa for the United Nations and the World Food Programme as well as offering limited cargo and passenger charters. Out this group, Nationwide-Air was established in 1995 to provide domestic services within Africa.

Ninety per cent of the airline’s routes remain domestic, basically within South Africa with a single route between Johannesburg and East London (Bricknell’s backyard). The current route network consists of six-daily flight between Johannesburg and Durban, one flight Johannesburg and Gorge (except Tuesdays and Wednesday s), five-flights between Cape Town and Durban, seven-flights between Johannesburg and East London.

Four flights between Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth, six flights between Johannesburg and Livingstone, three flights between Johannesburg and Lusaka via Livingstone. Last October, the airline was scheduled to add one flight between Johannesburg and Mpumalanga.

According to Vernon Bricknell, Nationwide has carried only two million passengers since its inception, a figure which confirms the budding nature of the airline. According to investigations, it was only eight months ago (that is March 2002) that Nationwide-Air began vying for a licence to fly to Europe.

The airline, according to documents in the possession of The Chronicle, was in March this year bidding for the Johannesburg-Brussels route. The airline is said to be eyeing South Africa’s only remaining bilateral licence to fly London.

The London slot became available in early, March 2002, when the South African government withdrew it from African Star Airways which had been granted the rights in 1999. Three years after the rights was granted to Africa Star Airways, the airline still does not have a single aircraft forcing the South African government to revoke its licence.

At the last check, Nationwide had submitted application to the Department of Transport’s Air Service Council for the right to fly seven return flight to Brussels. In its application for the Brussels route, Nationwide stated that it would vie for the London slot, depending on a review of the African Star’s Licence.

The commercial executive of the budding airline, Chris Hoare, in his bid to persuade the council to grant them the licence said that the 2003 World Cup Cricket and the world Summit on Sustainable development to be hosted in South Africa required more flights.

“It is extremely difficult to get a seat on an international flight to South Africa and we are losing out,” said Hoare. If successful in its application, Nationwide intends taking to the skies in the second half of the year. Hoare also stated that an extra 2,000 tourists a week could be brought to South Africa based on the additional seven flights allowed by the licence. According to aviation figures, some R700 million could be added to the economy of South Africa if an extra 100,000 visitors a year visited the country.

Records at the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA), indicate that on 15 December 1999, the South African Commissioner for Civil Aviation had to grant Nationwide-Air an exemption from the requirement of regulation 91.04.18 of the Civil Aviation Regulations, 1997 in order for Nationwide to survive.

At the time of granting the application, Nationwide was in violation of this federal regulation and was operating a fleet of BAC I-II passenger aircrafts which were non-compliant with the aforementioned regulation. The exemption was granted to Nationwide for an initial period of 18 months, until 30 June 2001. This was subject to certain specific conditions.

According to records, Nationwide applied for the initial exemption after an agreement had been reached between them and the Civil Aviation Authority on a BAC I-II phase-out and fleet renewal programme. The commissioner for Civil Aviation granted Nationwide-Air the exemption under the following conditions.

a) Nationwide-Air is required to limit flight levels on the Johannesburg-Durban route to 28,000 feet and on the Johannesburg Gorge route to 31,000 feet. Where the BAC I-II’s are used as back up, aircraft on the Johannesburg Cape Town route, they are permitted to operate at 31,000 feet.

The Commissioner indicated that he would seriously consider granting a further exemption for an additional 18 months to the budding airline on the expiry of the present exemption provided that he is satisfied that the BAC I-II aircraft are phased out according to the agreed phase-out schedule.

The agreed phase-out schedule stipulates that until December 2001, Nationwide may operate two BAC I-II’s at 30,000 feet.

From every indication, Nationwide is itself a struggling and a budding one man business. The Government’s choice is still a mystery but the whiff of Presidential complicity may be a proposition that my not be dismissed readily because in the NPP government of today, no minister takes a decision of any real significance without clearing with the President.

And that Dr Richard Anane currently, the most powerful minister in the cabinet in terms of proximity to the President, is an open secret and the Chronicle will be exposing mind-boggling decisions that could not have been taken by this young stiff-necked minister with no experience whatsoever in management or business.