Johannesburg – A Nigerian pilot, Nuhu Haruna, who recently established an aviation academy, says his dream is to break new grounds in aviation training in South Africa.
Haruna, who holds 75 per cent stake in The One Aviation Services (TOAS), licensed by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) in April, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday that the academy was designed to be a one stop shop for aviation training in the country.
“In South Africa , there is no flying school that provides all the aviation services as I am speaking to you now except this school,” Haruna said.
NAN reports that the academy operates at the Polokwane International Airport in the Limpopo Province and is licenced to provide training for Private Pilot Licence (PPL)and Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) on fixed wing aircraft and helicopter among others.
“The journey of a thousand miles starts with a step and I told myself, let us start doing something,” he said, explaining that of the over 200 flying schools in the country, it was rare to see blacks delving into ownership.
He said the choice of Polokwane International Airport for the academy’s operations stemmed from the fact that it had perfect infrastructure to provide a world class aviation and flight training.
Haruna said that so far, about 3.8 million Rands (about N76 million) has been injected into the academy, which included the purchase of a 1.2million Rands (about N24 million) simulator to ensure standards are not compromised.
He said the academy was also in the process of expanding its operation to include training of cabin crew and aeronautic engineers as well as providing scheduled commercial flights and cargo services.
He said the academy would graduate its first batch of students before the end of the year.
The South Africa Civil Aviation Authority confirmed to NAN that that the academy was licensed on April 30 to handle training for PPL, CPL, Instrument Rating, Instructor Rating and radio telephony licence. (NAN)
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