How Secure is Nigerian Airspace?

The recent arrival of two foreign-registered airplanes without clearance documents to Nigeria, raises the question as to whether those charged with the responsibility of managing Nigeria’s airspace are up to their task, writes Chinedu Eze

 

Some of the major functions of Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON) are that it tracks, identifies and monitors every aircraft in Nigeria’s airspace. Despite the introduction of TRACON, many flights still find their way illegally into Nigeria.

 

These air planes land in Nigeria with spurious clearance certificates allegedly forged for them by their local partners who also facilitate their coming into. There are many of such companies in Nigeria’s aviation industry. Some of them are into cargo; others are into business jet operation. There are also big players that have fixed base facilities that enhance such movement.

 

Some years ago, a big beverage manufacturing company wanted to produce a commercial for one of its products. Some of the commercials would be shot by a helicopter, so the company approached some helicopter companies in Nigeria, which presented their prices for the service. Feeling that these prices were high, the company decided to negotiate with a helicopter company in Ghana, which presented relatively lower charges.

 

Without recourse to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), this company brought Ghanaian- registered helicopter with crew to come and shoot the commercial in Nigeria. The Helicopter first landed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos and in the following few days was hopping all over Lagos. During the shooting, the chopper landed in one private school located in Lagos Island without authorisation. The school then alerted concerned authorities. The chopper was later grounded and was fined before it was allowed to fly back to Ghana.

 A similar thing happened recently. Last Sunday, the NCAA issued press statement that it had grounded two foreign registered aircraft due to alleged falsified clearance document.

 

According to a statement issued by the regulatory Authority and signed by the acting general manager, Sam Adurogboye, the aircraft were Bombardier 700-100 with registration marks G-RBEN Global express S/N 9083 operated by Gama Aviation, United (UK) Limited and Embraer 135 J with registration marks XA-MHA.

 The operators of G-RBEN aircraft were discovered to be operating in Nigeria’s airspace with falsified flight clearance information and conducting illegal domestic flight operations in Nigeria.

 Other infractions were conducting illegal commercial revenue flight operations contrary to conditions contained in Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (NCARs) Part 10 and security violations.

 

On Tuesday, Adurogboye informed journalists that NCAA had released one of the two aircraft, the Bombardier 700-100 after the owners of the aircraft paid a fine of N7 million to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and $20,000 (N4.4 million) to the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).

 

NCAA also announced it had continued to ground the other aircraft, an Embraer 135BJ with Registration marks XA-MHA from Farnborough, London until it pays the N7 billion fine.

 The regulatory authority said preliminary investigations revealed that the Embraer 135BJ registration marks XA-MHA was reported to have landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, from London, Farnborough without any flight clearance on the 10^th of September, 2015.

 Also, reports from the Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) revealed that the crew informed them that they possessed a ministerial approval for the flight. However, on landing; the crew could not produce any ministerial approval as claimed.

 

The Bombardier 700-100 is a United Kingdom Air Operators Certificate (AOC) holder and has been carrying out several domestic operations between Abuja and Lagos without the Authority’s Permit/Certification in accordance with Nigerian CARs Part 10.

 

NCAA said then that while further investigation continued both aircraft would remain grounded. The aircraft country registry in UK CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) and Mexican Civil Aviation Authority (MCAA) would be notified as appropriate.

 

 Until it was prompted, the NCAA did not disclose that the Bombardier 700-100 had operated up to 10 times airlifting passengers from Abuja to other local airports in charter services before it was stopped. The agency did not also reveal anything about the local company that facilitated the two aircraft to come into the country.

 

When THISDAY sort to know the company that facilitated the movement of the two aircraft Adurogboye claimed he did not know the identities of the firms. But concerned authorities and operators have argued that there was no way the two aircraft could come into Nigeria without a company in country liaising for them.

 Industry insiders also said one of the major challenges in aviation is the half -truths issued by aviation agencies and the bid to protect some interests while pretending to be doing their jobs efficiently.

 About two years ago, it was revealed that with fake papers organised by local aviation companies, foreign-registered aircraft with foreign crew come into Nigeria, operate “kabu-kabu” charter service as long as they want and depart at whim. Investigations revealed that NCAA allegedly always looks the other way, citing the highly placed personalities behind the operation and ministerial approval.

Despite TRACON in place, Nigeria airspace is porous because Nigerian companies use deceit to allow foreign aircraft to land in the country. Although international laws allow any aircraft in distress and to be allowed to land in any country, when such happens, the aircraft is investigated and screened immediately after landing. But these aircraft land in Nigeria and even after the authorities realised that they came in with deceit and fake clearance papers, they were still allowed to operate in the country.

 

Industry insiders have attributed this to security lapse and the failure of NCAA to coordinate with NAMA and monitor the airspace. But beyond that blame, the NCAA allegedly was privy to those who facilitated the aircraft to come into the country.

 

Aviation security experts are of the view that such possible connivance could pose dangerous security challenge in future. THISDAY learnt that the movement of these two aircraft could have been hushed if NCAA did not fear that it could be leaked to the media. According to the security experts, paying fine is not the issue but the security implication of allowing aircraft to freely come and go from the country.

 

In the attempt to hold brief for such invasion into Nigeria’s airspace, Adurogboye said: “The world is a small place now, we can have access to what happen in the US airports, UK airports. You see an aircraft is coming in and there is a contact and they say, I have approval from the minister and of course we will allow it to land even if it is under emergency, we will allow it to still land and then we will continue with the rest so they came in and claim to have a ministerial approval which they could not provide so the airplane, ever since it has being intercepted, it has been on ground, the ground was not just two days ago, it was just that, that was when I had the approval to issue a statement on the matter.

 

“Whatever we do to a foreign airline, we must link up with the home country because it is an international matter”

 

“We normally have a security meeting where NCAA also presides and you have all the agencies Immigration, SSS, the Air Force, we don’t have the machinery to arrest a crew until we ground a plane, you can see NAMA involvement is there now, there are certain capabilities that we don’t have after grounding a plane but other agencies that work with us can exercise such like the ATC aspect, NAMA will take charge, like I said criminality and violation of the NCAA rules and regulation is every day.

 

“In the United Kingdom, a young boy went to Heathrow airport and flew away a jet unknown to anybody in the airport, so these things happen all over the place, criminality is there and it is just the ability of the authorities to fight against them. There is no airspace that is immune to violation.”

 

 

 

A pilot told THISDAY on Tuesday that without proper security checks, aircraft could come into the country with dangerous goods and personalities to hurt the country and this could be done though many airstrips that are not effectively monitored.

 

“Such illegal landing in the country is not a new thing. It has been happening, especially before now. The truth is, as a pilot I know that Nigerian airspace is still porous. And this means two things: one, Nigeria can be attacked by air, so it may not stop invasion by air; Two, any aircraft can come here and do business and go and this has been happening over the years. In fact, this has been on-going business so the old days are coming back,” a pilot told THISDAY.

Before now, Nigeria was a lucrative market for business jet charter service. That segment of the market is dying now because of stiff fiscal policies and the anti-corruption posture of the new government, which has put an end to the vulgar junketing with private jets by some highly placed Nigerians in government, in business and others in frivolous engagements; so at the time the charter business is in gloom, some private jets are being allowed to come in and operate charter in the country.

 

Industry watchers have warned that this may spell danger for the country if the trend is allowed to continue.