The Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Musa Nuhu has said that there is marked improvement in the safety status of domestic airlines because of their strict compliance to safety regulations.
Nuhu who made this known in Lagos while fielding questions from journalists on Monday night, stated that air safety has continued to improve in Nigeria, as airlines and NCAA work together and assured air travellers that Nigerian carriers have kept to the highest standard of safety in their operations.
Nuhu also said that Nigeria’s domestic aviation is growing as new entrants recently joined the sector and more were still on the queue processing their Air Operator’s Certificates (AOCs) with the authority.
The Director General said that NCAA has the best relationship with airlines and critical decisions taken on the operations of domestic carriers fall on his table, adding that it is only his office that has the power to ground the operations of any airline.
He noted that despite the devastating effects of Covid-19 on aviation globally, there is discernible growth in domestic flight service, which has prompted more entrepreneurs to invest in airline business.
“We have at least four more airlines processing their AOCs (Air Operator Certificate), we see that the domestic sector is growing, the rate of connections among cities is increasing, for instance, Nigerian Eagle has gone far with its AOC and would soon start operation.
“We have the best relationship with the airlines but nobody can ground any airline without the approval of the Director General. We could have issues here and there but the airlines have been in compliance with safety regulations but nothing is 100 percent”, he said.
Speaking on the debts owed by the airlines, Captain Nuhu said the Authority has stopped the growth of legacy debts and it is in a new arrangement with airlines, whereby they pay their debts as they operate in a new agreement that their debts are automatically deducted from them.
He said that the agency decided to manage airlines’ old debts in a way that it would not drastically affect their finances in order to allow them sustain their operation, adding that if NCAA insists on collecting the entire debts owed it, some airlines would go under.
He said with new entrants, there is a tripartite agreement on how airlines would remit their Passenger Service Charge (PSC).
“The debts are legacy debts; a lot of them have mapped out their plans on how to pay”, he said.
Nuhu also disclosed that the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP) on Nigeria’s aviation industry would be coming up in 2022 and NCAA was working on it and that one of the things that must be done is the certification of the international airports.
He said that the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport (NAA), Abuja were certified few years ago and that they are presently undergoing re-certification, and that some progress have been made as it concerns the recertification process.
The Director General also hinted that Enugu, Kano and Port Harcourt airports are undergoing initial certification processes, adding that as soon as all the open items are closed, NCAA would certify the three airports.
According to him, “Lagos and Abuja were certified a few years ago and presently, they are going through re-certification. There has been some progress. We have a few gaps that are to be closed. Some have been closed, others, we are in the process of closing them and new gaps have come. We are working closely with the management of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to close the open items to ensure that the re-certification process is completed as soon as possible.”
