A TEAM from the United
States (U.S.) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) arrived the country at the
weekend to begin the process of re-certifying the Nigerian aviation industry,
which it started in 2010.
The safety status of
Nigeria’s aviation sector is being reassessed by the United States-Federal
Aviation Administration (US-FAA) as the ‘Category One’ status awarded it about
four years ago comes under review. The review operation, which started
yesterday, will last for one week.
The Nigerian Civil Aviation
Authority (NCAA) and other aviation agencies said yesterday that they were
ready for the audit. According to a release by the acting NCAA Director
General, Benedict Adeyileka, the four-man team will assess NCAA’s compliance
with
applicable sections of ICAO standards contained in Annexes 1, 6 and 8.
‘Category One’ (CAT-1) is a
safety status awarded by the United States alone to countries whose aviation
processes, especially in terms of safety and security procedures, comply with
standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
Adeyileka said the team
would use the current International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) checklist
and ICAO guideline for the exercise. The eight critical elements are primary
aviation legislation, specific operating regulations, state civil aviation system
and safety oversight functions and technical personnel qualification and
training.
Nigeria got the CAT-1
certification in 2010 after the US visited, examined the books of the Nigerian
Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) as well as a Nigerian airline, Arik Air, and
concluded it was satisfied with the nation’s safety processes.
With the certification, the
highest in aviation safety standards, Nigeria became the sixth African country
after Ethiopia, Cape Verde, Egypt, Morocco and South Africa to attain the
certification.
The status had since enabled
Nigerian carriers, Arik Air, for instance, to operate Nigerian-registered
aircraft direct to the US, rather than fly to a third country to access it.
It has also given a positive
perception to foreign insurance companies that the risk of doing business in
Nigeria’s aviation sector is low, thereby offering low insurance premium.
The aftermath of four major
accidents in 2005-2006 led to Nigeria’s adoption of the Nigerian Civil Aviation
Act and International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Universal Safety
Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP) in 2006.
Under this, the NCAA became
autonomous, leading to critical safety oversight on airlines and aviation
agencies without interference from government.
The adoption of the CAA and
the NCAA autonomy led to the achievement of FAA Category 1 flight safety status
for the nation in 2010, thereby enabling Nigerian airlines to fly direct to the
US unhindered till date.
Nigeria was thus able to
pass all eight critical elements presented by the US to be assessed. The same
eight critical elements are being assessed this week, according to Benedict
Adeyileka, NCAA director-general.
The elements are Primary
Aviation Legislation, Specific Operating Regulations, State Civil Aviation
System and Safety Oversight Functions, Technical Personnel Qualification
and Training.
Others are Technical
Guidance and Tools, Licensing and Certification Obligations, Surveillance
Obligations and Resolution of Safety Concerns.
But there are concerns in
some quarters over the re-assessment because of a number fatal crashes that
have occurred in the country’s airspace in recent years. Also, there are still
gaps in security programmes, such as lack of prescribed perimeter fences at
major airports, among others.
“Nigeria’s aviation industry
is under scrutiny and the success of this mandatory re-assessment is dependent
on the documented processes and whether the processes are being followed in
line with international practices. The aim of the re-assessment is to ensure
that our processes are right,” Fola Akinkuotu, former NCAA director-general,
had said.
Only recently, India lost
its status after the US re-assessment because of its many safety issues.
Experts say since countries like India, Israel and Ghana lost their status
after re-assessment, Nigeria needs to brace up in order to maintain the
much-coveted rating.
“But the Indians lost it due
to government interference and inadequate proficiency of their inspectors,
despite not having a major crash during the period. The FAA has a template that
must be followed. NCAA should go through it and probably discuss with the Indians
and Israelis quickly,” Olu Ohunayo, a travel analyst, advised.
He added that there was need
for the presidency, as a matter of urgency, to name and confirm a substantive
minister of aviation for a better sectoral outlook.
Meanwhile, the NCAA DG said on
Sunday that the exercise that the NCAA would go through in the next few days
would help to shape the future of aviation in Nigeria, strengthen its safety
oversight capability and provide the re-assurance that the flying public needs.
“It is pertinent to point
out that we are ready for the exercise, as we have never relented in ensuring
the high level of compliance to safety standards. The NCAA in preparation for
this exercise has provided responses to the checklist and forwarded it to the
FAA team leader. The FAA team will also visit Arik Air Limited and its
facilities during this exercise,” he said.
Adeyileka said that Arik Air
Limited, which currently is the only Nigerian air carrier operating directly
into and out of the Continental USA, was used for the initial IASA Category One
Assessment in 2010.
“This is to assure the team
that NCAA is not alone in this programme. We have the full support of the
Federal Government of Nigeria, President Goodluck Jonathan, the supervising
minister of aviation, the stakeholders, namely the Federal Airports Authority
of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nigeria College
of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), Nigeria
Meteorological Agency (NIMET), the Airlines/Operators, ground handling and
allied services providers, the aviation press corps, etc,” he said.
BusinessDay
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