Fuel contamination incident ‘a stand-alone case’, airlines should take responsibility, says DG CAA

Amidst safety concerns following a fuel contamination incident involving Max Air and Jet A1 suppliers, Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Capt. Musa Nuhu has said there are no specific guidelines provided by the International Air Transport Association on how to deal with the situation.

In an interview with aviation journalists via zoom, Nuhu described the incident as a “stand-alone case,” as no such incident has ever been reported to IATA before now.

“The issue of fuel contamination is not specific and we have contacted IATA, but it said none of the international airlines has reported fuel contamination and on the domestic side the same, too.

“This is a kind of a standalone case and it is also an alarming one and we have to look at the entire process of supply value chains, starting from outside the sector. We are not resting on our oars and we have to ensure that this doesn’t happen again. 

“We have set up a committee comprised of NCAA, FAAN, NSIB and others to make their report to us,” said Nuhu.

Speaking on probable cause of the contamination, Nuhu said there could be illegal suppliers of the commodity in the industry, but noted that the agency, in collaboration with the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMPDRA) is working hard to prevent recurrence.

“There was a gap between the two regulatory bodies; NCAA and NMPDRA. This is a gap that we have closed. We are working with the NMPDRA and they are very cooperative. Based on the list we sent to them, they have written back to us that they are taking action on some of the fuellers,” said Nuhu.

He explained that licenses are not given to fuel suppliers to operate randomly, they are strictly restricted to specific airports.

“I need to clarify something; the approval we give is not general. When you are given a license to supply Jet A1, it doesn’t mean you can go to any airport in Nigeria. There is an approval for specific airports. 

“Some have approvals for some airports, but don’t have for another. It is based on this cooperation that we have filed with the NMDPRA that we are addressing this and I think the Director of Airworthiness should have sent out a letter to that effect today (Thursday).

He said while the agency works with the NMPDRA to close all gaps in the fuel supply chain, the airlines should be the gatekeepers by ensuring that contaminated fuel does not enter the system of their aircraft.

“Like I said earlier, it is the responsibility of the operators and the pilots and engineers to make sure that contaminated fuel doesn’t get to the system,” he said.