NCAA to sustain zero accident momentum in Nigeria’s aviation

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has expressed confidence in its regulatory oversight onus to improve and sustain safety and security compliance in the nation’s aviation industry.

Director General of the NCAA, Capt. Mukhtar Usman, told stakeholders at an Aviation Round Table Breakfast today in Lagos that the authority was had adopted stringent measures against airlines and other violators of safety regulations.

According to him, 90 defaulters of safety and security regulations were sanctioned between October 2014 to December 2017. Among those sanctioned include 15 pilots, 5 cabin crew and 4 aircraft engineers.

Others include 5 airlines, 4 approved maintenance Organizations and suspension of a private security outfit, among others.

Usman, who was represented by the Director of Consumer Protection, NCAA, Mallam Adamu Abdullahi, disclosed that by adhering strictly to civil aviation practices and regulations, the authority had been able to achieve zero accident in the last two years — 2016 and 2017.

He said 2014 and 2015 also had zero fatalities, though with minor mishaps involving two Bristow Helicopters in the Nigerian airspace.

The NCAA boss said the authority would sustain this record with improved enforcement of safety and security regulations as enshrined in ICAO’s Standard and Recommended Practices for the civil aviation industry.

This, according to him, will be pursued zealously, adopting current globally improved “strategies for safety and security in air transportation, maintenance of standards and recommended practices, monitoring of safety trends and indicators, implementation of targeted safety programmes, safety information sharing,” among other effective measures.

Usman also disclosed that there has been improved passenger traffic which translated into robust revenue for airlines through ticket sales. According to him, over N422 billion worth of tickets sold was recorded in 2016, while there was a decline in 2017 due to the 6 months runway repairs at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.

He added that there has also been lower insurance premium, more applications for air operators certificate, renewed confidence in air travel and opening up of new routes by Nigerian airlines in the region and outside the continent.