Tag Archives: NCAA

NCAA okays helicopter operations on Abuja route

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The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) yesterday cleared all duly certified helicopter operators to commence operations in and out of Abuja henceforth.

Spokesperson of the regulatory body, Sam Adurogboye, said letters have been dispatched to all concerned to resume operations and enable air connection to Abuja.

The Guardian yesterday reported that several commercial helicopters deployed for operations in and out Abuja remained stuck at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja despite the reversal of the ban.

Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) penultimate Friday banned helicopter operations in Abuja, citing security concerns following the closure of the NAIA for repairs on the runway.

Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, however said yesterday that the ban had been lifted following reports of the economic implications of such order.

Meanwhile, except for last minute change, workers in the aviation sector will today picket Arik Air over alleged failure of the new management to re-instate sacked union leaders and other unresolved welfare-related issues.

The workers under the aegis of National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), threatened to shut down operations of the airlines nationwide, commencing from today.

General Secretary of NUATE, Olayinka Abioye, said the decision to picket Arik was informed by the new management’s intolerance to unionism.

Abioye alleged that the new management through a circular recently warned the workers not to join the unions and had refused to address all the pending issues as they affect the staff in the airline.

 

Source: The Guardian

#ABVClosure: Kaduna airport ready for 24-hour operations – NCAA

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The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has stated that the Kaduna International Airport, Kaduna is now ready for a 24-hour operations.

The General Manager Public Affairs of NCAA, Sam Adurogboye, who made this disclosure in Lagos on Tuesday, added that the airport was ready for local and international flights.

The Federal government had announced that it would today shut the Abuja Airport to enable the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) carry out major rehabilitation of the runway at the airport.

Speaking on the development, Adurogboye explained that all necessary steps to ensure that the status of the airport as an alternative airport to the Abuja International Airport during the closure had been taken.

“The navigational aids have been well calibrated and fully functional to facilitate continuous smooth landings and takeoffs.

“Therefore, towards a seamless flight operations in line with Standard and Recommended Practices (SARPs) all relevant departments and directorates with full complement of staff have been redeployed to Kaduna”, he said.

Adurogboye added that the Regional Managers of NCAA for Abuja and Kaduna offices were on ground to allow for smooth integration of the additional staff coming to Kaduna.

Adurogboye said the Directorate of Consumer Protection (DCP), Directorate of Air Transport Regulations (DATR), Directorate of Aerodrome and Airspace Standard (DAAS) and Aviation Security Personnel were already at the airport.

The official named other agencies deployed as NCAA, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) Nigerian Customs and Exercise (NCS) and Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS).

 

Source: Daily Post

FG appoints new directors for aviation agency NCAA

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The Federal Government on Monday approved the appointment of five new directors and one General Manager for the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA.

The NCAA made the announcement in a statement issued by its General Manager, Public Affairs, Sam Adurogboye, in Lagos.

Mr. Adurogboye explained that the appointment was with immediate effect.

He said that those appointed were Edem Oyo-Ita as Director of Air Transport Regulations; Abbas Sanusi, Director, Human Resources and Administration; Adamu Sani, Director of Finance and Accounts; Odunowo Adetunji, Director of Aerodrome and Airspace Standards; Ita Awak, Director of Airworthiness Standards; and Lawrence Kwajok, General Manager, Air Navigational Standards.

The federal government had on Friday sacked all the directors in the agency.

The sacked directors were Salawu Ozigi, Joyce Nkemakolam, Aba Ejembi, Emmanuel Ogunbami, Benedict Adeyileka, Justus Wariya, and Austin-Amadi Ifeanyi.

Two other directors who were sacked on Friday were recalled on Saturday.

Those recalled are Adamu Abdullahi, Director of Consumer Protection; and Ayodele Sasegbon, Director of General Aviation.

 

Source: NAN

Barely 24 hours after Osinbajo’s unscheduled visit, FG Sacks 10 Directors at NCAA

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It was a gloomy day today at the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) as the Federal Government approved the sack of all the directors in the regulatory agency.

No fewer than 10 directors were unexpectedly sacked from their duty posts by the government.

Our correspondent learnt from a source in NCAA that the Director-General of the NCAA, Capt. Muhtar Usman conveyed the sack message to the affected directors in a meeting at the agency’s headquarters at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos.

A source close to the meeting confided in our correspondent that Usman had called for a meeting with all the directors who were in the dark about what was to befall them, but in the course of the meeting, he broke the news of the disengagement to them.

Those affected are Engr. Benedict Adeyileka (Director of Airworthiness), Mr. Justus Wariya (Director of Air Transport Regulation), Alhaji Adamu Abdullahi (Director of Consumer Protection), Capt. Ayodele Sasegbon (Director of General Aviation and Mr. Austin-Amadi Ifeanyi (Director of Human Resources).

Others are Alhaji Salawu Ozigi (Director of Finance and Accounts), Dr. Joyce Nkemakolam (Director of Aerodrome and Airspace Standards), Barr. Aba Ejembi (Director of Administration) and Mr. Emmanuel Ogunbami (Director of Licensing).

The General Manager, Public Affairs, NCAA, Mr. Sam Adurogboye in a telephone interview with our correspondent, confirmed the sack of all the directors but declined to give details when pressed further.He simply said: It is true that all the directors have been disengaged, but I don’t have details of their disengagement.”

However, a source close to NCAA confided in our correspondent that the relationship between Usman and his directors had been frosty in the past one year. The source told our correspondent that most of the directors had overtime complained about his managerial style, which they were not comfortable with and had confronted him severally.

The source alleged that the directors specifically told him to sit more in the office and attend to more safety matters, rather than junketing around the world with the Sirika.

Our correspondent gathered that this did not go down well with Usman who then vowed to ensure their removal through the ministry.

The source said: “The relationship between Usman and his directors has not been rosy in the past one year because they challenged him on his frequent stay out of office. He saw this as an affront and decided to deal with them.

“In fact, he specifically told Sirika that he was no longer comfortable with the directors and feared that if they still remained in the saddle, some of the shady deals perpetuated in recent time with Sirika would come to the open.”

All the sacked directors were political appointees.

 

Source: Sahara Reporters

Arik fails to pay compensation to passengers for baggage delay

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The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) says Arik Air has not compensated its passengers whose bags were delayed on the London-Lagos route in December.

According to Sam Adurogboye, spokesman of NCAA, Arik has also not paid the N6 million fine imposed on the airline for contravening the provisions of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs).

The NCAA had on December 27 ordered Arik Air to pay the sum for violating part 19.7.2 and 19.17.2.1 (ii) of the Nig.CARs 2015.

The NCAA also ordered the airline to pay its passengers, whose baggage were delayed on the London-Lagos route between December 2 and December 4, $150 each as compensation.

It directed that the N6 million fine must be paid within seven days of receipt of the letter, while the $150 compensation to the passengers must be made within 30 days.

Adurogboye told NAN that the airline had not complied with the sanctions.

“The NCAA has done its part in sanctioning the airline in accordance with international civil aviation rules and regulations,” he said.

“However, Arik Air has a right to appeal against the sanctions and I am sure that they have done that and we have to wait until the determination of the appeal before taking any further action.”

Adurogboye also said that no formal complaint had been made to the NCAA concerning the recent incident involving some aggrieved passengers and a staff of Arik Air at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

According to him, the NCAA is only concerned with regulating civil aviation and has no security outfit to prevent such incidents.

“We only appeal to aggrieved passengers not to take the law into their own hands,” he said

“There are various security organisations at the airport who are responsible for that but the duty of the NCAA remains that of air safety.”

N6 million fine: Arik accuses Nigerian aviation agency of “unprofessional” act

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Nigeria’s largest airline, Arik, has accused the country’s aviation authority of “unprofessional” act.

The management of Arik said the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, acted in an ‘unprofessional’ manner by publicising the letter detailing the N6 million fine issued to the airline on Tuesday.

In a statement on Wednesday by the airline’s Public Relations Manager, Adebanji Ola, Arik said that the letter was publicised before it could respond within the deadline given.

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had, Tuesday, issued a N6million fine to Arik Air Limited for contravening the provisions of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs).

The agency also ordered the airline to pay its passengers, whose baggage were delayed on the London to Lagos route between December 2 and December 4, $150 each as compensation.

According to a statement signed by the agency’s General Manager, Public Relations, Sam Adurogboye, and obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria, the NCAA’s Letter of Sanction with reference no. NCAA/DG/CSLA/RM/1-06/16/439 and dated December 22, was also sent to
Arik Air.

The statement said the NCAA authority was earlier inundated with complaints of delay and inability to ferry the passengers’ checked–in luggage on the airline’s services from London to Lagos from December 2 to December 4. It said upon receipt of the complaints, the NCAA
invited the airline to a meeting on December 6 which was duly attended by the airlines’ representative. It however said that the NCAA discovered that Arik Air violated Part 19.7.2 and 19.17.2.1 (ii) of the Nig.CARs 2015.

But in its response on Wednesday, Arik Air said that it did everything possible to ensure the London passengers got their baggage in good time.

According to the statement, when the airline’s wide body A330-200 aircraft was damaged by a ground handling truck, it deployed a B737-800 on the London route to minimise the disruption to the passengers.

“All passengers checking in from London were given a letter informing them of the capacity limitation and weight restriction on this aircraft type and advised that some of their baggage would be delayed because of this and transported on the next available flight with capacity. All passengers were accepted on to the flight based on this understanding.

“However, after arriving in Lagos some of them formed pressure groups and took the laws into their own hands disrupting the operations of the airline, assaulting the airline’s employees and destroying its property,” the statement said.

The airline also alleged that some of its employees were beaten and hospitalised, and that the passengers disrupted its operations.

“However, some of the passengers disrupted our operations for several days thereby making it impossible for the aircraft to operate from Lagos and return from London Heathrow before the night
curfew, further preventing the short landed bags from being recovered,” the airline said.

Similarly, the airline alleged that the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, security did nothing to prevent the passengers from disrupting the airline’s operations by providing adequate security to the airline and its personnel to enable the flights to leave on time. It added that their actions prevented a quicker resolution in the recovery of baggage.

“Some FAAN security personnel were also encouraging passengers to disrupt checking-in process and seated themselves on top of Arik Air check-in counters.”

Arik Air however assured its passengers and other industry stakeholders that it would address the issues raised in the NCAA’s letter within the seven days deadline stated in the letter.

Meanwhile, the NCAA in its statement on Tuesday said the N6 million fine must be paid within seven days of receipt of the letter while the $150 compensation to each of the passengers must be made within 30 days.

“The NCAA expects strict compliance with the provisions of Part 19 of the Nig.CARs by the airline in future,” the agency said in a statement.

“This is to assure all stakeholders that the authority exists to protect their rights at all times and as such any violation of the regulation in that regard will be viewed seriously.”

Nigeria authority orders Arik Air to pay compensation to passengers

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The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on Wednesday directed Arik Air to return all delayed baggage of its passengers from London to Lagos within the next 24 hours.

The authority also directed the airline to compensate the affected passengers with $150 each for their troubles.

The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that the directive was issued by Adamu Abdullahi, Director, Consumer Complaints Department, NCAA.

Arik Air and no fewer than 40 passengers have been at loggerheads over the non-arrival of their baggage, five days after their flight landed in Nigeria.

The aggrieved passengers had on Tuesday disrupted the airline’s operations and also allegedly damaged its check-in counter at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

Addressing the passengers, Mr. Abdullahi appealed to them to remain calm as both Arik Air and the aviation authorities were working towards resolving the issue.

“NCAA has directed Arik Air to pay each and every passenger a compensation of $150 each in line with civil aviation rules and regulations in Nigeria.

“We have sent the letter to the airline and it also contains a directive that every bag must be here within the next 24 hours.

“A directive is a directive and we will hold Arik Air management responsible, and I can assure you that they will abide by the directive, “he said.

Mr. Abdullahi advised them against taking the laws into their own hands, stressing that there are laid down procedures to be followed in resolving such issues.

Also speaking, Saleh Dunoma, Managing Director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, urged those who needed medical attention to visit the FAAN clinic within the airport.

Mr. said the doctors had been directed to issue prescription drugs to passengers whose medications had yet to arrive the country due to the delay.

Speaking on behalf of the airline, its Associate Vice President, Ground Operations Department, Femi Kukoyi, apologised to the passengers for the inconvenience caused by the incident.

Mr. Kukoyi said the airline had to charter an aircraft which brought some of the baggage to Lagos on Wednesday morning because the passengers prevented it from operating its A330 aircraft on Tuesday.

He assured them that an aircraft was en-route Lagos from London and would arrive with about 300 bags by 7 p.m. while the remaining would be brought in by another of its aircraft by 5 a.m. on Thursday.

On the issue of compensation, he said Arik Air would attend to them on an individual basis and expressed optimism that everything would be resolved amicably.

Two of the passengers who spoke to NAN, Ifeanyi Uchendu and Johnson Agwu, berated the airline for the shabby treatment of the passengers.

According to them, the airline had earlier promised them that their bags would arrive latest on Tuesday and also they would receive compensation of N50,000. but failed to keep to its words.

Cost of air travel may rise as NCAA audits operators

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A fresh audit of airlines plying the nation’s domestic routes has begun. The audit, by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), which will reveal the true financial status of the local airlines, is to ensure that none of the seven operators cut corners and put lives at risk.

The regulator could also wield the big stick by grounding defaulting airlines or some aircraft thereby putting more pressure on the cost of local flights. Such a penalty on defaulting airlines will mean that the Nigerian airspace will shrink further, leaving fewer aircraft available to the nation’s teeming local passengers and pushing up prices for air tickets.

Poor road network has put pressure on road travels leading to huge man-hour and economic losses. A 500-kilometre trip on the Lagos-Abuja road could take as many as 12 hours or even a whole day whereas it takes less than four-and-half-hour drive to travel the same distance in South Africa. The impact of the difficulties encountered by road users has made airlines the lifeblood of Nigeria’s transport sector. Trying to reduce the number of airlines means higher prices and more threats to local tourism, businesses and the freight industry.

There has been public concern over the health of domestic airlines, given reports on financial distress and huge indebtedness to banks and regulatory agencies.

Besides Aero Contractors that has “temporarily” shut down scheduled flights services, others like Arik Air, Med-View, First Nation, Air Peace, Dana, Overland and Azman have been complaining of difficulty in satisfying obligations in the area of fuel, maintenance and charges, amidst low patronage due to recession.

The Guardian learnt that the entire seven operating domestic airlines currently run on 40 aircraft, of which only 28 are currently flying. The sector had about 60 functional commercial aircraft in December 2015.

Confirming the audit, the Director-General of the NCAA, Captain Muhtar Usman said the authority was strongly monitoring operators’ activities and that travellers had no reason to fear any mishap.

Usman said the NCAA sanctioned some airlines and pilots recently, when they strayed from the rules and regulations, adding that it would not be any different this time, despite efforts to support the airlines to remain in business.

“One of the major components of the regulatory agency is surveillance and we have intensified that, especially since this recession started, to ensure that all operators are abiding by the provisions of safety and security regulations. And in the areas of enforcement and compliance, we have done a lot,” he said.

“There are those that thought they would slip under our radar and do things that they should not do. We were able to sanction a number of operators and individuals who had licences and were trying to operate in ways contrary to the privileges given to them in their licences.

“These include the pilots we caught and suspended from operating flights as a result of testing positive to illicit substances, and some flying without necessary documentations and other infractions,” he said.

Usman noted that contrary to reports, NCAA has been carrying out both local and international trainings which are the bedrock of civil aviation authority anywhere in the world.

A member of the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), who would not want his name mentioned, however, said that the NCAA itself needed to be audited to test its level of effectiveness and efficiency in ensuring growth and safety in the sector.

He said the issues in the aviation were more deep-seated than “finding faults” in domestic airlines.

“Today, as we speak, there is no fuel to power the aircraft, we cannot freely access forex to meet obligations and buy spare parts. We are moving from one industry dispute to the other. How have the regulators themselves helped to address this problem? That is why I said that NCAA itself should be audited.”

The Chairman, Governing Council of the Nigerian Aviation Safety Initiative (NASI), Capt. Dung Rwang Pam, said that the NCAA had the onerous responsibility to ensure that airlines run strictly by the international rules.

According to him, the NCAA has a mandate to first ensure that Nigerians have safety, efficient, comfortable and sustainable air transport system. “Part 9, Section 30, Sub-section 4B and C of the 2006 Civil Aviation Act mandates them to carry out the evaluation and analysis of operations of all Nigerian registered airlines in order to determine their financial capability to carry out safe operations.

“It is a huge responsibility and multifaceted. With the autonomy that they have, they are not supposed to suffer any form of political interference as long as they go according to the mandate. If they don’t, they have failed,” he said.

NCAA investigating death of stowaway on Arik flight.

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The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority says it has initiated investigation to determine the identity of the dead stowaway found in South Africa on an Arik Air flight.

Sam Adurogboye, the General Manager, Public Affairs, NCAA, told the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday that the authority would take necessary action after the investigations were concluded.

Adurogboye said the investigation was with the collaboration of Arik Air and the South African Authorities.

Adurogboye said: “The matter is still being investigated and decision will be taken after.

“The investigation is being carried out by NCAA through the active involvement of the airline itself and with the authorities in South Africa.”

Also, the Acting General Manager, Public Affairs of FAAN, Henrietta Yakubu, said the authorities were yet to establish the identity of the stowaway.

Yakubu explained that information available to the authority suggested that the said body was already decomposed.

According to her, it was possible that a body could decompose in a six hour flight.

Yakubu said: “Whatever the case, there is an investigation going on and that is why we cannot pre-empt the outcome.

“We have asked Arik to investigate to be able to determine where the stowaway boarded the flight from.

“It has not been established whether the deceased is a Nigerian or not until the investigation is over and the facts are determined.”

Arik’s Communication Manager, Ola Adebanji, said the airline had no further information on the dead stowaway until it concluded investigation.

The lifeless body of a stowaway was discovered on Wednesday in the main wheel well of Arik’s A330-200 aircraft at the Oliver Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg, South Africa.

The airline had in a statement on Wednesday confirmed that the aircraft departed the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos at 3.55pm on Tuesday and arrived at Johannesburg shortly before 11pm.

It said the engineers of South African Airways Technical facility at the airport, where the aircraft was scheduled for a routine maintenance check, discovered the body of the stowaway during the inspection phase.

The airline said investigations were ongoing to determine how the stowaway found his way into the aircraft main wheel well.

It could be recalled that since 2013 till date, no fewer than four cases of stowaways were recorded in the nation’s airports.

NCAA Dismisses Airlines Fold Up Claims

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The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), on Thursday dismissed claims that some airlines were winding down their operations in the country.

The authority dismissed the claims in a statement signed by the NCAA Director-General, Captain Muhtar Usman, in Lagos.

Usman said on the contrary, the airlines were merely suspending their operations temporarily to enable them undertake certain operational overhaul and strengthen their overall operational outlay.

“One of the airlines, Aero Contractors Ltd., at present has only one serviceable aircraft.

“This is in contradiction to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARS) which stipulates that no airlines operator shall carry out schedule commercial operation with only one aircraft.

“The minimum acceptable number is three aircraft.

“In other words, any airlines with one aircraft is in contravention of the NCAA regulations, therefore cannot be adjudged to be capable of providing safe operation.

“The only option available for such airlines is to suspend its operations temporarily while other aircraft arrive in due course,” he said.

Usman, however, said that NCAAs Regulations provided a window for such operator to embark on non-schedule operations in the interim.

He explained further that the First Nation Airlines on its part was in the middle of an Engine Replacement Programme for one of its aircraft.

“Another aircraft is due for mandatory maintenance as is allowable by NCAA.

“In these circumstances, these airlines clearly cannot continue to undertake schedule operations, hence the inevitable recourse to self-regulatory suspension.”

The director general said NCAA wished to reiterate that on no account would it compromise safety and security of airlines operations in the airspace.

Read More:

http://guardian.ng/news/ncaa-dismisses-airlines-fold-up-claims/

Nigerians Task NCAA To Wade Into Price War Among Airlines

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Concerned Nigerians have tasked the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to fix the minimum fare chargeable by airlines in the country, following recent unnecessary rivalry that could endanger the passengers’ lives.
On the recent reduction of fares on Lagos-Owerri, Lagos-Calabar and Lagos-Enugu routes by some airlines to between N11, 000 and N12, 000, a frequent air traveler, Mr. Samuel Babatunde, warned that the development could compromise the safety of passengers. According to him, there is no doubt that airlines in the country were operating under very difficult circumstances, a situation, which was worsened by the foreign exchange and aviation fuel crises that further push up operational costs of airlines.
He expressed shock that some of the airline operators could resort to charging ridiculous low fares just to outdo one another and he called on appropriate authorities to ensure sanity in the system.
In his words: “Although, this should normally be something the flying public should be happy about, the danger this practice poses to the safety of passengers cannot be wished away. How can an airline charge N11, 000 for a trip from Lagos to Owerri without compromising passengers’ safety?
“I think NCAA should urgently look at the issue and set the minimum fares on the different routes to avoid a return to the era of plane crashes in the country. While the cut in fares may be good, passengers’ safety should not be compromised under any guise.”
Alsocontributing, Aliyu Saleh, a businessman, said it was difficult to explain why some airlines decided to cut their fares at a time flyers were expecting an increment because of the nation’s economic challenges and the rising operational costs of airlines.
“There is no way an airline would charge fares as low as N11, 000 and N12, 000 for routes such as Lagos-Owerri without compromising passengers’ safety. Airlines should not in the name of competition risk the lives of flyers. I don’t see how the airlines can maintain their planes with these unbelievably low fares,” he insisted.
Mr. Chike Ogbonna, however, dismissed the low fares charged by the airlines, saying the practice was fraudulent. He said some of the airlines had made it impossible for passengers to take advantage of the low fares they claimed they were charging.
His words: “The claim of low fares by some airlines in the country is only a gimmick to attract customers. Most of the time, it is difficult for majority of passengers to book at these ridiculous low fares. For me, NCAA should immediately step in to check the trend.
“I also agree that there is no way an airline will charge between N11, 000 and N12, 000 for a flight from Lagos to Owerri and still be able to mobilise enough resources to maintain its planes. The regulatory authorities must ensure that this fraudulent practice does not endanger the lives of the people.”
Lending his voice, a pilot, Capt Rwang Pam of Xejet Limited said: “There is a chance that if you are cutting down costs and you don’t have enough money, it will affect first safety and not so much of security because security.
“It is quite possible that safety will be compromised when fares are reduced so low unless the airline responsible for lowering the ticket prices have prepared a war-chest for a price conflict. In this case, they will make sure that they have enough cash to be run the routes for the next three months. They may even charge N9000 per person even on the day of flight, and because they will get customers from other airlines who will be flying with a smaller number of passengers.
If you are ready for a price war, you lower your prices and be ready to make losses because you have borrowed money from the bank.”

Credit: Sun

Reps To Investigate Activities Of NCAA, NAMA, FAAN

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The House of Representatives, on Wednesday, mandated it’s Committee on Aviation to investigate activities of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigerian Airspace Management Authority (NAMA) and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

The committee is to ascertain the extent to which the three organisations complied with their responsibilities of ensuring the airworthiness of aircraft operating within the country’s airspace.

The House also urged NAMA to ensure that there was regular update of weather conditions for the departure of airlines.

NAMA would also ensure that airline operators did not schedule flights when the weather was unsafe.

The resolutions by the House followed a motion by Rep. Sergius Ogun (Edo-PDP) which was unanimously adopted by members through a voice vote.

Moving the motion, Ogun said that with the regulatory agencies and the range of functions they were mandated to carry out, the frequency of air crashes in the country called to question the expertise and competence of these regulatory agencies.

He said “laws such as the Montreal Convention of 1999, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Act 2006 and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulation 2012 make ample provisions to compensate victims of air crashes for loss of lives and injuries, but such provisions are incapable of replacing the lost lives.

“If thorough investigation of the activities of airline operators is carried out to ascertain the airworthiness of aircraft operating in the country, it will help in no small measure to minimise the frequency of air crashes in the country.”

It would also improve the rating of the country’s aviation sector globally.

 

(NAN)

NCAA Suspends Bristow Helicopter’s Aircraft Operations In Nigeria

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The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, has suspended the operations of Bristow Helicopter’s aircraft type SikorskyS-76C++ after yesterday’s crash. The Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Muhtar Usman, stated this while speaking to aviation reporters at the NCAA Annex, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, (MMIA) yesterday.

He said that the aircraft type had been suspended till further notice pending when a full audit is carried out on it.

“On the heels of the Bristow Helicopter’s controlled ditching yesterday, 3rd February 2016, I consider it expedient to communicate to you certain decisions that the Authority has taken concerning the incident. These decisions are without prejudice to the investigations being conducted by the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB). As a matter of fact, it will serve to assist the entire process. The Authority will fully support AIB in the investigation. The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has therefore decided to suspend the operation of the Bristow Helicopters SikorskyS-76C++ type till further notice”he said

Bristow Helicopters have had successive air mishaps on the Lagos coaster waters with its SikorskyS-76C++ aircraft type within the last six months, one in August 2015 and one three days ago.

Bullet Proof Cars: Court Orders First Bank To Disclose Loan Details To NCAA

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Justice Mohammed Yunusa of a Federal High Court, Lagos on Tuesday ordered First Bank of Nigeria Plc., to disclose details of a loan facility it granted to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, over alleged purchase of some bullet proof cars.

The court also gave an order of mandamus compelling First Bank to grant access to or make available to Enough Is Enough, EIE, Nigeria, the information it requested, in a letter dated October 30, 2013.

The judge issued the order while delivering judgment in a suit instituted by EIE Nigeria against the bank over its refusal to disclose the information to the organisation.

Read More: vanguardngr