THE Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has begun re-assessment of
licences of airlines which were alleged to have been awarded without following
due process.
Criticism had trailed the award of Air Operators Certificate (AOC) to about three airlines last year before the Director-General of NCAA, Captain Fola Akinkuotu assumed office. The situation raised huge safety concern.
Akinkuotu told The Guardian yesterday that the plan by the aviation regulatory body to re-assess the certificates of the new operators is not punitive but to carrying out its functions in line with the Nigeria Civil Aviation Act.
According to him, the NCAA needs to ask questions, and if it does not get satisfactory answers on the licences, it is bound to revoke or suspend them.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Aviation, Hope Uzodinmma, had on October 28, 2013, during investigation of the rot in the sector, disclosed that the Senate found out that licences were issued to airlines that own no aircraft.
He revealed that the affected airlines, which he did not mention, were yet to commence operations because they did not own any aircraft six months after obtaining operation licence.
Uzodinma described as reckless a situation where AOCs were issued to non-existent aircraft without recourse to, and observance of prescribed and laid down regulations. “The issue of AOC is a serious matter since after Demuren, the NCAA has issued twice the number of certificates. When it comes to the issue of safety, standards and regulations, we cannot compromise,” the senator said.
The Guardian learnt that a start up airline had early last year brought into the country four aircraft in preparation for operations, but was refused a licence by former Director General, Dr. Harold Demuren, for not complying with the requirements for the award of flight licence.
Demuren was said to have vowed never to grant licence to others in that category, but after the removal of Demuren, three carriers got AOC, which raised a lot of dust in the sector.
Immediately Akinkuotu assumed office late last year, he told journalists that he would look at the licences with a view to finding out whether they were awarded in accordance with the laid down rules.
Meanwhile, Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah, has directed the Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nnamdi Udoh, to convey aviation stakeholders’ Town Hall meeting to discuss the way forward for the industry.
The meeting is expected to be held 6 p.m. on January 28, 2014 at Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.
But airline operators told The Guardian that they would boycott the meeting, alleging irregularity in asking NAMA and not the Director-General of the NCAA to convey the meeting.
Most of the operators who spoke to The Guardian on condition of anonymity said they would wait for President Goodluck Jonathan’s stakeholders’ meeting scheduled to hold early next month to voice their concern over the state of the industry and how he could assist to take the sector out of the woods.
Criticism had trailed the award of Air Operators Certificate (AOC) to about three airlines last year before the Director-General of NCAA, Captain Fola Akinkuotu assumed office. The situation raised huge safety concern.
Akinkuotu told The Guardian yesterday that the plan by the aviation regulatory body to re-assess the certificates of the new operators is not punitive but to carrying out its functions in line with the Nigeria Civil Aviation Act.
According to him, the NCAA needs to ask questions, and if it does not get satisfactory answers on the licences, it is bound to revoke or suspend them.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Aviation, Hope Uzodinmma, had on October 28, 2013, during investigation of the rot in the sector, disclosed that the Senate found out that licences were issued to airlines that own no aircraft.
He revealed that the affected airlines, which he did not mention, were yet to commence operations because they did not own any aircraft six months after obtaining operation licence.
Uzodinma described as reckless a situation where AOCs were issued to non-existent aircraft without recourse to, and observance of prescribed and laid down regulations. “The issue of AOC is a serious matter since after Demuren, the NCAA has issued twice the number of certificates. When it comes to the issue of safety, standards and regulations, we cannot compromise,” the senator said.
The Guardian learnt that a start up airline had early last year brought into the country four aircraft in preparation for operations, but was refused a licence by former Director General, Dr. Harold Demuren, for not complying with the requirements for the award of flight licence.
Demuren was said to have vowed never to grant licence to others in that category, but after the removal of Demuren, three carriers got AOC, which raised a lot of dust in the sector.
Immediately Akinkuotu assumed office late last year, he told journalists that he would look at the licences with a view to finding out whether they were awarded in accordance with the laid down rules.
Meanwhile, Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah, has directed the Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nnamdi Udoh, to convey aviation stakeholders’ Town Hall meeting to discuss the way forward for the industry.
The meeting is expected to be held 6 p.m. on January 28, 2014 at Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.
But airline operators told The Guardian that they would boycott the meeting, alleging irregularity in asking NAMA and not the Director-General of the NCAA to convey the meeting.
Most of the operators who spoke to The Guardian on condition of anonymity said they would wait for President Goodluck Jonathan’s stakeholders’ meeting scheduled to hold early next month to voice their concern over the state of the industry and how he could assist to take the sector out of the woods.
Culled: www.ngrguardiannews.com
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