US ‘BAN’ ON NIGERIAN AIRLINES: NCAA clears the Air
Oru Leonard
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), has moved to dispel rumors of a purported ban on Nigerian airlines by the United States. In a statement, the regulatory body clarified that Nigeria, like other countries, must meet specific safety standards to operate flights into the US.
To operate in the US, Nigerian airlines must pass the International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) Programme and attain Category 1 status. This achievement would permit Nigerian airlines to fly Nigerian-registered aircraft and dry-leased foreign-registered aircraft into the US, in accordance with the existing Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA).
Nigeria first attained Category One Status in August 2010, with subsequent safety assessments conducted by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 2014 and 2017.
However, with effect from September, 2022, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) de-listed Category One countries who, after a 2-year period,had no indigenous operator provide service to the U.S. or carrying the airline code of a U.S operator. Also removed from the Category One list were countries who the FAA was not providing technical assistance to based on identified areas of non-compliance to international standards for safety oversight.
“No Nigerian operator has provided service into the United States using a Nigerian registered aircraft within the 2-year period preceding September, 2022 so it was expected that Nigeria would be de-listed as were other countries who fell within this category.Nigeria was, therefore,de-listed since 2022 and was duly informed of this action in 2022.
It is important to clarify here that the de-listing of Nigeria has absolutely nothing to do with any safety or security deficiency in our oversight system. Nigeria has undergone comprehensive ICAO Safety and Security Audits and recorded no Significant Safety Concern (SSC) or Significant Security Concern (SSeC) respectively”, NCAA disclosed, that a NVigerian operator can still operate into the U.S. using an aircraft wet-leased from a country who has a current Category One status.
The NCAA continues to adhere strictly to international safety and security standards and respects the sovereignty of States, including the United States of America, as enshrined in Article One of the Convention on International Civil Aviation. This provision gives States complete and exclusive sovereignty over the airspace above their territories.
NCAA said it is full realisation of this situation that has prompted the Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Olorogun Festus Keyamo, SAN, to embark on an aggressive international campaign to empower our local operators to access the dry-lease market around the world which culminated in the visit to AIRBUS in France earlier this year and the MOU signed with BOEING in Seattle, Washington just last week. “The Honourable Minister has also done a lot of work to make Nigeria comply fully with the Cape Town Convention which will bring back the confidence of international lessors in the Nigerian aviation market. We are confident that with these steps of the Honourable Minister, it is only a matter of time that Nigeria, not only regains, but can sustain its U.S. Category One status”, NCAA Ag. DG, Chris Najamo added.
The NCAA’s statement aims to correct misconceptions and reassure stakeholders that Nigerian airlines can operate in the US once the required safety standards are met.
