Tag: aviation

How airworthy was the Embraer 120 aircraft operated by Associated Aviation which crashed killing 14 passengers on board last Thursday ?

Did the aircraft have a valid insurance cover as affirmed by the mangers of the airline?

How do we close the gap in documentation on the last date the ill – fated aircraft flew before it crashed?

Who released and certified the aircraft for that flight?

These are among the questions agitating the minds of experts and watchers of the aviation sector after last Thursday’s crash of Associated Aviation Embraer 120 aircraft in Lagos.

The crash appears to have exposed the weakness of aviation regulation in Nigeria. The sad incident happened at a time the industry is recovering from the agonies of the June 3, 2012 crash of Dana Air at Iju/ Ishaga area of Lagos State.

The discrepancy in the last date of flight of the aircraft as disclosed by the Chief Operating Officer of Associated Aviation , Alhaji Taiwo Raji and officials of the NCAA, has cast doubts on the reliability of documentation of flights in Nigeria.

While the Associated Aviation chief operating officer gave August 30, this year as the date of the last flight, officials of the regulatory agency said it was August 22.

Some players in the insurance sector have also raised concerns over the veracity in the claim by the airline that it has a valid insurance cover with SEMA Insurance.

But, the NCAA Director-General, Captain Folayeke Akinkuotu, has grounded the operations of Associated Aviation.

It is not clear whether this decision was taken on account of ongoing investigations by the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB).

Akinkuotu said: “Operation of Associated Airlines has been suspended by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). And let me say it again for the purpose of clarity, all the operations of Associated Airlines have been suspended by NCAA. I say it again with emphasis, all operations; I did not say the certification, all operations.”

On the allegation that the aircraft may not have adequate insurance cover, Akinkuotu said: ”I am not an expert in insurance, but we have documentations to the effect that SEMA has provided some documentation. I believe that SEMA must be a brokerage firm; a brokerage firm is not the one that insures. But we have some documentation in respect of insurance.

But, the NCAA has some documents on the insurance of the aircraft.”

But, players in the industry, have also raised concerns over the airworthiness status of the ill- fated aircraft, which the NCAA apparently has continued to dismiss.

Akinkuotu said: “Well, it is a matter of documentation and standards. You have to look at what NCAA does as its responsibility and what the operator does as its own responsibility. They have certified engineers; they have certified pilots; they have technical people who within the organisation have certified the aircraft is airworthy and we did not have any information contrary to that. If we had, we would have withdrawn the airworthiness certification on the aircraft.

“ The continued airworthiness certification of an airplane is largely the responsibility of the operator. There are certified engineers there who are licensed and certified by NCAA who signed that the aircraft was airworthy; the pilot also agreed the aircraft was airworthy and he accepted to fly it; so to that extent, the NCAA cannot say anything to the contrary as we speak.

“NCAA applies the same standard to the major and fringe airlines. The rules are the same. If you are an AOC holder, you are an AOC holder. It is not a matter of the size of your operations. As a matter of fact, it is better to keep an eye on the smaller operators.”

The NCAA boss, however, said that the frequent change of ownership of the airline does not have any impact on the safety of the airline.

He said: “But business can change hands but we at NCAA, our principal business is to maintain the airworthiness of aircraft and the status of an airline.”

But, many industry watchers are asking the NCAA to explain its role as it affects the maintenance history of the aircraft that crashed, as well as its flight cycle.

Many experts could not comment on the circumstances leading to the crash because of on going investigation by the AIB.

But, they have raised concerns over what has happened to Associated Aviation in the last one year when it temporarily stopped its scheduled flights to scale up its operations.

But, the Chief Pilot of Associated Aviation Captain Mohammed Gbadamosi said the aircraft maintenace was intact before the crash.

Barring any last minute hitch, a low cost carrier will grace the Nigerian skies very soon, promoters of the project Mr Alex Van Elk, has said. He said the new carrier would stimulate competition among domestic airlines and would crash fares on the domestic scene of the industry .

Towards this end, the promoters are mobilising investors to secure aircraft for the operations. The pioneer Managing Director of Arik Air, Alex Van Elk said he is passionate about the huge potentials in Nigeria aviation industry, adding that he is poised to float a profitable low cost airline in Nigeria.

The Dutch born international aviator said he was mobilising French investors for the business. He declined to disclose the name of the new airline for strategy reasons, saying it would be operational in the next few months.

He said: “We have made contacts with the Nigerian authorities and they are quite pleased with our plans and assured us of government’s support,” stressing that the airline would succeed because it would be devoid of the mistakes associated with most Nigerian airlines which usually lead to their early exit.

He listed such mistakes as poor accounting, acquisition of aging aircraft, lack of good reservation systems and heavy cost of overheads as well as ambitiouss route networks. The emerging low cost carrier he said would not venture into unprofitable routes and would be run professionally with the right caliber of staff.

He also disclosed that the airline was consulting with mega carriers in Europe, Asia and Africa for interlining arrangements, adding that the responses had been very encouraging.

Elk further said the promoters, which were comprised both Nigerian and French investors had made contacts with Air bus industrie, a French aircraft manufacturer, for lease of a brand new A319 for the take-off of the new airline.

He assured that the fare would be affordable, noting that there would be no in-flight refreshment.

Said he: “We will only serve water on board for an hour flight but for those who will want to have something extra they will have to buy.”

Mr Elk also said his target would be to run effient service for the first one year locally and launch regional operations afterwards.

On whether the airline would operate intercontinental routes, he said: “We don’t have such arrangement in our plans rather we will seek code share and interline collaborations with global carriers in Asia, Europe and Africa.”