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Tag: NCAA

  • December date realistic, says NCAA

    Sam Adurogboye, General Manager, Public Affairs, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), in this interview with Daniel Adeleye speaks on the federal government’s preparedness to commence the new national carrier, Nigeria Air later this December. Excerpts:

    Do you honestly think the December takeoff date for the new national carrier, Nigeria Air is feasible?

    Although I’m currently on vacation but before I went on vacation, the position of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) as it concerns Civil Aviation Authority is that our job has to do with the issuing of Airline Operating Certificate. And the maximum days required to get certificate is 90 days. Without the AOC ready, of course, you cannot have an airline. So that is our job. It’s not our job to supply aeroplanes; it is the promoters that will do all that. We are planning to work on the AOC, to access the facilities and once we are satisfied, we start the process. Now to answer your question specifically, as far as we are concerned, the December date is realistic.

    How many aircraft does the law allows for takeoff of airline operation?

    At the moment, what the rule says is two airlines. Of course, it is not the federal government’s approval but what the rule says. And we are the ones that will reel out to them what the rule says. So it’s two aircraft they are required to start with. That’s the position of the law.

    There is also the issue of cost of procuring registration, design and stuff…

    Our own job is to certify an airline if they are qualified to fly or not. So I won’t be able to speak on what the federal government spends to procure the registration. Whether it is government who wants to run an airline or an individual, the first is to apply for airline operating certificate (AOC). Failure to obtain that either government or an individual, you cannot fly an aircraft anywhere. So that’s our involvement when it comes to what required airline companies to operate.

  • NCAA investigates security breach at Sokoto Airport

    The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has begun investigation into the August 3 security breach at the Sultan Abubakar Sadiq III Airport in Sokoto State.

    Its spokesman Sam Adurogboye said NACA received reports of how a huge crowd broke all security rules and gained unauthorised access to critical areas of the airport.

    He listed the affected areas to include Runway, Taxiway and Apron.

    Adurogboye said: “The action negates the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs) Part 17.48.3(c), which stipulates that “access by persons and vehicles to restricted areas, enhanced security restricted areas and sterile areas, is restricted only to persons who have a clear need for such access by virtue of their duties.”

    “The behaviour falls short of the National Civil Aviation Security Programme (NCASP), 6.3.1., which states that in accordance with appropriate legislation, no person to whom the legislation applies shall enter or remain in a Restricted Area, Enhanced Security Restricted Area, or tenant restricted area, unless that person has in his or her possession a Restricted Area or Tenant Restricted Area Permit in respect of that restricted area or Tenant Restricted Area and complies with all conditions of issuance of the Permit.

    “The NCAA will not tolerate the recurrence of such safety and security violations at any airport.

    “In view of the anticipated increase in aviation activities, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), as well as other State and Private Aerodrome Operators, are now directed to beef up safety and security systems at their airports.”

    He warned people to desist from the unlawful acts as NCAA will impose severe sanctions on any person, group of persons or organisations found culpable.

  • NCAA warns airlines over flight cancellations, delays

    THE Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has warned airlines over flight cancellations and delays plaguing airline operations within the country.

    Spokesman of the authority, Sam Adurogboye, who disclosed this yesterday, said the warning was made at the just concluded stakeholders’ forum organised by the authority at the NCAA Annex, Ikeja, Lagos.

    The forum was attended by 13 international airlines, eight domestic airlines and airport operators – the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and Bi-Courtney Aviation Services.

    According to Adurogboye, officials of the NCAA requested airlines operators to enumerate challenges that could be the likely causes of delays and cancellations.

    The airlines, he said, itemised various challenges among, which are fuel supply, need for improvement in infrastructure at airports, unruly passengers, traffic on airport road and others.

    NCAA and FAAN, he said, assured operators the challenges would be tackled very soon.

    He said: “Airlines should be realistic in their flight planning/schedules.

    Airlines should always disseminate on time information to passengers on flight status.

    “Airlines to ensure they provide right to care to passengers in times of delays/cancellations in line with the Nig. CARs 2015 Part 19. NCAA/FAAN to liaise with FMTA to replace fuel hydrants, if the old ones will cost a lot of money to be fixed and the supply points should be connected to the airports.

    “FAAN/airport operators/owners to ensure facilities at the airports are functional (lightings, carousels, cooling systems etc)

    “FMTA to liaise with Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC) on fixing the underground pipeline layout from Apapa to Lagos airport to minimise surface transportation of fuel and FAAN should beef up security at the airports to prevent unlawful interference.”

     

     

     

  • N505b ticket sales: NCAA, experts at war

    The release of 2017 figures for airlines’ ticket sales, which stood at N505 billion, by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is generating misgivings. Some experts and industry groups have faulted the figures, insisting that a panel should investigate the matter. KELVIN OSA OKUNBOR reports.

    Aviation sector regulator  Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is in the eye of the storm. Last year’s ticket sales by both international and domestic airlines released by the agency has pitched it against some  experts and and groups.

    The NCAA said airlines sold tickets worth N505 billion last year. It  released data on the number of passengers that flew in the year, which indicated that over 14 million passengers travelled.

    The NCAA gave figures for the number of flights recorded by airlines as well as the volume of cargo freighted, and the revenue  from these to government agencies.

    But the figures churned out by the agency did not go down well with some experts and groups. Some of them kicked, insisting that the money indicated to have been made from tickets by the airlines was not correct.

    An aviation security professional, Group Captain John Ojikutu (rtd), and President, National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies (NANTA), Bernard Bankole, accused the NCAA of  rolling out incorrect figures.

    They, therefore, urged the NCAA to come clean with the figures. According to them,  there is a discrepancy between the tickets sold by airlines and travel agents and what the NCAA described as flown or used tickets.

    The experts argued that a break- down of the ticket sales rolled out by the NCAA was not convincing compared with the figures of passengers traffic in the possession of other  agencies.

    Investigations revealed that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) keeps its figures of passenger traffic obtained from records of payment of passenger service charge.

    The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) obtains its passenger record from figures of passengers on board, given by airline pilots to air traffic controllers,

    The experts insisted that until there is harmonisation of these figures, anything released by the NCAA will not be convincing to  stakeholders.

    They have even taken their grouse a notch higher,  charging the Ministry of Aviation, National Assembly Committees on Aviation and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to set up panels to look into the figures declared as revenue from charges and ticket sales by both domestic and foreign carriers that operated into the country in the last few years.

    Ojikutu, for instance,  said the figures declared by the NCAA as ticket sales for last year  suggested a balance of over N300 billion yearly.

    He said the figures by NCAA do not add up because the parameter used by the authority to arrive at the figures was faulty.

    According to the NCAA, about 14 million passengers  bought and expended tickets last year.

    Of the 14 million passengers, four million were on international flights while 10 million travelled on domestic flights.

    But Ojikutu said the NCAA should come clean by giving verifiable figures of passengers that travelled through the airports rather than hiding under the guise of discrepancies between actual number of tickets sold and the number of flown tickets.

    He alleged that that the tickets sold for the year under review could not be less than N740 billion.

    Ojikutu said the government might have lost over N20 billion yearly due to infractions in the parameters used by NCAA to compute the figures.

    His words: “Let us give consideration of about 10 per cent for whatever concessions the airlines and NCAA want us to consider from about two million outbound passengers , which gives us 1.8 million passengers.

    “Without recourse to first class and business class passengers, if all passengers paid same fare of N350,000 per flight, the figures should give us not less than N650 billion as earnings.

    “If considered deeply, the N411 billion or N505 billion provided by NCAA for 2016 and 2017, respectively, revealed a shortfall of more than N24O billion and N150 billion, respectively, for the two years, without adding the shortfall on domestic airlines figures.”

    He also said if each of the five million outbound domestic passengers paid N18,000, again without factoring the first and business class passengers’ fares, the earnings cannot be anything less than N90 billion.

    Besides, the ticket sales earnings for each of the years, he said, could therefore not be less than N740billion,  and the NCAA’s five per cent  ticket sales charges for each of the year could not be less than N37billion.

    ”Again, the figures of about N300billion given on cargo cannot be the airlines’ earnings on freight, but the NCAA’s five per cent cargo sales  charges. These figures are again given without specifying the volume of cargo that generated the charges,” Ojikutu added.

    The expert observed that given a minimum charge of N20/kg, those earnings could only be generated from about 15million to 20 million  kg as against the over 180 million  available import and exports.

    “The figures are outrageous and show some manipulations. Overall, the shortfalls are huge and the government through the NCAA is losing an average of about N20billion annually on Ticket Sales Charge  and Cargo Sales Charge and the government has lost more than N100 billion between 2013 and 2017,” Ojikutu charged.

    He said the NCAA should be courageous enough to ask the airlines to show evidence for the balance of over N300 billion yearly on ticket sales otherwise, the agency must take responsibility for the shortfalls.

    He said if the NCAA refuses to take responsibility for the alleged shortfall, the government should   probe the matter.

    Ojikutu said the Minister of State, Aviation, Federal Inland Revenue Service and the National Assembly Aviation Committees should set up panels to look into these earnings and the shortfall could help in addressing the various inadequacies of systems infrastructure and human capital development in the prime safety areas in the sector.

    Bankole called on FAAN to declare its over N108 billion earned as Passenger Service Charge (PSC) for millions of passengers that travel through the airports yearly.

    He said FAAN could not earn so much from passenger service charge, yet it is not ready to improve facilities at the airports for airlines and other airport users.

    Bankole said: “We are not entirely in agreement with the figures rolled out by the NCAA, but at least, they are even giving figures, but FAAN is silent about the billions of naira it rakes in every year.

    “Why should FAAN not tell us what it is doing with the billions of naira it is collecting as passenger service charge for regional and international flights? Yet, the airports do not have enough facilities for the operational use and comfort of passengers. It is a shame.”

    But the NCAA has kicked its heels in, reaffirming the sanctity of its data on the industry. Its spokesman, Sam Adurogboye,  said it stood by its figures.

    Adurogboye said the figures were  verifiable and no amount of “push and shove’’ would  cast aspersion on it.

    He said the agency’s system and processes of generating and gathering data were  in line with international best practices and standards.

    Adurogboye said: “All stakeholders and the public are advised to resist all attempts to create confusion and cast doubts on the figures. This is clearly a result of crass ignorance and the purveyors being too clever by half.

    “The process of generating data is as stipulated in the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs) 2015 Part 18.12.5. All domestic and international airlines operating in Nigeria shall forward to the authority through an electronic platform provided by the authority. All relevant documents, such as flown coupons, passenger or cargo manifests, air waybills, load sheets, clients’service invoices and other documents necessary for accurate billing within 48 hours after each flight.”

    Adurogboye said as part of the billing requirements, the authority collects billable data from airlines, photocopy of flown coupons and Post Departure Manifest (PDM) of international flight operations.

    “All these are International Air Transport Association (IATA) documents, which NCAA cannot influence. The Flown Coupons contain specific information required by IATA before billings are done and issued. These are Ticket Number, Name of Passenger, Ticket Sales Charge (NG), etc. It is noteworthy that the pre-requisite NCAA  five per cent  TSC paid by passengers is indicated on the ticket. These data are warehoused by NCAA and can be verified,” he clarified.

    The NCAA spokesman also explained that the domestic billing process requires the airline to submit to the authority its PDM immediately after every flight departure. It is from the filed fares that five per cent TSC is calculated.

    He said the Automated Integrated System ensures authenticity between NCAA server and airlines.

    Continuing, he said the process of billing five per cent Cargo Sales Charge (CSC) requires the airline to submit airway bill in accordance to the Nig.CARs.The weight and rate stated on the Airway bill is used in calculating the CSC.

    “However, it is pertinent to state that the statistics available for  five per cent CSC is not the same as the harmonised figures. Cargo data captures the totalweight of the cargo (import and export) while NCAA chargeable weight is on export cargo only,” Adurogboye stated.

    He noted that foreign airlines with Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) do not pay royalty on cargo airlift, though the cargo weights are captured, but not billable.

    Furthermore, the authority, according to him, authenticates the automated data output with the hard copy data submitted by the airlines. This, he said, serves as verification and determination of the actual flown passengers.

    Adurogboye added that some categories are non-revenue passengers and are exempted  from  five per cent  TSC calculation. They are diplomats, and infants less than two years, including those whose journeys do not originate from Nigeria (ticket sold offshore).

    “In ticket sales, there are promotional, discounted, staff and low season’s fares. It is the aggregate of these that mischief makers sum up and begin to tout as figures.

    “Airline fares are not constant and they are dissimilar across routes and continental distances. It is, therefore, preposterous for anyone to attach the same fare to all passengers as the confusionists have done,” Adurogboye fumed.

    He said it was impossible for any airline to remit five per cent TSC on passengers not flown. The airlines scrutinise NCAA billing using their flown coupons before remittances of sales charge to NCAA.

    “On international flights, IATA provides support via Billing Settlement Plan (BSP) through its Clearing House, verification and direct collection of  five per cent  TSC. All the above processes attest to the sanctity of our figures.

    “The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) will continue to ensure due diligence in data collation. This prevalent distraction will not deter the Regulatory Authority from providing a robust regulation that will engender safe and secure airline operations,’’ Adurogboye added.

  • SGF Mustapha puts Customs, NCAA on red alert

    The federal government was aware of the Islamic State (IS) threat to Nigeria and alerted agencies to take measures, correspondences stumbled upon by our reporter  have revealed.

    Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Boss Mustapha in memorandum, put   the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) on the red alert.

    In a May 25 memo by O.M. Olaoye on his behalf, the SGF informed the NCS of impending threats to commercial flights out of the country.

    The Assistant Comptroller General, Tariff and Trade at the Nigeria Customs Service Headquaters’ Abuja, acknowledged the receipt of the correspondence on June 11.

    The SGF meme said “From the foregoing report, rigorous vetting of airline personnel and screening of passengers as well as increased vigilance on restricted areas at airport are advised.”

    The NCS in a June 13 internal memo directed its Area Comptroller “to intensify the screening process of all passengers and luggage, including other measures you may deem fit to forestall any potential security breach as directed.”

    The SGF memo reads “Available report reveals that AI-Abd al-Faqlr Media, a pro Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (1515) media outlet, on 26’“ April, 2018, warned that ISIS plans to attack commercial flights and bring “bloodshed to the ’ skies”. The warning, which was issued in English, French and Arabic was distributed by Telegram and other online fora and was accompanied by an image of a clean-shaven dark-haired white man sitting on the aisle seat of a flight with a knife in his hand.

    “Statements from ISIS affiliated media groups such as Al-Abd al-Faqir media are often used to advise followers on new attack methods and targets. The image of a white man with knife in his hand suggest that the attack could be carried out with a knife as was the case during the 9/11 attacks in the US in 2001.

    “It would be recalled that [SIS claimed responsibility for the explosion and death of all two hundred and twentyfour (224) passengers aboard the Russian Metrojet flight 9268 shortly after take-off from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula in October, 2015.

    “The Ai-Abd al-Faqir Media warning of 26‘” April, 2018 followed a similar statement earlier by 1515 spokesman, Abu Hassan Al-Muhajir, on 22″“ April, 2018, outlining the next stage in the global jihad. Ai~Muhailr had criticized ‘apostate governments” in Middle East countries such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria, Iran, and Palestine, as well as the Taliban in Afghanistan, reiterating that holy war was the “only way forward”.

    “The ISIS appears to be re-strategizlng with more focus on the Middle East and Asia, following the loss of most of its territory in Iraq and Syria. Although Africa of appears not to be on 1515 immediate focus, the return to Africa of former ISIS fighters from Iraq and Syria as well as the existence of ISIS-linked groups such as the technically suave Abu Musab Al-Barnawiled Boko Haram faction call for increased vigilance in the aviation sector, to counter possible new strategies in the 1515 terror campaign.”

     

     

  • NCAA to review regulation for start-up carriers

    The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) said it has concluded plans to review regulations stipulating conditions and requirements for start-up airlines.

    The proposed review would widen the scope to include conditions under which new airlines will be registered and issued relevant documents, the Director-General, Capt. Muhtar Usman has said.

    Usman said the implication of the review would ensure that new entrants no longer present two airplanes as minimum entry requirement.

    He said in the new regime,    new entrants may have to present between four and more airplanes before the aviation regulatory body can issue Air Operator Certificate (AOC) to the would-be operator, aside meeting other requirements that qualifies them to get the all-important certificate.

    The aviation regulatory body said it  was concerned about two aircraft operators affirming  that the review became necessary in view of the fact that airlines’ operations are hampered seriously if one of the airplanes in the fleet of two aircraft owners goes for mandatory check, leaving the airline with just one airplanes which it said is not  good for safety.

    Meanwhile, Boeing and Turkish Technic Incorporated, the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) arm of Turkish Airlines, have signed a global fleet care agreement.

    General Manager of Turkish Technic Incorporated, Ahmed Karaman  disclosed this in a statement.

    With the agreement, Turkish Technic, Karaman said is now a strategic Boeing supplier for line maintenance, heavy maintenance of airplanes, component service and repair.

    Boeing and Turkish Technic, he added will collaborate in the training and certification of technicians from different parts of the world.

    He said: “We provide a broad portfolio of MRO services in over fifty International Line Maintenance locations as well as our existing base maintenance facilities in Istanbul and Ankara. In addition to the current services we provide, more will be available to our customers at our brand-new facility, located in Istanbul’s New Airport from the October 29, 2018.

    “We are so glad to announce such a remarkable collaboration with Boeing, which will significantly contribute and add value to our business in our new home base. Within the extent of Boeing Global Fleet Care programme including aircraft maintenance, repair and training, Boeing operators will be able to experience the world class quality of Turkish Technic’s MRO services through this agreement.”

  • Why air crash rate is falling, by NCAA

    THE Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has attributed the reduction in air crash rate to enhanced civil aviation regulations, improved air navigation equipment at airports and airside and the development of global strategies for safety in transportation.

    Its Director-General, Captain Mukthar Usman, in an interview in Lagos, said Nigeria had witnessed zero accident in both passenger and cargo flights in the last three years.

    This, he said, meant that Nigeria was aligning with the global trend where accident rates have declined sharply in the last few years.

    Usman said the NCAA would continue to pursue global strategies and programmes that will improve civil aviation regulations as they affect its regulatory processes, procedures, systems and personnel.

    He listed other factors responsible for decline in air accident rate to include maintenance of standards and recommended practices of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO);  monitoring of safety trends and indicators; implementation of targetted safety programmes; sharing of safety information by countries and effective response to natural disasters,  conflicts or other causes.

    Besides, Usman said the NCAA has taken other steps, including proper scrutiny for applicants of Airline’s Operators Certificate (AOC); economic regulation of airlines; creation of level playing field for all operators; enthroning professionalism by its personnel as well as implementation of a regime of sanctions, which has made safety violations unacceptable.

    He said the NCAA will not relent but improve on the training and retraining of its technical personnel to ensure the zero accident profile was sustained.

    Usman said the NCAA would ensure that the superstructure of safety was strenghtened.

    He said: “Nigeria will continue to participate in major global aviation events, increase consultation with airline operators and stakeholders as well as ensure compliance with international standards and recommended practices and Nigerian civil aviation regulations.”

    Usman said the NCAA will not go back on the enforcement of sanctions as the authority in the last few years sanctioned airlines, pilots, cabin crew, aircraft engineers, flight dispatchers, aircraft maintenance organisations and aviation security firms.

    He said: “Between October 2014 and December 2017, the NCAA has applied 90 sanctions. Fifteen pilots were sanctioned, five cabin crew,  four aircraft engineers, one private security outfit was suspended, four approved maintenance organisations were sanctioned in addition to five airlines.

    “There will be no going back  in our bid to attain stability in safety and the profile of the industry. I must admit that the zero accident we have recorded in Nigeria for the third consecutive year is evidence of our robust regulatory oversight, bringing about increase in passenger volume, more application for air operators certificate and lower insurance premium.”

    He said Nigeria will continue to pursue global safety and security programmes that have brought  significant reduction in accident rate for airlines.

    Usman said: “As world  aviation safety continues to increase, there has been a sharp fall in accident rate in Africa and Indian Ocean region. Between 2015 and 2016, it has decreased from 7.3 per cent to about 1.2 per cent.”

    The NCAA boss said the authority has also stepped up its game in the regulation of personnel and renewal of licenses for pilots and other technical personnel as part of efforts to improve air safety.

    He said: “We have spared no efforts at ensuring that there is continious oversight and safety surveillance, migration of licenses from the paper format to cards fitted with biometric features in addition to ensuring that twenty three airports are now compliant with performance based navigation.”

    He went on: ”We will continue to sustain the international technical safety rating of Nigeria, expressed through Category One, continue to push for the certification of more airports outside Lagos and Abuja and consolidate on the review of weather minima in eighteen airports so far achieved.”

    He said the NCAA was also working on the re-certification of over 86 heliports, helidecks and helipads to ascertain safety of flights from such platforms.

    Usman  continued: “Safety is a journey not a destination; this explains why we scrutinising 29 applications seeking to be issued air operators certificates as new entrants into the industry. Besides, we have issued three air operators certificates; we have renewed 11 and the fresh applications are at various stages of processing.”

    He said the regulatory authority will continue to raise the bar in the discharge of its duties by ensuring only qulified personnel and organisations are issued licenses.

    Usman said: “So far, over 507 screening personnel from various organisations have been certified. Over 80 aviation security instructors have been certified by NCAA to deliver security training in Nigeria.This is, in addition to four NCAA and other aviation security instructors, trained by the United Nations on counter terrorism. Over 90 applications for registration of remotely piloted aircraft system have been received.”

  • NCAA: airlines’ ticket sale hits N505b

    Ticket sale by both domestic and foreign carriers hit an all time high of N505 billion last year, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), said yesterday.

    Its Director-General, Capt Mukthar Usman said the figure is  N83 billion higher than that of 2016, which he put at N422 billion.

    Of this figure, he said cargo sales charge stood at N401 billion; N116 billion higher than cargo sales charge of 2016 put at N285 billion.

    He attributed the feat to stability in the foreign exchange (forex) regime, implementation of the Ease of Doing Business and Executive Orders signed by government, adding that the aviation industry is making steady progress.

    Speaking at the Quarter Two 2018 Business Breakfast Meeting organised by Aviation Safety Roundtable Initiative (ASRTI) in Lagos,  Usman said NCAA has raised the regulatory and safety bar by delivering on its mandate.

    The meeting had: Evaluation of Safety and  Security Performance of Aviation Agencies in the last Four Years as its theme.

    The regulator said there was no going back on the enforcement of sanctions on airlines, aircraft maintenance organisations, cockpit pilots and cabin crew as well as engineers attached to the authority.

    Usman said between October 2014 and December 2017, 90 sanctions were enforced.

    The sanctions  were applied to15 pilots,  five  cabin crew,   four  engineers,  a private security firm,  four Aircraft Maintenance Organisations (AMO) and five  airlines.

    According to him , sanction is not an achievement but a deterrent made to ensure that violators do not repeat violations.

    Speaking on NCAA’s key performance indicators  (KPIs), Usman  said the authority in the past four years has had steady improvements in certain areas including  professional advancement.

    He said  for the third  year running the country’s aviation industry recorded zero accidents.

    This he said was due to airlines adherence to standard operating procedures (SOPs) which is achieved by  well-trained safety instructors.

    and 1017 , Usman  said licensed cabin crew has increased from 946 to 1808  while the number of  flight dispatchers increased from  543 to 602, whereas  Air Traffic Controllers  increased from 313 to 329.

    ” Licensed air traffic safety electronic personnel increased also from 254 to 319, while flight engineers is  14 from having none in 2016 and licensed aeronautical station operators increased by seven from 100 to 107,” he said.

    The NCAA chief further stated that passenger traffic for 21 airport stood at 25, 528 as average daily departure was 12, 761 while departure stood at 12,767 with 305 aircraft movement.

  • Nigerian airlines sold tickets worth N505bn in 2017 — NCAA

    The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) said on Thursday that domestic and international airlines operating in Nigeria sold tickets worth N505.2 billion in 2017.

    The Director-General of NCAA, Capt. Muhtar Usman, stated this at the Quarterly Business Breakfast Meeting of the Aviation Round Table (ART) in Lagos.

    The theme of the meeting was: “Evaluation of Safety and Security Performance of Aviation Agencies in the last four years.’’

    Usman, who was represented by the Director of Consumer Complaints Directorate, NCAA, Capt. Adamu Abdullahi, said the ticket sales increased by 14.2 per cent (N82.7 billion) compared to the N422.4 billion sold in 2016.

    According to him, the eight domestic airlines sold N93.6 billion worth of tickets, while the 32 airlines on the international routes sold tickets worth N411.6 billion during the period under review.

    He said the amount realized from the sale of tickets would have been higher if not for the closure of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, for six weeks to enable the government rehabilitate its runway.

    “A stable forex regime, effective implementation of the Executive Order on Ease of Doing Business as well as the resumption of flight activities to the Maiduguri Airport, earlier closed due to insecurity, contributed to the increase,’’ the NCAA chief said.

    NAN

     

     

  • National carrier take off feasible by December, says NCAA

    THE Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) says the December 24, for the proposed take-off of national carrier is feasible, its Director General, Capt Usman Mukhar, said yesterday.

    Usman said if promoters of the project are properly guided to follow through with regulatory requirements, the process of getting an Air Operators Certificate (AOC) only takes 90 days.

    Usman assured that with that timeline in mind, the possibility of national carrier scaling through is quite feasible.

    The DG also stated that government decided to involve aviation agencies in the presidential taskforce because they want the national carrier project to succeed.

    He said: “The presence of the agencies inside the task force is to ensure that the right things are done, they are not midwifing in the real sense of the national carrier but they are guiding the process to ensure that it is done in line with the international standards and best practices in the area of safety, security and also comfort of the passengers”.

    Emphasising  government’s readiness for the national carrier, Usman said: “This  time around, government says we should go and ensure that even before take-off that nothing is short-circuited, process followed so that they can come, start and stay. The same service we have rendered to every operator that came from the time the operator came at the first phase, coming with the intent that they want to start operating, it is one of the stages in the issuance of the Air Operators Certificate, to the time somebody want to do formal application”.

    He added that NCAA also guides operators when it comes to documentation and preparations of the manual, which they produce, stressing that if there were errors and corrections to be made, NCAA works to see that everything came out clean.

    He stated that the NCAA extends these services to all the operators because they came through the five stages of obtaining an AOC.

    He said it was the same process for  all the operators and that there was no special treatment given to any operator.

    He, however, said for the national carrier, the government wants to make sure that it was done properly.

    Capt. Usman said as far as NCAA is concerned, the December target is feasible because the process of obtaining the AOC and the permit  could take a minimum of 90 days.