The Nation Newspaper

Tag: NCAA

  • Dana crash: Multiple claims delay $70,000 payment to families

    Dana crash: Multiple claims delay $70,000 payment to families

    WHY has the outstanding $70,000 compensation to families of victims of the June 3 Dana plane crash not been paid five months after the accident?

    The Nation has learnt that payment is being delayed because of multiple claims by some family members.The families, it was learnt, could not agree on who should be the next- of- kin to collect the letter of administration from the Probate Registry of the Lagos High Court to get the outstanding payments.

    To solve the problem, the Ministry of Aviation, Dana Air and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) have set up a familiy assistance programme.

    The seventh of such meetings was held last week at NCAA annex, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

    Although airline officials and family members who attended the meeting declined to comment on its outcome, NCAA’s Director-General, Dr Harold Demuren, said the challenge remained a sore point for air crashes.

    Demuren said: “When we start having problems about the claims we cannot leave the families of the victims or the victims alone. That is why we came up with the family assistance programme. We have been working hard on what can we do to assist them so that they can get the smallest thing that is available under the law, concerning the compensation claims to the families.

    “There are some families who have received the $30,000, being the first tranche of compensation but nobody has got the $70,000, the second tranche because this is being reinsured abroad.

    “To get the outstanding $ 70,000 would require a letter of administration from the Probate Registry, which would have to come from the Lagos State government. We want to see how we can fast-track the issuance of the letters of administration for the families of the Dana Air tragedy.

    “We want to see how the issuance of the letters can fast-track and accelerate the process of getting the letters of administration and once we get that, we have got assurance from the insurance companies that the money would be paid on getting this letters.

    “We have been discussing that and how we can assist them considering the agonies they had been passing through since the accident occurred on June 3, 2012. The families of the affected victims have had to travel from the parts of the country to Lagos on several occasions.

    “Eighty individuals have so far got the 30 per cent; whether infants, elderly, payments must be made on every person on board that aircraft because life is life.

    “The contract on the tickets is per passenger.

    “We have to contend with the controversies or muliple claims from families of victims. And most, regrettably, we have many of those.

    “In all air accidents in Nigeria, this issue of multiple claims by families of deceased always comes up. We must resolve this issue or less the affected families might lose the money.

    “Nobody would pay when there are multiple claims and the one would be in the escrow account until the families can resolve their differences.

    “We are putting a lot of pressure on Dana Air and it is towing that line also.They said the money is there but it needs the letter of administration before its insurance company can pay the remaining 70 per cent. We are talking to the Lagos State Government to fast-track this special dispensation, to treat the Dana Air case as special.

    “The Lagos State Governor State has given instruction to the Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, who has given same directive to the Probate Registry to act fast.

    “We need to treat Dana Air’s case as a special. It is a tragedy for the nation.”

  • Airlines get ultimatum on new safety device

    Airlines get ultimatum on new safety device

    The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has given domestic airlines six months ultimatum to install the newest safety gadget in the aviation industry, Automated Flight Information Reporting System (AFIRS) in their aircraft or face severe sanctions.

    The Director-General of NCAA, Dr. Harold Demuren, disclosed this on Tuesday in Lagos while fielding questions from journalists at the ongoing Airbus Industry Workshop for indigenous airline operators.

    He, however, said that so far, all the country’s airline operators were interested in fixing the equipment into their airplanes and disclosed that it cost NCAA about $30,000 to acquire and install the equipment in its headquarters in Lagos.

    For the airlines, he said it would cost them more, but they could pay in installment to the manufacturer of the equipment after the initial payment of about $60, 000 on each aircraft.

    He said, “I think we are giving them six months to install the gadgets in their airplanes. We need to give them sometime. It is not a thing you can do in one day. After that, no aeroplane would operate in the public category without the safety device. I think it is good to promote safety in the industry.

    “Any snag would be detected automatically. Every one of them wants to do it. Look, if you think this is expensive, go and try accident. It is the latest in the world. You know we have been complaining that pilots don’t record snags in their logbooks, but this automatically records everything. You can’t hide or change it. Everyone would have it; the airline and even the NCAA. We will know the problem and we would be able to fix it.

    “It is a fraction of the money they will use to buy an airplane. It’s nothing. The system entirely for NCAA cost us about $30, 000. For the airlines, we are talking of initial payment of $60,000 and then a yearly payment till they finish paying.”

    On the workshop, Demuren commended the aircraft manufacturer for conducting the training for Nigerian airline operators, saying that this would further boost safety in the Nigerian aviation industry.

    Also speaking on the issue, the International Safety Programme Director, Airbus, Mr. Marc Ballion, said that the AFIRS would automatically be fixed on all its aircraft from 2015.

     

  • ‘Dana committed to safety’

    THE management of Dana Air has reiterated the airline’s commitment to the provision of safe and reliable world-class services to travellers.

    Its Head of Corporate Communications Tony Usidamen restated the airline’s commitment while outlining steps taken by the airline for safe and smooth returning of the firm in a chat with aviation correspondents.

    According to Usidamen, “following the lifting of the suspension on our operations by the Federal Government on September 5, 2012, the airline commenced a rigorous process of recertification by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). This is a standard safety measure taken by the authorities to ensure that all the aircraft in our fleet are fully serviceable, and we have been cooperating in the exercise.

    “Of the five aircraft in our fleet, three are on ground at MMA2 and have undergone thorough internal engine inspection and systems by NCAA, while the other two are undergoing scheduled C-Checks in Istanbul, Turkey andMiami, Florida.

    “The airline also organised an independent inspection of aircraft by Aircraft Leasing and Management (ALM) – a leading aviation consulting company based in the United Kingdom.”

    Usidamen disclosed that the airline has signed a five-year contract with a Canadian firm, FLYHT Aerospace Solutions Ltd, for its flagship automated information reporting system (AFIRS) 228 at an estimated 1M USD.

    “The contract requires FLYHT to install the AFIRS 228 on all our aircrafts to provide real-time flight data monitoring and to assist in achieving maintenance and operational efficiencies.”

  • Arik: NCAA assures on air safety

    The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority said on Friday that Nigerians should not entertain any fear about the security of flight operations in the country.

    The spokesman of the organisation, Mr. Sam Adurogboye, said in Abuja that the advice became necessary following an incident on Friday morning involving an Arik Air flight from Abuja to Lagos.

    He said the flight was aborted on the runway due to a technical fault, just before take–off at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

    Adurogboye gave assurance that the NCAA was on top of the situation.

    He told the News Agency of Nigeria that the aircraft involved developed a fault as it was about to take-off from Abuja to Lagos.

    Adurogboye said it was the duty of NCAA to ensure that the passengers in the plane and other Nigerians “are taken to their destinations safely.’’

    “Our engineers are there on ground 24 hours to rectify any fault because safety is paramount to us.

    “Passengers are always in a hurry particularly in Nigeria; if a plane develops a fault, it must be certified alright before passengers can be allowed to continue on their journey.

    “Everywhere in the world, a plane has to be certified okay before it can be allowed to fly. Therefore, we urge passengers to always be patience when it is necessary,” he said.

    One of the passengers on board the Arik plane, who wants to remain anonymous, told NAN that the pilot noticed an electrical fault and taxi back to the terminal building.

    “The fault was supposedly fixed but we are still waiting for the NCAA to certify the plane okay to fly.

    “They said we may have to go to Lagos in another aircraft,’’ the passenger said.

    The Arik Airline Head of Communication, Mr. Ola Adebanji, told NAN that the company was trying to get in touch with its engineers in Abuja to know what exactly went wrong.

     

  • NCAA re-certifies Dana’s aircraft

    The management of Dana Airline said on Thursday that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had begun the re-certification of its five aircraft ahead of its planned resumption of commercial flight operations.

    This followed the lifting of the suspension on the airline’s operations by the Federal Government on September 5, after the June 3 aircrash at Iju Isaga, a suburb of Lagos.

    This was contained in a statement signed by Mr. Tony Usidiamen, Spokes man of Dana, in Lagos.

    Usidiamen added that the company had signed a five-year contract with FLYHT Aerospace Solutions Limited for its flagship Automated Information Reporting System (AFIRS) 228 at about N159 million.

    According to him, the contract requires the Canadian firm to install the AFIRS 228 on all the five Boeing MD-83 aircraft in its fleet, to provide real-time flight data monitoring and to assist in achieving maintenance and operational efficiencies.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that during the crash that involved a Dana aircraft flying from Abuja to Lagos, about 160 passengers lost their lives and ground property running into millions of naira were damaged.

    He explained that the re-certification was a standard safety measure taken by the authorities to ensure that all the aircraft in the fleet were fully serviceable.

     

  • MedView gets domestic licence

    The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has issued an Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) to Medview Airlines to start scheduled flight operations.

    The airline has been pursuing the licence for about two years.

    The airline’s certificate was to operate scheduled cargo, charter and passengers’operations.

    The AOC, a mandatory prerequisite before any airline can begin operations, was signed by the Director-General, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr. Harold Demuren.

    The certificate, with registration number MVA/AOC/10-12/05, was issued on October 19.

    During the presentation, Demuren challenged MedView management to contribute its qouta to the development of the sector, warning that the agency would not tolerate any unprofessional conduct from any airline.

    He said unlike in the past when the AOC could be got easily by intending carrier in the industry, NCAA would ensure that anybody issued the certificate must be those that duly deserve it.

    He emphasised that the agency would not relax its rule to achieve safety for passengers and aircraft in the sector.

    Besides, the Managing Director of the airline, Alhaji Muneer Bankole, commended the agency for its oversight function. He described the mandatory demonstration flight of 50 hours by NCAA as a step in the right direction.

    He explained that the essence of the 50-hour demonstration flight was to ensure that the applicant could carry out scheduled operations with the safety standards, adding that the carrier was the fifth airline to be certificated by NCAA under the new recertification programme of NCAA.

    Bankole said the airline would start its inaugural flight in the first week of next month after its in-house orientation scheduled for this week.

    As part of its Unique Selling Proportion (USP), Bankole said on-time departure and arrival would be its watchword as he observed that most of the carriers currently flying in the industry were not time conscious, adding that its safety and in-flight services would be distinct from others.

    He said: “What we achieved today was not a child’s play. First, I want to commend the NCAA and the Director-General, who probably in his wisdom, decided to enforce the compliance. It is a good thing for this nation and the industry. Today, we are the fifth airline that will get this certification by NCAA. I’m talking here about recertification since this AOC has started.

    “Demonstration flight, we will not condemn it. It is the best because you don’t carry commercial passengers when you are not sure that your aircraft is safe for flying.

    “They insisted that we must fly 50 hours and we flew 50 hours and 35 minutes and it is on record that we gave them seven hours 35 minutes extra.”

  • Anxiety as Fed Govt restructures FAAN

    Anxiety as Fed Govt restructures FAAN

    Uncertainty pervades the aviation sector as fear of possible job loss grips personnel of the aviation agencies with the on-going restructuring at the Federal Airports Authority of NIgeria ( FAAN), Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the NIgeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).

    The uncertainty came on the heels of the redeployment of personel carried out last week. Some Directors and General Managers were moved from NAMA to NCAA and the Accident Investigation Bureau, as well as the Nigeria College of Aviation Technology( NCAT), in Kaduna.

    The restructuring, it was learnt, was part of the institutional reforms to enhance efficiency and service delivery in the sector.

    Although, a few letters of redeployments have been distributed to the affected personnel, there are indications that a major shake up, expected to affect all the agencies is underway. This has caused tension and panic among the workforce.

    Meanwhile, FAAN yesterday announced the restructuring of the organisation in line with the transformation agenda of the Federal Government.