Air certification: 27 airlines may withdraw applications

 

The strict process of getting Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) could stop at least 27 prospective airline operators from completing the process.

 

A document made available by NCAA to Woleshadare.net showed that the airlines are in different stages of certification. While some have totally abandoned the process, others have put theirs’ on hold with plans to resume the process.

 

Operators, who stopped at stage one are Glory Airlines (dormant), Dominion Air Limited owned by Living Faith Bible Church (Dormant) and Mounthill Aviation Resources Limited (Dormant).

 

Ncaa

Those in stage three before they truncated the process are Air First (Abandoned since 2015) and Jet Support Services. On stage three are Air Taraba, Air Jupiter, Quorum Aviation, Tropical, Xejet (On hold), and Jet Leasing Support.

Others on exploratory phase are Air Stream Aviation, Baltic Airlines, Manyatta Engineering Services, Meridian Airlines, Millenium Travels and Tours, New Okada, Onedot Aviation Oriental Airlines, Prime Air Services and Trebet Aviation Aerospace Nigeria Limited.

Prospective operators on stage four of their AOC processes are Toucan Airlines and Revilo. Revilo had made a request to the Director-General of NCAA to commence phase 4 on August 2, 2016.

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The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has consistently stood its grounds in maintaining its ‘strict’ policy of granting intending airline operators the all-important Air Operators Certificate.

Spokesman for NCAA, Sam Adurogboye, explained that the requirements for obtaining an AOC for an intending airline operator vary from one country to the other, but at a time in Nigeria, AOC for intending carrier could be acquired with an applicant indicating interest to set up an airline in the sector.

With the system then, the intending airline was put under a mild or no scrutiny at all by the industry regulator, NCAA.

He stated that the NCAA’s insistence on strict procedure of issuance of airline licences is one of the processes to ensure that no airline cuts corners in compliance with the International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO) regulation.

Such a new operator is expected to close different phases set out by the regulator, which could take it up to two years or more before AOC is issued.

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“Generally, an intending operator is expected to have sufficient personnel with the required experience for the type of operations requested, airworthy aircraft, suitable for the type of operations requested, acceptable systems for the training of crew and the operation of the aircraft (Operations Manual).”

Also, an intending operator is expected to have a quality system to ensure that all applicable regulations are followed, the appointment of key accountable staff, which is responsible for specific safety critical functions such as training, maintenance and operations.

Besides, there should be carriers’ Liability Insurance (for airlines); operators are to have sufficient insurance to cover the injury or death of any passenger carried, proof that the operator has sufficient finances to fund the operation. Operators should also have sufficient ground infrastructure, or arrangements for the supply of sufficient infrastructure, to support its operations into the ports requested.

For Nigeria, the NCAA included a minimum of 50 hours demonstration flights for any intending operator. An intending operator in the country’s aviation industry is expected to fly empty with full crew-members and NCAA inspectors for minimum of 50 hours. NCAA argues that the essence of the 50 hours demonstration flight is to ensure that the applicant could carry out scheduled operations with all the safety standards without compromise.

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However, the process of acquiring a new AOC as mapped out by NCAA has received kudos and knocks from stakeholders and professionals in the industry.

While a section described it as too rigorous and called for relaxed rules, another said it was a way of ensuring safety of flight operations in the industry, but NCAA insisted it would not relax its rules, saying that it was necessary in order to achieve total safety for passengers and aircraft in the sector.

Wole Shadare