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Import of Lagos, Abuja airport certification
Two of Nigeria’s biggest airports, Lagos and Abuja airports, are now certified. These are good signs for aviation in Nigeria as the benefits that accrue from it are humongous not only for airlines but the sector. WOLE SHADARE writes
Abuja airport comes alive
Few months after the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos was certified, the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja became the latest to pass the security and safety test, signposting that better days are almost here for the country’s burgeoning aviation sector.
The joy that greeted the Abuja airport certification was palpable same way that of Lagos elicited joy.
Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) handed over certification documents of the Abuja airport last Thursday, approximately two months after certifying the Lagos aerodrome.
The aviation regulatory body has revealed that certification of Kano, Port Harcourt and Enugu airports are scheduled for completion in the 1st, 2nd and 3 red quarters of 2018.
Director General of the NCAA, Captain Mukhar Usman, who handed the certificate to the managing director of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Saleh Dunoma, said it was an epoch-making moment for the country.
He said,” The attainment of this safety milestone is quite significant in view of the fact that less than 25% of international airports in Africa and Indian Ocean are certified.
“It is also interesting to note that with the certification of Abuja airport today, Nigeria has become the first state to achieve the certification of more than one international airport in the AFI Region.”
Kano, P/H, others lie in wait
The FAAN MD, however, said : “We are not resting on our oars, as the certification of Kano, Port Harcourt and Enugu airports are scheduled for completion in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd quarters of 2018 in compliance with the Abuja Ministerial declaration and safety targets of 2012.
Dunoma in his remark restated FAAN’s commitment to continue with the present tempo with the other international airports. There are many gains in the certification of the airport. One is that both the Lagos and Abuja airports have joined the internationally recongised airports in the world that met the minimum standard of safety and security, which means that airlines, pilots and private jet operators all over the world can fly to the airport because it has met all given standards of safety and security.
Secondly, it is expected that the insurance premium on the airport would be reviewed downwards and this would also affect the insurance of Nigerian based aircraft, which would no more be adjudged to be operating in a harsh environment and therefore would enjoy reduced insurance premium.
The process of the certification of the Nigerian Airports is coming several years after many ICAO and USA FAA Safety and Security Audits of 2006 to 2016 and the classification and reclassification of the NCAA Regulations and oversight functions as Category 1 in 2010, 2016 and lately now 2017.
An obligation
Airport certification is a requirement and compliant to the NCAR Part 12.6.4. It carries obligations on the operator to continuously maintain standards and competence in operation and ensuring availability of skilled manpower in sufficient number for the periodic maintenance of the facilities and the system.
Many stakeholders would probably be asking; what is the necessity for the certification when the industry was already classified Category 1? What many did not know however, is that, the classification of Nigeria as Category 1 was meant only for the NCAA Regulations and oversight competence, the way a University Academic Programmes are rated or accredited by the Nigeria University Commission (NUC).
Unfortunately, the NCAA is like a university that has been long accredited but has not been able to graduate a student. The NCAA, in spite of its Category One status classification in 2010 and even until recently after its re-classification, has not been able to give certification to a single airport among the over 28 federal and state airports in the country.
Decrepit facilities issue
With the deplorable states of the infrastructures at most of the airports for over seven years after the first classification as Cat.1, there would be no justifiable certification for any Nigerian airport by the NCAA, if the facilities remain deficient, obsolete and many, without periodic maintenance programme and insurance to cover its operations and the users.
The consequences of these inadequacies in many airports are the reasons for the current certification process so as to give confidence to airports users particularly the foreign and domestic airlines and other aircraft and aviation operators.
One evidence of non-compliance to periodic maintenance standards that emphasised the need for airport certification was in 2010 when the runway at Abuja airport was first noticed to be giving way and the subsequent repairs that led to the closure of the airport early this year. The situation at Abuja gave cause to examine the states of the runways and other facilities at the other airports and their maintenance programmes.
Expert’s view
Speaking to Woleshadarenew, Aviation consultant and member, Aviation Round Table (ART), Grp. Capt Capt. John Ojikutu (rtd) said, “It would reduce their insurance premium especially when considered that insurance premium for Nigeria operators is among the highest in the world”.
The insurance premium on some foreign airlines operating to Nigeria are also high and this explains why over the years, the cost of flight tickets at British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Delta Air, Lufthansa are much higher to Europe and USA from Lagos than from Accra.It is expected that as the airlines’ aircraft are insured, so also the airports are expected to be insured in accordance with the NCAR Part 18.11. The certification of the airports alone cannot guarantee the airlines reduced insurance for their operations if the airports they operate into do not have insurance premium.
In spite of the NCAR provisions, the Nigerian experiences have always shown that the operators, are not known to be sufficiently in compliant with the insurance provisions and liabilities in the NCARs (2012 or 2015) or ensuring sufficient insurance cover for their operations in the events of any aircraft incident, serious incident or accidents.
There are evidences supporting some reports at the NCAA that some airline operators have different timeline insurance premium cover for operating aircraft in their fleet sometimes for few weeks ranging, from two to four weeks.
Grave concern
This breach of the minimum requirement of the NCAR should be of serious concern and investigation for the NCAA and stakeholders need to show concerns too.
The NCAA and discerning minds should be worried about airlines obtaining different insurance premium in breach of the minimum categorization and specification in the NCARs; the NCAA in particular should convince the public and other stakeholders why the government operators fail to comply with the insurance requirement for their operations in accordance with the NCARs.
Nigeria travelling public have had their share of the domestic airlines not complying with necessary provision of the NCARs as it affects compensation of victims of various accidents especially those that occurred outside the airport.
Most victims of Sossoliso, ADC, Bellview, Dana, etc, are yet to be fully compensated many years after their accidents and the NCAA remained helpless in sanctioning the responsible airlines.
For government operators, the breaches of the NCARs insurance requirement have caused some embarrassment to the government in the past. In 2009, the NCAA bank account was garnished by a court judgement and was forced to pay $6 million to Cargolux Airline whose aircraft was cleared to land on a closed runway by a NAMA Air Traffic Control Officer in 2005.
Last line
With the good record of maintaining accident free airspace in the last four years, with Category 1 safety status and now airport certification, Nigeria undoubtedly will become a major operational hub in Africa.
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