Lagos airport gets safety status after 60 years of aviation in Nigeria

  • NCAA, FAAN chiefs seek sustenance
The Murtala Muhammed Airport Lagos was yesterday certified by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and awarded a certificate to the Federal Airports Authority (NCAA), showing that it has met all the processes of the International Civil Organisation (ICAO).
These aerodromes before now, particularly those in Lagos and Abuja had remained uncertified since over 60 years of aviation in Nigeria and 38 years since the Lagos airport was built.
This is coming 11 years after Nigeria first began the process but had consistently failed to get any of its international aerodromes certified to conform to international standards.
Presenting the certificate to the Managing Director of FAAN, Saleh Dunuma, the Director-General of NCAA, Capt. Usman Muhtar said a lot of work went into making Nigeria’s biggest airports to scale some of the toughest hurdles in airports certification.
Muhtar disclosed that the first attempt to certify the Lagos airport started in 2006, adding that despite concerted efforts and continuation in 2008, certification could not be achieved.
The NCAA chief said the challenge is not scaling the hurdles but ability to maintain the status which certificate lasts for three years before another round of assessment is carried out.
He however noted that the task ahead is daunting, urging the certification team not to rest on their oars until Abuja and Port-Harcourt airports pass the same test.
 
His words, “The current drive towards the certification of Nigerian airports is very significant not only as a requirement by ICAO and Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations, but even more importantly as one of the critical safety targets set by the Abuja Ministerial Declaration of July 2012, that mandated all African states to certify their international airports. It is also interesting to note that certification is an enabler for the attainment of a regional hub which Nigeria desires for Lagos and Abuja”.
 
He reiterated that aerodrome certification is therefore an ICAO strategy for the standardisation and harmonisation of airport services, facilities and procedures, as well as ensuring uniformity in safety critical aerodrome elements irrespective of differences in ownership and management of such aerodromes.
 
While basking in the euphoria of the issuance of the first aerodrome certificate, he urged FAAN not to lose sight of the additional responsibilities that post certification bestows on the regulatory authority as well as the certified aerodrome operator for sustenance of the certification achieved.
Airport certification proves that you have met your states minimum requirements at the time of the regulator’s audit.
Airports are requested to have Safety Management System (SMS) in place. The certification is not permanent as it can be withdrawn if they fall below the stipulated standards.

A visibly elated Managing Director of FAAN, Dunuma said to achieve the success, he stated that careful planning and execution of these projects are the panacea for more profit for airlines just that it would help the aerodromes to maintain high safety standards.
He explained that with certification, not only does the airport become safer, it becomes more efficient and profitable, stressing that staff morale has the tendency to increase due to enhancement of knowledge and competency.
Director, Airworthiness Standards, Odunowo Mohammed Yayyib stated that the first attempt at certifying Nigerian international airports started in 2006 after the first ICAO Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme and the enactment of the first set of Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig. CARs 2006), wherein Part 12 required the certification of aerodromes and Part 14 required the certification of Air Navigation Service Providers.  
 
He lamented that despite concerted efforts made by the NCAA and the FAAN in 2008, certification could not be achieved as the International Civil Aviation Organization hadn’t developed the required guidance materials and expertise to guide states in the certification of aerodromes.
 
“However, following strategic global, regional and national initiatives targeted at enhancing aerodrome certification, the certification of a few international aerodromes in some African states was accomplished in 2015/2016, as well as in Lagos, Nigeria, today.”
 
He further stated that the first initiative that provided the required drive to the certification of aerodromes in the region was the Abuja Ministerial Declaration of July 2012, wherein Ministers of Transport and Aviation from Africa during a Ministerial Conference on Aviation Safety in Africa, overwhelmingly adopted aerodrome certification as a key safety target that would serve as a catalyst in enhancing safety, security and the growth of aviation in Africa.
 
While December 2015 was established as the target date for the certification of at least 45 per cent of international airports in AFI Region, only about 23 per cent was accomplished as at December 2015.  
 
 
 
 
 
Wole Shadare