UK aviation authorities file report against Air Peace over Gatwick Airport safety violations

…Airline risks fine, NCAA writes carrier, seeks corrective action plan on findings

The London Gatwick Airport has filed two mandatory occurrence reports to the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) against Nigeria’s flag carrier airline, Air Peace’s operations at the airport.

In safety violation documents entitled, “United  Kingdom SAFA Ramp Inspection Report with reference number: CAA-UK, -2024-0217’ and ‘NATS Management System  Safety Report’ seen by Aviation Metric itemized the carrier’s safety violations at the Gatwick Aerodrome, prompting the aviation regulatory body to equally report the airline to UK’s Department of Transport (DOT).

OCCURENCE REPORT

Consequently, the Nigerian carrier could be heavily fined as the pilots of its B777-200 aircraft were said to have ‘missed all available runway exits at Gatwick Airport on landing.”

According to experts, these are severe infractions, hence the Mandatory Occurrence Report (MOR) to the UK CAA, alleging that Air Peace B777 exceeded the clearance limit at Gatwick Airport.

Aside from that, the UK’s Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft (SAFA) also wrote to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on alleged safety violations of the carrier in London.

The NCAA in a letter to Air Peace’s Chief Executive Officer with reference number: NCAA/DOLTS/APL/Vol.11/03624 entitled, “United Kingdom SAFA Ramp Inspection Report dated May 14, 2024, and signed by the General Manager Operations, Capt. O.O. Lawani on behalf of the Director-General of NCAA read in part, “You are required to notify the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) of your corrective actions on these findings.”

SAFA REPORT

The NCAA stated in the letter that it received a SAFA Ramp Inspection Report numbered CAA-UK-2024-0217 which was conducted at London Gatwick on April 7, 2024, at 09:33 local time ‘on your B777-200 aircraft with registration Number 5N-BE (S/N 28324).

Nigeria’s aviation regulatory body noted that the UK CAA highlighted no operational approval of EFB functions affecting the safe operation of the aircraft, stressing that the Captain admitted that an Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) was being used for navigational purposes, however, it was noted that there was no mounting device for use of EFB, no charging points or battery back-up.

Further evidence to support this according to the letter was that paper charts were not readily accessible which contradicts the OMA 46 chapter 1H.

Other findings were that the flight crew was unfamiliar with approved company procedures and manuals, and required charts were unavailable within easy reach.

When asked, some of the navigation plates were retrieved from outside the flight deck, just as there was no two-way communication established with the ground crew supervising the refuelling during refuelling with passengers on board.

Air Peace began operations to London Gatwick from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos under the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) Nigeria has with the UK on April 30, 2024, amid fanfare.

The carrier had risen to the occasion to operate the lucrative Lagos-London route seven years after Medview Airlines exited the route over its inability to continue with the costly operations.

Air Peace came on the scene after Nigeria Airways, Virgin Nigeria, Bellview, Arik and Medview could not sustain the operation.

In the past, Nigerian airlines operating the route had been stopped in their strides by circumstances they could not overcome. Insiders attributed this to the shortcomings of the airlines and aeropolitics.

Wole Shadare