The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has given Nigerian airlines a 65-day ultimatum to resolve specified security issues or risk being barred from flying to its country.
The ultimatum was issued on August 24 following a visit by a team of US FAA officials who recently carried out an audit for the renewal of Nigeria’s category one safety status.
The FAA periodically inspects foreign airports with which it has bilateral agreements to ensure they meet set standards which includes having effective and efficient aviation regulations, operational state civil aviation systems and safety oversight functions and technical personnel qualification and training.
Others areas of concern include the provision of technical guidance, tools, provision of safety-critical information, licensing, certification, authorisation and approval obligations
Aviation analysts are however, doubtful that Nigeria could attain the category one safety status without having its major airports certified as airport certification was compliant to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations, NCAR, Part 12.6.4.
This carries obligations on the operator to continuously maintain standards and competence in operation and ensuring availability of skilled manpower in sufficient numbers, for the periodic maintenance of the facilities and the system.
The classification of Nigeria as Category one was meant only for the NCAA Regulations and oversight competence the way university academic programs are rated or accredited by the Nigeria Universities Commission (NUC).
NCAA, in spite of its category one status classification in 2010 and even in 2017 after its reclassification, has not been able to give certification to a single airport among the over 28 federal and state airports in the country.
-THE WILL
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