NIGERIA’S aviation sector early in the week became a centre point of debates amongst different key players both from within and outside the sector following the news about the delisting of the country through its aviation sector from the list of category one status.
Since the world of commercial aviation is driven by a strong commitment to safety, this has led regulatory bodies to establish programmes to ensure that carriers worldwide meet standards that keep their passengers and employees safe.
Therefore, in 1992, the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) set up the International Aviation Safety Assessment Programme, which categorises countries in two ways, either as Category One or Category two in terms of safety.
To prevent avoidable crashes taking place in its airspace, the United States through its FAA resolved to prioritise how it regulated the airlines that it allows to operate in its airspace which led to it creating the International Aviation Safety Assessment Programme(IASA Program) in 1992.
Since the goal of IASA is to enable America ascertain safety ratings for foreign countries, whose airlines might fly to the US, this rules automatically became binding on Nigeria in view of the air transport agreement existing between Nigeria and America.
It can still be recalled the strong efforts made by the entire aviation authorities led by the then director general of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Dr Olusegun Harold Demuren to ensure Nigeria attain the American safety Category One status which subsequently allows Nigerian carriers to operate between Nigeria and the US.
Of important note is that one of the conditions for Nigeria to retain the category one status, is that airlines from its side must be seen to be operating between the two countries. While two American Airlines, Delta and United are operating into Nigeria, the only Nigerian carrier that temporarily operated between Nigeria and New York before stopping in 2017 was Arik Air. Since the exit of Arik Air, no Nigerian carrier had been able to operate on the Nigerian/American route.
Despite the designation of some Nigerian airlines to the American and Nigerian route, such designations remained on paper as the airlines failed to explore the opportunity even with the large number of Nigerians residing in the US.
It was therefore not surprising that the US finally delisted Nigeria from the list of category one countries.
Again, though the delisting of Nigeria had been done about two years ago with a notice on the development communicated to the NCAA by the FAA, the reactions the news has generated has forced the NCAA management to make some clarifications.
In agreement with the NCAA, the good news amidst this development is that the name of Nigeria was removed from the category one status for safety reasons but because of the failure of Nigerian airlines which would have been used as one of the yardsticks to measure the compliance to safety rules to operate between the two countries.
According to the statement issued by the NCAA through its director general, Captain Chris Najomo: “No Nigerian operator has provided service into the United States using a Nigerian registered aircraft within the two-year period preceding September, 2022 so it was expected that Nigeria would be de-listed as were other countries who fell within this category.Nigeria was,therefore,de-listed since 2022 and was duly informed of this action in 2022. It is important to clarify here that the de-listing of Nigeria has absolutely nothing to do with any safety or security deficiency in our oversight system.”
While Nigeria can heave a sigh of relief that its was delisted by America not because of safety concerns, it is however appalling that with the number of domestic airlines the country can boast of and with the number of air transport agreements Nigeria signed with over 100 countries, it has become almost impossible for indigenous carriers to reciprocate the agreements.
It is sad that while airlines from smaller countries are flying the flags of their countries around the world, it has become unachievable for the Nigerian airlines.
The fumbling and wobbling of the Nigerian carriers is definitely the failure of the government on one side, and that of the airlines on the other.
Hitherto now, the subsequent governments rather than empower the indigenous airlines to succeed through the creation of good business environment and involvement in aero politics, only showed interest in signing agreements that are skewed in favour of foreign countries.
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Nigeria is the only country that sign agreement with outsiders without first putting its house in order and this has remained the bane of the sector. Among the questions on the lips of many include why it has become so difficult to operate seamlessly like their counterparts in other climes particularly in Africa, it is on record that while some of the airlines having been designated on the foreign routes don’t usually last.
In the midst of the latest drama, there is the need for government to critically review its policies both within and regarding it’s foreign aviation policies. The delisting of Nigeria because of the abysmal performance of the airlines should be regarded as a worrisome issue requiring urgent reviewing which is already being tackled by the minister of aviation and aerospace development, Festus Keyamo as seen in his efforts to bridge the gaps between the Nigerian airlines and the foreign partners like aircraft manufacturers, leasing companies and insurance companies.
Obviously because the aviation sector can not develop without strong and active domestic airlines complimenting each other, the government through the minister of aviation needs to look inward by first strengthening its domestic air transport before throwing open its airspace loosely.
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