NCAA: Domestic Airlines Need Financial Stability to Operate Safely

Chinedu Eze

The Acting Director General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Chris Najomo has said domestic airlines operating across the country must be financially healthy in order to achieve maximum safety operations.

To check the financial health of the airlines, NCAA carries out regular audit of the operators and ensures that those whose financial status does not meet the acceptable standards are grounded.

Najomo who made this known in Lagos, said as a former operator and now a regulator, he understands the challenges airlines face and also what they will do to ensure continued safe operation as well as how to maintain strong interface with regulatory authority. 

“Let me tell you one thing about the relationship of the airlines. Since I was an operator and now a regulator, I must let you know that yes, I know where it bites. I know where they are coming from and I know that because I have been an operator, I have worked with X amount of airlines. I was an MD-CEO of an airline, so I know where it pains. 

“So now, being a regulator here and I am looking at them, I know what to expect. And that is why I put the word, ‘Ease of Doing Business’ as my mantra. But that is not to say that the regulations are not followed. The regulations must be followed. It must be followed because of safety and security. The airlines cannot come and tell me otherwise. No, no. I have been there before, and I know their capabilities,” Najomo said.  

He stressed the need for sustainable liquidity to maintain the safety standard that will guarantee safe operation.

Najomo said the first thing to determine how safe an airline is, was to carry out financial audit of the airline, recalling that NCAA had to withdraw the Air Operator Certificate (AON) of Dana Air few months ago because it did not pass financial audit carried out by the regulatory authority.

NCAA, he said, is also carrying out the financial audit of other domestic airlines, reiterating that anyone that does not meet the acceptable standard of financial health will be withdrawn from operation.

“If you are not financially viable, I will know. Recently, we suspended the AOC of an airline. Everybody knows, Dana Air. Because when we did our audits, we found out that right there, at that time, the financial health is not up to par to be able to operate safely. And that is why we suspended the AOC. So, we are doing these same financial audits and technical audits with all the other airlines periodically. As we speak, there is one going on right now. We will move from one airline to another. From Air Peace, we will go to Ibom. From Ibom, we will go to Arik. From Arik, we will go to United Nigeria. Go to Overland. Go to Green Africa. So, we are going to audit all these airlines periodically. And we are doing continuous surveillance. We are doing enhanced surveillance. Every time you see an airplane coming into park, you see our vehicle coming in with our inspectors. They are coming in. To come and do a ramp check,” he said.

Captain Najomo said part of the safety package would be the recertification of technical crew that work at the airlines and airports, saying that it is NCAA that certifies and recertifies them to ensure that the right skill and the right people are engaged in the critical work of air travel in Nigeria. 

“If your license expires, you will get it renewed. If there is any hindrance you have to go through the normal certification, simulator trainings, simulator re-currency training to get your license correct and renew it. There is no halfway measure. I have had my elder ones. I have my seniors in the industry. But I have trained a lot of people too. I have trained a lot of pilots in my career. I was a simulator instructor. I was an aircraft training instructor. I was everything when it comes to flying the airplane. So, I have a good relationship with the pilots and my colleagues,” Najomo said.

He acknowledged, however, that since he became the Director General of NCAA, the airlines have been abiding by the Civil Aviation Regulation.

Najomo said Nigeria’s airspace had never been safer as it is now, remarking that for several years air safety in Nigeria has continued to improve but the current safety status remains unparallel under his management of NCAA.