FG confirms no ban on Nigerian airlines by US gov’t
The Federal Government has reassured the public that no Nigerian airline is currently banned by the US government.
Chris Najomo, the acting Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), made this clarification in a statement.
Najomo highlighted that Nigeria achieved category one status under the International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) program in 2010, with successful evaluations conducted by the US Federal Aviation Administration in both 2014 and 2017.
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However, he noted that Nigeria was de-listed in 2022 due to an inability to meet certain permit requirements.
“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. Nigeria has undergone comprehensive ICAO Safety and Security Audits and recorded no Significant Safety Concern (SSC) or Significant Security Concern (SSeC) respectively.
“It is furthermore necessary to add that a Nigerian operator can still operate into the U.S. using an aircraft wet-leased from a country who has a current Category One status.
“The NCAA continues to adhere strictly to international safety and security standards and respects the sovereignty of States, including the United States of America, as enshrined in Article One of the Convention on International Civil Aviation. This provision gives States complete and exclusive sovereignty over the airspace above their territories,” the statement read.
Among the requirements is for Indigenous airlines to provide services to the United States or carry the airline code as a US operator and according to the statement, no Nigerian airline fulfilled this criteria thus the decision by the US government in 2022.
The statement further said that the delisting of Nigeria has absolutely nothing to do with security or safety deficiency in the NCAA’s oversight system.
It explained that Nigerian airline operators can still fly into the US using an aircraft wet-leased from a country with a category one permit.
Proofreading by Fa’izatu Aliyu Doma, Journalist at Neptune Prime.
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