Mshelia to Keyamo: “Involve NCAA in decision making”

 …Urges service providers to adhere to regulations

Chairman of West Link Airlines, Captain Ibrahim Mshelia has called on Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development , Mr Festus Keyamo (SAN), to carry the apex aviation regulator : Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) , along in the decision msking process to drive the growth and development of the strategic industry.

According to Mshelia without carrying the regulator along , the lofty objectives , he intends to achieve in the aviation sector may be elusive.

In particilar, Mshelia called on Keyamo to receive NCAA’s safety approval before embarking on the construction of  a second runway for Abuja Airport.

He spoke in a virtual interactive session powered by Zoom with Aviation Reporters.

Mshelia commended the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo for his dedicated efforts to reshape the aviation industry.

The commendation was on the heels of an   Aviation Industry Stakeholders Forum at the weekend  in Lagos where industry players ventilated their views on the myraids of challenges confronting the industry.

Capt. Mshelia praised Keyamo’s  sincerity in addressing the industry’s issues and  his commitment to resolving them harvesting the views of industry players to form a roadmap .

He said :”  Keyamo  did a good  job on Saturday for the first time a minister calling stakeholders to open up , I am so happy.”

According to Capt. Mshelia, the minister’s promise to grant the NCAA genuine autonomy and the freedom to make decisions without undue political influence is worthy of emulation.

He noted that industry service providers, including:  airlines, handling companies, NAMA, FAAN, and NCAT, should adhere to NCAA regulations.

“All service providers, whether you are an airline operator, handling companies, NAMA, FAAN, NCAT , are subject to NCAA regulations which means NCAA ought   to be the police of the industry.”

Capt. Mshelia further urged the minister to consider the NCAA as his direct advisors, respecting their expertise and independence.

He said :” We keep saying NCAA is autonomous, yes indeed NCAA is autonomous, how autonomous is the NCAA? Can the NCAA say anything and the government will follow hook line and sinker? No!

“The minister touched on so many critical areas and am quite impressed with him.

” We  must give him support and we must also tell him, the right thing to do. We also expect him now to respect those of us with equal knowledge in the industry”.

The aircraft pilot, trainer and a member of the Airline Operators of Nigeria, AON, also encouraged the minister to  hold the regulator  accountable for executing its  responsibilities correctly.

“NCAA must first make sure whatever design is brought meets  safety requirements before sending contractor to site, we must encourage him and take him to task on that one”.

“He should try and listen to NCAA in everything he does, he did say, he would no longer issue contract to anyone without talking to industry experts and NCAA should be made to do the right thing”.