The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, (NCAA) has clarified issues surrounding the purported ban on Nigerian airlines by United States, in relation to category one status and operation of Nigerian registered aircraft and dry-leased foreign registered aircraft into the United States, in line with the existing Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA).

In an official statement issued Monday, signed by the acting Director General Civil Aviation, Capt. Chris Najomo, NCAA stated that, de-listing of Nigeria has absolutely nothing to do with any safety or security deficiency in their oversight system.

The agency informed that Nigeria has undergone comprehensive ICAO Safety and Security Audits and recorded no Significant Safety Concern (SSC) or Significant Security Concern (SSeC) respectively.

It therefore, affirmed that 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 regulatory agency insisted that it is in full realisation of this situation that has since prompted the Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Olorogun Festus Keyamo, SAN, to embark on an aggressive international campaign to empower our local operators to access the dry-lease market around the world.

This, NCAA pointed out, culminated in the visit to Airbus in France earlier this year and the MOU signed with Boeing in Seattle, Washington just last week.

“The Honourable Minister has also done a lot of work to make Nigeria comply fully with the Cape Town Convention which will bring back the confidence of international lessors in the Nigerian aviation market. We are confident that with these steps of the Honourable Minister, it is only a matter of time that Nigeria, not only regains, but can sustain its U.S. Category One status”, NCAA stated.

Explaining further, NCAA added that “To operate into the United States of America, Nigeria like most countries must satisfactorily pass the International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) Programme and attain Category 1 status. Upon attaining this status, Nigerian airlines would be permitted to operate Nigerian registered aircraft and dry-leased foreign registered aircraft into the United States, in line with the existing Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA)”.

” The first time Nigeria attained Category One Status was in August 2010. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) conducted another safety assessment on Nigeria in 2014. A further safety assessment was conducted on Nigeria in 2017, after which Nigeria retained her Category One status”.

“However, with effect from September, 2022, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) de-listed Category One countries who, after a 2-year period, had no indigenous operator provide service to the U.S. or carrying the airline code of a U.S operator. Also removed from the Category One list were countries who the FAA was not providing technical assistance to based on identified areas of non-compliance to international standards for safety oversight”.

The agency also pointed out that “No Nigerian operator has provided service into the United States using a Nigerian registered aircraft within the 2-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 .

Akwa Ibom State Government has approved the immediate acquisition of two Bombardier CRJ aircraft, to boost the Ibom Air fleet.

This was part of approvals granted during the August 2024 State Executive Council meeting held at the EXCO Chambers, Government House, Uyo.

Briefing the press after the meeting, the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Sir Charles Udoh, said the new two CRJ jets, just like the recently received Airbus 220-300, are not part of the aircraft ordered in 2021, out of which only one has so far been delivered.

He explained that the need for the fleet expansion was due to Ibom Air’s decision to cover some low-traffic routes that require slimmer, more economical aircraft than those used in heavy-traffic routes like Uyo-Abuja–Lagos.

“‘Exco has approved plans by Ibom Air to immediately increase its fleet of aircraft with two CRJ jets to consolidate its enviable position as the leading airline in Nigeria”. In his words.

According to him, while Exco acknowledged the excellent performance of Ibom Air, the government urged the management of the airline not to rest on its oars but to continue to do more to consolidate and maintain its leading position in the aviation industry.

The commissioner hunted further, that the Governor, who precided over the State Council meeting, has restated his administration’s resolve to fulfill its campaign promises, in line with the ARISE Agenda.

As such, Udoh said the governor had directed the Commissioner for Works and Fire Service, Professor Eno Ibanga, to ensure that all contractors are set to return to the site as the rains begin to recede.

He, however, disclosed that the Council also approved new road construction contracts as part of efforts to boost the economic growth of the state.

On Culture and Tourism, Udoh hinted that “Exco received a briefing on plans by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to include in-bound footfall into the state in the Fourth quarter of the year in addition to the preliminary plans for another December to remember in Akwa Ibom, featuring Christmas Unplugged 2.0 and Christmas Carol season 17”.

He explained that such plans would be accomplished through a series of events starting from the commemoration of the World Tourism Day 2024, coming up in September.

The Federal Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with aircraft manufacturer, Boeing to boost the nation’s

The Federal Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with aircraft manufacturer, Boeing to boost the nation’s aviation sector.

This is contained in a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Tunde Moshood, on Thursday in Lagos.

NCAA and representatives from the Airline Operators of Nigeria.

The minister, Mr Festus Keyamo,SAN, and Boeing’s Vice President of Commercial Sales and Marketing for Africa, Mr Anbessie Yitbarek officially signed the MoU

The minister said that the MoU was significant in enhancing the operational efficiency and safety of Nigeria airlines for growth in the global aviation market.

The MoU, he said, is meant to facilitate aircraft acquisition; enhanced technical support; training and development; maintenance and engineering support; on-site support; airport and MRO development; regulatory support among others.

“The MoU will further enhance the ministry’s efforts to modernise and improve the capabilities of Nigerian airlines.

“The benefits of this MoU will be far-reaching, not only in improving the operational efficiency of our airlines but also in ensuring the safety and reliability of air travel in Nigeria,” he said.

On his part, Yitbarek said: “We are excited to work closely with Nigeria’s aviation stakeholders to deliver tailored solutions that will help Nigerian airlines thrive in the competitive global aviation landscape.

“This MoU underscores our commitment to supporting the growth and development of aviation in Africa,” he had said.

NAN reports that the MoU is expected to catalyse significant improvements in Nigeria’s aviation infrastructure and operational standards, further positioning the country as a key player in the global aviation industry.

Nigeria’s Aviation Minister, Festus Keyamo, says Nigeria has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with an American aerospace company, Boeing, to enhance sustainable development in the country’s aviation sector.

The minister, who disclosed this on Thursday in a statement posted on his official X page, noted that the MoU among several other packages, will provide leadership-development training to help airlines in the country enhance their leadership pipeline.

“Yesterday, in Seattle, State of Washington in the USA, I led a delegation of the Executives of major airlines in Nigeria under the auspices of Airline Operators of Nigeria and other important stakeholders in the civil aviation ecosystem in Nigeria to sign an important Memorandum of Understanding with THE BOEING Company, one of the major aircraft manufacturers in the world,” the minister said.

The development comes more than a month after Boeing agreed to plead guilty to criminal fraud conspiracy charges stemming from two fatal crashes involving its 737 Max planes that killed 346 passengers and crew members in 2018 and 2019.

This is after the US Department of Justice (DoJ) ruled that the company violated a deal meant to reform amidst safety concerns.

However, some families of the victims of the ill-fated aircraft five years ago have criticised the decision, describing it as a “sweetheart deal” that would allow Boeing to avoid full responsibility for the fatalities recorded during the crashes.

Highlights of MOU

On Thursday, Mr Keyamo noted that part of the MoU deal would help Nigeria leverage Boeing’s network of financiers and lessors to better position Nigerian Airlines to acquire newer generation Boeing aircraft.

He said it would also provide enhanced technical support to help airlines introduce new or used Boeing Aircraft, and also provide training in airline operations and business models to enhance airline business practices.

The minister noted that the deal will provide technical support via providing access to Boeing data such as maintenance documents, engineering drawings, parts purchasing, and flight operations documents to streamline maintenance practices in the country.

Part of the MoU will also provide Boeing Field Services Representation in Nigeria or close by as on-site support, Mr Keyamo stated, adding that it will provide leadership-development training to help airlines enhance their leadership pipeline.

Other highlights of the MoU according to the minister include: collaborate with airlines’ in-flight operations, maintenance, and engineering to enhance safety and operational efficiency; collaborate with NCAA and NSIB in close partnership with ICAO and regional regulators to enhance safety oversight in the region and to provide consultation via Boeing’s Airports Engineering team to open and/or expand airport capabilities and advisory on MRO development.

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The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) says Arik Air’s flight operations has not been suspended.

On June 30, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) said it grounded some aircraft belonging to Arik Airline over a $2.5 million debt case.

The agency said the decision is a sequel to an order by the federal high court.

It said the court’s order is regarding a case of $2.5 million owed by Arik to Atlas Petroleum International Ltd.

However, in a statement issued on Friday, the NCAA clarified that the grounding of Arik Air aircraft does not include a suspension of the airline’s overall operations, contrary to some claims.

“Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) refers to the grounding of three (3) Arik Air aircraft following a court order/Attachment,” the authority said.

“It is important to clarify that the action does not include the suspension of Arik Air’s overall operations by either the NCAA or the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development as claimed in some quarters.

“The NCAA is duty-bound to comply with the court order attaching Arik Air’s aircraft (5NMJF; 5NMJQ; 5NBKX) following the determination of its case at the Supreme Court and to ensure compliance with regulatory and safety standards.”

NCAA emphasised that it has not suspended or halted Arik Air’s flight operations which continue as scheduled and do not affect the airline’s ability to operate its remaining fleet.

It expressed gratitude for the public’s patience and understanding while Arik Air navigates the situation with minimal disruption.

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo has projected that Nigeria will generate over $2 billion annually if it is able to establish major Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility.

Doing so, he stated, will also save Nigerian airlines about the same amount of money that are repatriated annually to pay for aircraft checks overseas.

Keyamo who disclosed this at the League of Airport and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC) conference in Lagos said it became critical for Nigeria to build such facility as quickly as practically possible.

Keyamo also disclosed that he had started speaking to investors who may become interested in partnering with the federal government to realise the project, “as government has concluded that such project could only be realised through Public, Private Partnership (PPP) because of the financial outlay and technical depth needed in the project.”

Keyamo had disclosed recently that he has made firm push to establish the maintenance facility, “and some investors from overseas are showing interest.” Some have spoken about the MROs. I think it is at the heart of the improvement of our local aviation industry. We need to bring in the MROs.People are already talking with us. I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag. Very soon, we are going to advertise and call for partnership. That is the only way to go. And I think we need to call in people with money. So, for our local businessmen, our banks, financial institutions, financiers, don’t say that foreigners are coming to take your business away.”