Real reason US delisted Nigerian airlines – NCAA

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has provided clarity on the recent delisting of Nigerian airlines from operating into the United States.

According to Capt. Chris Najomo, Acting Director General of the NCAA, the delisting is not related to safety or security deficiencies.

Najomo explained that starting from September 2022, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) began removing Category One countries from its list if they did not have an indigenous operator offering services to the U.S. or carrying the airline code of a U.S. operator.

Additionally, countries not receiving technical assistance from the FAA due to non-compliance with international safety oversight standards were also removed from Category One.

Highlighting reasons for the action, Capt. Najomo said: “The attention of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has once again been drawn to a publication about the purported ban on Nigerian airlines by United States.

“Due to the wrong impression such news could create, it has become expedient that we put this report in its proper perspective.

“To operate into the United States of Ameria, 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.”

He continued: “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.

“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 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. Nigeria has undergone comprehensive ICAO Safety and Security Audits and recorded no Significant Safety Concern (SSC) or Significant Security Concern (SSeC) respectively.”

He added 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.

Najomo said the NCAA will continue 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.

He said the provision gives States complete and exclusive sovereignty over the airspace above their territories.

in realisation of the situation, he said the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo embarked on an aggressive international campaign to empower our local operators to access the dry-lease market around the world which culminated in the visit to AIRBUS in France earlier this year and the MOU signed with BOEING in Seattle, Washington just last week.

He added that the 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.

He said the NCAA is confident that the steps taken by the Minister will make NIgeria regain and sustain its U.S. Category One status.