NCAA Approve Six Airlines To Resume Commercial Flights In Nigeria

Six airlines have passed the airworthiness requirements as disclosed by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) in preparation for the resumption of commercial flights in Nigeria.

The NCAA disclosed this at the end of a webinar that held on Tuesday night till the early hours of Wednesday.

The webinar had in attendance Hadi Sirika, the minister of aviation; Musa Nuhu, NCAA director-general; and Sanni Aliyu the national coordinator of the presidential task force (PTF) on COVID-19.

“Six of the airlines have crossed the mark from the point of view of airworthiness. We have asked all the airlines that they should use only reagents that are approved by the original equipment manufacturers of their different aircraft types to disinfect their machines,” Ita Awak, NCAA director for airworthiness standards, said.

Naija News recalls that a tentative date of June 21 has been adopted by the presidential task force on COVID-19 for the resumption of domestic flights in the country.

On his part, Godwin Balang, NCAA general manager for airline operators certificate and surveillance, said restart proposals had been received from 20 aviation operators, including the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

“We have received from FAAN, plan on Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano; Port Harcourt International Airport, Port Harcourt; Sam Mbakwe Airport, Owerri; while those of Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja came later,” Balang said.

However, Samson Fatokun, West Africa area manager of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) warned that airlines may suffer huge losses if the proposed plan to only load planes at 70% capacity due to the COVID-19 pandemic is implemented.

Allen Onyeama, CEO of Air Peace airline, also said the situation might force airlines to transfer the cost of the empty seats to customers which would mean a huge financial burden for the customers.

“All over the world, the biggest airlines are emphasizing it. It doesn’t really make any sense. That depletes the resources of these airlines. it will definitely kill the airlines because the purchasing power of the Nigerian people is very low.

“If you want to now distribute the cost on the few people who are flying, about 50 percent or 70 percent who are flying, maybe an aircraft of about 140-seater, you are flying only 90 people, you have to distribute the other seats not being flown on the passengers

“Can Nigerians afford N70,000 worth of ticket on less than one-hour flight?”

However, the NCAA added that it doesn’t have the powers to give a date for the reumption of commercial flight activities in the country as only the presidential task force on COVID-19 can announce a date.

The Director-General, (NCAA), Captain Musa Nuhu represented by the Director, Consumer Protection Directorate, NCAA, Abdullahi Usman said, “We cannot confirm the new date for resumption of flight. The earlier date given was not sacrosanct. We need to get back to the Presidential Task Force on COVID -19 to affirm any new date. We are awaiting further instructions to be guided.

“The PTF will decide when domestic flights will resume after it may have lifted the restriction on interstate movement.”