The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has explained why the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) delisted Nigeria from its Category One status.
In a statement by the Acting Director-General, Chris Najomo, it was clarified that the removal was due to the fact that no Nigerian airline currently provides flight services to the United States.
The last airline to operate such a route was Arik Air, which suspended its New York service on February 3, 2017.
The statement further disclosed that in September 2022, the FAA began delisting Category One countries that had not had an indigenous airline providing service to the U.S. or carrying the code of a U.S. operator within a two-year period.
Countries not receiving technical assistance from the FAA due to non-compliance with international safety oversight standards were also removed from the list.
Najomo emphasized that Nigeria’s delisting had nothing to do with any safety or security deficiencies in the country’s oversight system.
He stated that Nigeria had successfully undergone comprehensive audits by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) without any significant safety or security concerns.
The statement also noted that Nigerian operators could still operate flights to the U.S. using aircraft wet-leased from a country with a current Category One status.
Najomo highlighted that the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has initiated an aggressive international campaign to empower local operators to access the dry-lease market globally.
This includes visits to Airbus in France and a recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with Boeing in Seattle, Washington.
He expressed confidence that with these efforts, Nigeria would not only regain its Category One status but also sustain it.
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