The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has clarified the reasons behind Nigeria’s loss of its Category 1 Status, which has resulted in the disqualification of Nigerian airlines from flying into the United States.
This was outlined in a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja by the Acting Director General of Civil Aviation, Capt. Chris Najomo.
Najomo explained that, like many other countries, Nigeria is required to pass the International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) Programme and achieve Category 1 status for its airlines to operate flights to the US, NAN reported.
What the DG said:
“The attention of the NCAA has again been drawn to a publication about the purported ban on Nigerian airlines by the United States. Due to the wrong impression such news could create, it has become expedient that we put this report in its proper perspective,”
“Upon attaining Category 1, 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),” he said.
According to Najomo, the first time Nigeria attained Category 1 was in August 2010, while the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) conducted another safety assessment on Nigeria in 2014. He noted that a further safety assessment was conducted on Nigeria in 2017, after which Nigeria retained her Category 1 status.
The NCAA boss said that with effect from Sept. 2022, the US FAA de-listed Category 1 countries that, after two years, had no indigenous operator to provide service to the U.S. or carry the airline code of a U.S. operator.
“Also removed from the Category 1 list were countries, where the FAA was not providing technical assistance, 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 two years 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,” he said.
According to him, the de-listing of Nigeria has absolutely nothing to do with any safety or security deficiency in the nation’s oversight system.
Ojomo said Nigeria had undergone comprehensive International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Safety and Security Audits and recorded no Significant Safety Concern (SSC) or Significant Security Concern (SSeC) respectively.
He stressed that a Nigerian operator can still operate in the US using an aircraft wet-leased from a country that has a current Category 1 status.
He also reaffirmed that the NCAA remains committed to upholding international safety and security standards while respecting the sovereignty of other nations, including the United States, as outlined in Article 1 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation.
