Nigeria: Lawmakers Declare Nigeria Air Launch With Ethiopian Airlines A Fraud

The Federal House of Representatives has totally disagreed with the way and manner the immediate past Minister of Aviation Hadi Sirika handled the shameful launch of Nigeria Air at the twilight of the administration of the former President, Muhammadu Buhari, declaring it a fraud.

Chairman of the House Committee on Aviation, Nnolim Nnaji, today Tuesday 6th of June 2023 declared the launch of Nigeria Air a fraud after the major stakeholders in the deal between the Federal Government and Ethiopian Airlines denied knowledge of the launch.

The Ministry of Aviation claimed Nigeria Air was only unveiled and not launched, which the committee dismissed as an attempt to divert the lawmakers’ attention.

Members of the committee were shocked when the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency [NAMA], also disclosed that the aircraft bearing Nigerian colours was on a chartered flight to Nigeria.

The committee had invited relevant stakeholders to the hearing earlier scheduled for yesterday Monday 5th of June 2023 in Abuja.

However, representatives of most of the stakeholders had left the venue before the arrival of the committee’s Chairman, Nnolim Nnaji, who came about two hours behind schedule.

The stakeholders invited by the committee include the Ministry of Aviation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Justice, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, Airline Operators of Nigeria, Ethiopian Airlines as well as aviation fuel [Jet-A1] suppliers.

Nnaji, after his arrival, apologised to stakeholders who waited behind at the venue, asking that the hearing be postponed to 3pm today.

Just last Friday 2nd of June 2023, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority [NCAA] said it has rejected an application from Nigeria Air, seeking certification to proceed to “phase two” in the process of obtaining Air Operator’s Certificate [AOC].

In a letter titled “Request to proceed to phase two of AOC certification,” written by the NCAA and addressed to the management of Nigeria Air last Friday, the agency hinted that the certification process of Nigeria Air cannot progress to phase two due to the unavailability of a “formal application form” and other “necessary documents.”

“The authority is in receipt of your letter dated May 25, 2023, on the above subject matter. Quite contrary to our earlier letter of 16th May 2023, which enumerated the documents to be submitted with the formal application form OPS 002, your letter of request to proceed to phase two has no inclusion of a formal application form and the necessary documents referenced in the formal application form,” the NCAA said.

Based on this, the authority emphasised that the certification process of the controversial national carrier cannot progress to phase two without these required documents.

“Please be reminded that your post holders’ letters of commitment to Nigeria Air have a tenure of three months and, as such, expire now,” the NCAA letter noted.

What is AOC Certification

AOC certification is an approval often granted by the Civil Aviation Authority [CAA] to an aircraft operator to use aircraft for commercial purposes.

However, before such permission is granted, the aircraft operator is required to have personnel, assets, and systems in place to ensure the safety of its employees and the public.

The certificate often bears the aircraft types and registrations to be used, for what purpose and in what area.

In Nigeria, five stages are involved in obtaining the AOC certification, according to the NCAA guidelines.

During the first phase, the NCAA appoints a certification team and processes the pre-application statement of intent form [AC-OPS 001]. It also entails discussing all regulatory requirements, the formal application and attachments, and other related issues. The process usually takes a week to complete, according to official regulations.

The second phase involves a formal application for intending entrants where documents and manuals [including the curriculum vitae of key management personnel] must be submitted for proper evaluation, and the minimum time-frame to conclude this phase is two weeks.

The third phase involves document evaluation. At this stage, which has a minimum time-frame of three months, the NCAA will review the applicant’s manuals and other related documents and attachments to ensure conformity with the applicable regulations and safe operating practices.

After this, the authority’s scrutiny moves to the fourth stage, which involves demonstration and inspection. It is described as a key phase of the process, and it is carried out only after a satisfactory documentation evaluation phase.

By Our Correspondent