NCAA grounds 8 aircraft, 10 soon to join, travel restart demands total compliance to regulations- Musa Nuhu

As the air transport industry in Nigeria is in feverish pitch to restart air travel and in the initial run with domestic flight operations, eight aircraft have already been grounded while the formal sanction to ground another ten is just barely twenty-four hours away.

The Director General, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, Capt. Musa Nuhu, who made the disclosure said as much as he believed that the industry eco system must “collectively collaborate, cooperate and communicate”, he would never for anything condone infraction on recommended standards and practices.

He warned all the operators; airlines, airports, air navigation service provider, weather report providers, airport health and aviation security that, all must satisfy stipulated standard of performance and that the announced opening date for flight resumption is sacrosanct only to those who fully complied with the regulation and advisories from, International Civil Aviation Organization, ICAO, International Air Transport Association, IATA, World Health Organization, WHO, as they were being dispense by the NCAA.   

He also accused all the airlines of failure to submit their proposed flight schedule for holistic consideration in cognizance with the crowd control mechanism for adoption in aiding physical distancing at the nation’s airports.

The CAA helmsman made those declaration yesterday, while hosting the third edition of zoom meeting since the closure of the airspace, to intimate operators with the level of preparedness of each players in the aviation eco system in the country.

On the contentious issue of physical distancing in the cabin, all submissions highlighted the futility of middle seat removal as it would engender prohibitive fare on air transport which would be inimical to the quick recovery of the industry.

Capt Musa Shuaib Nuhu however disclosed that the regulatory body had found reservation of the aircraft last row seat for the purpose of attending to any health matters and not exclusively for covid-19.

The general consensus was that the air conditioning system in the aircraft is such that  blows from up to down and as such, it does not spread any virus in the cabin, not even covid-19.

Hence the DG said the airport and airline security would be very firm in enforcing the use of mask in the airport and especially in the cabin throughout the flight duration to any destination.

Aviation Minister, Capt Hadi Sirika, reiterated that palliative will be given to industry player but the amount and the modality for disbursement are still in the works.

Present at the evening parley which lasted till few minutes to midnight was very well attended. Present were Managing Director, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, Capt Fola Akinkuotu, Managing Director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, Capt Rabiu Yadudu, Managing Director, Aero, Capt. Ado Sanusi, immediate past President, National Association of Nigeria Travel Agents. NANTA, Mr. Bernard Bankole among other industry chieftains  

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