Anxiety over aviation safety … NCAA begins immediate audit of airlines

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FELIX OLOYEDE
Six days after a Bristow Sikorsky S-76 helicopter with registration number 5N-BDG-760540 crashed into the Lagos lagoon, killing six people, the Director General, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Muhtar Usman, has ordered immediate comprehensive audit of all the airlines operating in the country.

This is coming amid apprehension over the state of the nation’s aviation sector, considering the number of plane crashes recorded in recent past.

Usman, who gave the directive in a statement issued in Lagos by NCAA’s General Manager, Public Affairs, Fan Ndubuoke, said the directive was in line with the authority’s regulatory and oversight responsibilities.

He said that the pockets of incidents that had occurred recently were being viewed seriously by the authority and the wholesale audit was one of the measures taken to forestall further incidents.

According to him, the audit is to ensure the sustenance of the confidence of air travellers in the industry.

Usman said that the directive would forestall complacency among airline operators and ensure that they all continued to demonstrate absolute compliance to NCAA’s regulations.

The director general said that the authority’s Aviation Safety Inspectors (ASIs) would continue to intensify routine ramp inspections.

Usman further said that it had sent out a stern warning to all pilots to take precautionary measures during all adverse weather conditions.

“In other words, there should be strict adherence to states’ weather minima and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP),” he said.

Usman assured Nigerians that the NCAA would continue to ensure that its regulations were strictly complied with.

“Airline Operations in Nigeria will continue to be done according to the Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) thereby ensuring safe and secure operations,” he said.

Hallmark reliably gathered that the Bristow helicopter that plunged into the Lagos lagoon last Wednesday might have prompted the NCAA to order the audit exercise.

The air mishap claimed six lives out of the 12 people on board.

Reacting to the development, President of Aviation Round Table and Director of Aeroconsult/Dele Ore Associates Partnership, Captain Dele Ore, stated that NCAA was only carrying out its legitimate functions, which is aimed at sanitizing the aviation sector.

He noted that this is a good development for the sector in order to ensure safety in the country’s airspace, adding that any operator found to be unfit to operate in the country’s aviation sector should be booted out.

The veteran pilot also advised NCAA to look into the books of the airlines and ensure that those who owe staff salaries and are unable to properly maintain their aircraft are shown the exit door.

According him, most of the agencies know that President Muhammedu Buhari is a no nonsense man, and are now doing what is required of them.