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NCAA to sanction aviation agencies, operators for non-compliance

By BusinessNews Staff on July 6, 2014

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has said it would sanction airlines, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) if they fail to effectively carry out their responsibility as enshrined in the 2006 Nigerian Civil Aviation Act as amended.

This was disclosed by the acting Director General NCAA, Benjamin Adeyileka, who said that FAAN should be made to urgently carry out the perimeter fencing of the airport in the face of the current terror threat in the country and the provision of other infrastructure for security, safety and easy facilitiation.

Adeyileka regretted that in the past the regulation was not strictly followed and that explained the laxity in these agencies not carrying out their jobs efficiently and the airlines not abiding by the rules.

“I think we have started wholesale enforcement. We will now be telling FAAN about perimeter fencing, pot holes on the apron, etc. What am saying is that we have commenced active surveillance by different directorates.

“We are looking into all areas of non-compliance. If there is, we can sanction, enforceable sanction, quoting the appropriate chapter in our regulation; they have no choice,” Adeyileka said.

The acting Director-General said the aviation agencies cannot compromise the regulations because they are not more important than the operators, adding that NCAA is working with the airlines and has helped them to change their manuals to correspond with the regulatory manuals.

“I keep telling my colleagues (aviation agency heads) that the agencies are not more important than the operators. Let me explain that further, there is an Act that establishes FAAN and NAMA, however, our own act as the regulatory body, we have the 2006 act, we have the regulation 2009, we have the Part 2 in 2012. We also have technical guidance manual; we have a lot of documentation we can use to hit them.

“And apart from that; we are now working with the airlines and we have made them change their operating manuals. We have combined that manual with regulatory manual, so whatever the manuals say you do. But we will make sure we have effective oversight,” he said.

Adeyileka therefore urged the agencies and the operators to work in accordance to the regulations, while NCAA provides the oversight function as the regulatory body, adding that there has been a high compliance rate from the aviation parastatals.

He added: “All I am advocating for is that we do our job, by providing this oversight, going through appropriate channels and procedure. However, we are happy to say that compliance rate from the agencies is very commendable. No one wants to experience sanction, so right; inter-agency regulation is being strengthened and apart from that we are working together.”

The acting Director-General said NCAA is working with the management of FAAN, NAMA and the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET) to adequately reposition the aviation industry and improve services from these agencies.

“I am working with the FAAN and NAMA MD and NIMET to adequately reposition our system. NIMET has to be accurate with their forecast and it has to be precise because they are the one that give visibility reports. So those are the things we are working on, I want us to champion that please. So that is where we are going,” He said.

In cognition of the current terror threats in the country, the Acting Director General said NCAA is challenging the Aviation Security Department (AVSEC) to be alert and beef up security at the airports as it works with other security operatives.

“What we have done now is to challenge our Aviation Security Department AVSEC. I personally go out to the terminal, to the ramp. I have been to the departure and arrival halls of airports. I have also introduced something that we have not been doing before, which is sanction. No one is above the law, so when an operator defaults he faces sanction.

“At the AVSEC level they have been writing letters, everybody is aware that we can sanction. All I want to see on my desk is recommendation to sanction. It is not the issue of FAAN or NAMA; it is what the regulation says that has to be,” he said..

[This Day]

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