51 BIZFEATURE Safety concerns put Nigeria’s aviation under scrutiny
Recent events in the aviation sector - from mild to serious incidents - have heightened safety concerns in the country’s airspace and raised apprehension among members of the flying public.
Certainly this is not the best of time for Nigeria’s aviation which has been savouring accident-free years since the Associated Airline crash of 2013. From an aircraft’s door falling off, a private jet skidding off the runway, a Delta Airline flight losing an engine minutes after takeoff and Dana Airline’s plane skidding off the runway at Port Harcourt International Airport; to the recurring claims of burglary of aircraft on the runway as well as cows taking over the runway, all of these incidents have questioned the safety and security programmes of the sector and challenged the oversight activities of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). Nigeria has not been found wanting in recent times in her oversight programmes which have reflected in the excellent outings in ICAO Safety and Oversight Audit conducted last year as well as the American Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) which the country scaled through.
However, the gains recorded in the previous year regarded as the safest year in the country’s aviation are being eroded by events of 2018 which have raised the fear of passengers about the safety of the industry.
There were reports of burglary of taxiing aircraft at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos with one of the cases involving two music stars - Tiwa Savage and Ibrahim Balogun popularly known as WizKid. Catalogue of incidents On January 25, 2018, the runway of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja was closed for 30 minutes with four flights diverted to Kaduna when a private jet being operated by Nest Oil skidded off the runway. The aircraft lost its landing gear in the process though no casualty was recorded. The serious incident is still being investigated to determine the cause of the incident.
Barely two weeks after, there was another incident in Abuja classified as minor involving a Dana Airplane which emergency exit door fell off after landing. Notwithstanding the mildness of the incident, members of the public including the passengers did not take it mildly. Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika had to address the press to calm nerves and assured members of the public that the incident was nothing to worry about.
On February 14, a Lagos-Atlanta bound flight operated by the US carrier, Delta, had an air return few minutes after take-off with the passengers evacuated through the emergency sliding doors.
The incident is also being investigated by the AIB in collaboration with the US National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB).
The cow incursion incident happened as the dust raised by the alleged burglary of Air Peace flight is yet to settle with claims and counter-claims over the veracity of incident which the NCAA, FAAN and the Police Command at the airport dismissed.
Again, there was another incident involving Dana Air when its Lagos-Port Harcourt bound aircraft skidded off the runway on landing upon landing. All passengers on board were however safely evacuated from the bush. The incident was blamed on inclement weather following heavy downpour accompanied by stormy winds at the airport.
While incidents are unavoidable in aviation globally, experts say the management of the incidents and closing of noticeable gaps is essential in guiding against a recurrence.
Spokesman of NCAA, Sam Adurogboye said there is no cause for alarm as the agency was up and doing and it has not relaxed its surveillance role.
Also speaking, Chairman of Air Peace, Mr Allen Onyema said notwithstanding recent events the country’s safety rating has improved significantly.
He said: “Talking about regulation, I think Nigerian airlines are well regulated. The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority is doing a wonderful job on that. It is not easy; sometimes you don’t feel comfortable with the way they are doing it but they have to do it. The kind of regulation NCAA brings to bear on Nigerian airlines cannot be compared to any other; even in advanced countries.”
But the Federal Government is still very much concerned about the safety of the airspace especially the operations of Dana Airline with the Federal Executive Council (FEC) directing a complete audit of Dana.
Presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu who briefed newsmen said, “A lot of quality time was spent discussing air safety. The government of Nigeria is very much concerned about safety and the life of Nigerians.”
A former commandant of Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos, Mr John Ojikutu, said “almost a year after the release of the final report of the Dana accident of 2012 by the new management of AIB and my comments on the report, government has now found it necessary to call for the audit of the airline. Thank God and thank the doggedness of this government in taking the responsibility which the previous government would not demand from NCAA to take in 2012 and which some of us called for.”
On security breaches around the airport, the General Manager, Corporate Communications of FAAN, Mrs Henrietta Yakubu assured that the authority has put in place measures aimed at strengthening security at all the airports. With specific reference to the recent cows’ incursion in Akure, she said the authority has sent a team of engineers to fix the loopholes and ensure the incident does not recur.”