NCAA Commences Safety Audit of Airlines

Chinedu Eze

To avert another accident after the Sikorsky S-76 helicopter owned by Bristow, which crashed at Oworonshoki area of Lagos, killing six people on-board recently, the Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Capt. Muhtar Usman, has directed an immediate commencement of a comprehensive audit of all the airlines operating in the country in line with the regulatory agency’s oversight responsibilities.

In a statement signed by the General Manager, Public Affairs of the Authority, Fan Ndubuoke, NCAA said the Aviation Safety Inspectors (ASI) would continue to intensify the routine ramp inspections with eagle eye attention to details.

The director general said the directive was to forestall complacency among the airline operators and ensure that they all continue to demonstrate absolute compliance to NCAA’s regulations.

The agency said the pockets of incidents that had occurred recently were being viewed seriously by the NCAA and the wholesale audit was one of the measures taken to forestall further incidents, and ensure the sustenance of the confidence of air travellers.

In addition, Usman 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).

The director general however wished to assure Nigerians that the regulatory authority would continue to ensure its zero tolerance for non-compliance to regulations was strictly upheld, adding that airline operations in Nigeria would continue to be done according to the Standard and Recommended Practices (SARPs) thereby ensuring safe and secure operations.

Industry observers said the decision to carry out the audit was necessary to boost confidence in air travellers after the crash of Bristow’s helicopter.