Minister of aviation, Chief Osita Chidoka, who received the certification in the US, promised to reform and strengthen the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) in line with the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), for greater efficiency and service delivery.
Chidoka also urged the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to commence exchange programmes in air navigation, to deepen knowledge and promote best practices among professionals.
Chidoka was issued the certification after the Nigerian aviation industry, propelled by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and other agencies in the sector closed all the identified open items when the FAA team visited the country in April for a reassessment.
FAA had carried out an intensive safety assessment of the sector earlier in the year and there had been fears among industry stakeholders that the country might not retain the status it earned in September 2010. This was due to some lapses by the regulatory authority, like inadequate number of safety inspectors and the plan by government to merge the NCAA, the regulatory body, with service providers Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).
The minister, in a statement personally signed by him, said that the US FAA informed him that Nigeria had continued to meet the safety oversight requirements under the international aviation standards.
Chidoka noted that the retention of Category One status was hard earned and promised that the government would continue to ensure that the country retained the status and attained other future safety certifications in a seamless way.
During his visit to the US, Chidoka said that plans were underway to reform the AIB in tandem with other international bodies, for efficient service delivery.
Chidoka added that the NTSB team also provided insight on the operations and activities of the board and advised the visiting Nigerian team on some best practices to institutionalise, to achieve the desired outcomes.
Chidoka also implored the US Department of Transportation (DOT) to extend its assistance to the Nigerian aviation industry in a bid to improve safety and security components.
On the final leg of the official trip, Chidoka met with the US Transport Security Administration (TSA) to explore opportunities for capacity building and strengthening of aviation security systems and infrastructure.
“The minister requested for hands-on training and exchange programmes between the two agencies that will result in direct and more meaningful transfer of expert knowledge in different aspects of airport security,” the statement read.
The TSA promised to support the efforts of the present administration to enhance airport security and improve the operational performance and intelligence of security agents working in the air transport sector. The minister and his team also inspected the Transportation Security Operations Centre (TSOC) in the state of Virginia.
“On commercial and private sector investment, the Honourable Minister also met with operators in the industry. In Montreal, Canada, he met with different teams from Air Canada and Bombardier and while in the United States, he discussed extensively with Boeing.
“During these meetings, economic regulatory and operational issues relating to the aviation sector were discussed and the national carrier project was also mentioned,” it stated.
Chidoka and his team also held technical meetings with the World Bank Transport Group where previous World Bank-supported programmes and the status of implementation were reviewed.
The team from the World Bank reportedly made a strong case for Nigeria giving its critical size, to lead the liberalisation of air transport in West Africa and take full advantage of open sky agreements with major regions such as the European Union.
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