Okada, Kabo, Associated, others apply for airline licences
Twenty-six operators are currently
undergoing processes of obtaining operational licences and
recertification from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.
Information obtained from the NCAA on
Wednesday showed that 16 of the applicants are seeking Air Operators
Certificates to operate scheduled domestic flights in the country.
The remaining 10 airlines are undergoing
recertification processes in accordance with the Nigerian Civil
Aviation Regulations of 2009.
A source at the NCAA, who spoke to our
correspondent on the condition of anonymity, said on Wednesday that once
the process was completed, the AOCs would be issued and the new
operators would commence flight operations.
According to the NCAA official, the
aspiring operators seeking operating licences were Air Taraba, Ean
Aviation, Executive Jet Air Services Limited, Gyro Air Limited, Izy Air
Limited and Jupiter.
Others are Manyatta Engineering Services, Nestoil Plc, Prime Air, Toucan Air, Baltic Airlines and Oriental Airlines Limited.
Meridian Airlines, Millennium Travels
& Tours, Okada Air and Air First are also on the list of those
seeking
licences from the NCAA.
The airlines seeking recertification
include Associated Aviation Limited, Bristow Helicopters, Caverton
Helicopters, Chanchangi Airlines, Dornier Aviation Nigeria Limited and
IRS Airlines Limited.
Others are Kabo Airlines Limited, Kings Airlines and Travel Limited, Pan African Airlines Nigeria and Skypower Express Airways.
The nation currently has 16 functional domestic carriers that are holders of AOCs in accordance with the NCAR 2009.
They include Allied Air, Aero
Contractors, Azman Air, Arik Air, Discovery Air Services, First Nation
Airways Limited and Hak Air Limited.
The others are Jed Air, Med-view
Airlines, Max Air Limited, Odegene Air Shuttle Limited, Overland
Airways, Skybird Air, Skyjet Aviation, Topbrass and Westlink Airlines.
Air Peace Airlines was issued with a licence by the NCAA on Monday.
While presenting the management of the
airline with the AOC, the Acting Director-General, NCAA, Mr. Benedict
Adeyileka, had said the airline would join others for domestic flight
operations.
He explained that the airline was issued
with the licence after its management met all the requirements in
record time ahead of commencement of operations.
Adeyileka urged the management of the
airline to ensure that it adhered to all safety and technical
regulations, and to ensure that issues of staff training, aircraft
maintenance and crew matters were taken seriously, adding that the NCAA
would not hesitate to sanction it for any violation.
He said the NCAA was prepared to sack
employees of any airline who violated safety rules, adding that the
workers had been warned against activities that were dangerous to the
safety of passengers.
Source: The Punch