How often does the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) audit airlines in the country? This is the question that some Nigerians have been asking since the crash on August 12, of a Bristow helicopter in Lagos. Six persons aboard the Sikosky 76 helicopter marked 5N-BGD, which plunged into the lagoon died, while six injured ones were rescued by divers.
Immediately after, NCAA’s director-general, Capt. Muhtar Usman, ordered i commencement of the safety audit of all the airlines. Usman said this was in line with the authority’s regulatory and oversight responsibilities, adding that the authority’s Aviation Safety Inspectors (ASI) would continue to intensify the routine ramp inspections. Indeed, virtually all the NCAA boss said could be taken that the authority has not been doing enough to ensure safety on our airspace. For instance, if the authority had been carrying out its assignment as routine, Usman did not need to warn pilots to take precautionary measures during adverse weather conditions by ensuring strict compliance with states’ weather minimal and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP).
Moreover, Captain Usman should not have reminded us that the authority would continue to ensure intolerance for non-compliance to regulations or that airline business in the country would be done according to the standard and Recommended Practices (SARPs) so as to ensure safety and security.
Indeed, it was for all these reasons that some aviation experts carpeted the authority for making an issue of something that should be routine. A former managing director of IRS Airlines, Yemi Dada, said the NCAA’s announcement of the audit after the helicopter crash was self-indicting; and that it was a way of admitting that it had not been doing its job well. He added that the announcement was capable of causing panic among air travellers. “I believe that the announcement is not necessary. It could lead to panic. However, we cannot blame the agency for doing its work. If you have been doing your work effectively and efficiently, there would not be any reason to make the announcement,” he said.
However, by alluding to regular audits, we are not just concerned with the technical aspect but also the economic dimension of airline operations. They go together. It is obvious that all is not well with the country’s aviation sector. Many of the airlines in the country are financially insolvent. Nearly all of them are owing major aviation agencies, including the NCAA, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) over N13billion in Ticket Sales Charges. This situation births desperation, which compels the operators to unethical practices. They are bound to cut corners to keep the airlines afloat.
There is also the problem of corruption that is paralysing every sector of the economy. For instance, a few years ago, the airlines received huge sums as bailout funds from the Federal Government to enable them improve their operations. No one is sure what many of them did with the funds, which apparently implies that they saw the money as free funds.
There are enough justifications for the NCAA to beam its searchlight on the economic audit of the airlines to be sure that only the financially healthy ones are allowed to operate. We will only be inviting trouble for the air passengers if we allow flying coffins in our airspace.
We urge the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) to conduct a thorough investigation into the crash, with a view to giving an insight into its cause. The government also must be ready to provide the NCAA and other agencies in the aviation sector the required assistance to recruit adequate manpower and procure the tools needed to facilitate their operations.
“There are enough justifications for the NCAA to beam its searchlight on economic audit of the airlines to be sure that only the financially healthy ones are allowed to operate. We will only be inviting trouble for the air passengers if we allow flying coffins in our airspace. We urge the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) to conduct a thorough investigation into the crash, with a view to giving an insight into its cause.”
