No US Ban On Nigerian Airlines – FG

The Nigerian government has clarified that no ban has been imposed on Nigerian airlines by the United States government.

Naija News reports that this statement was made by the acting Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Chris Najomo, on Monday.

Najomo emphasized that Nigeria had successfully attained Category One status under the International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) program in 2010, a status that was reaffirmed during re-evaluations by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 2014 and 2017.

However, due to the failure to meet certain permit requirements, Nigeria was removed from the list in 2022.

Najomo was quick to clarify that the delisting was not related to any deficiencies in safety or security within Nigeria’s aviation oversight system but as a result of a failure of airline operators in Nigeria to meet certain requirements.

He noted that Nigeria had undergone thorough ICAO Safety and Security Audits without any significant safety or security concerns being raised.

The statement partly read, “It is important to clarify here that the de-listing of Nigeria has absolutely nothing to do with any safety or security deficiency in our oversight system. Nigeria has undergone comprehensive ICAO Safety and Security Audits and recorded no Significant Safety Concern (SSC) or Significant Security Concern (SSeC) respectively.

“It is furthermore necessary to add that a Nigerian operator can still operate into the U.S. using an aircraft wet-leased from a country who has a current Category One status.

“The NCAA continues to adhere strictly to international safety and security standards and respects the sovereignty of States, including the United States of America, as enshrined in Article One of the Convention on International Civil Aviation. This provision gives States complete and exclusive sovereignty over the airspace above their territories.”

He further explained that Nigerian airlines can still operate flights to the US by using aircraft wet-leased from a country that currently holds Category One status.

“The NCAA remains committed to maintaining high international safety and security standards, respecting the sovereignty of other nations, including the United States, in accordance with Article One of the Convention on International Civil Aviation.

“The delisting was tied to specific requirements that Nigerian airlines were unable to fulfill, such as the ability to provide services to the US or carrying the airline code of a US operator.

“Despite this, the safety and security standards of the NCAA have not been questioned, and Nigerian operators can still access US routes through wet-leased aircraft from Category One-approved countries,” the statement noted.