NCAA Urges Patience Over Flight Disruption

Following the closure of the airspace in some European countries, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on Sunday advised air travellers, intending to travel to Europe to be patient.

The NCAA appealed to the intending passengers to cooperate with their airlines for rescheduled flights in the wake of flight disruptions because of the volcanic eruption in Iceland.

The Director General of NCAA, Dr Harold Demuren, said in a statement in Lagos that the disruptions might be extended by one week before normal flight schedules resumed.

“Jet engines are highly complex machines designed to function in environments free of corrosive gases and volcanic ashes.

“It is because of these that the European aviation authorities were forced to close their airspace until the ash has stopped and flight safety can be assured,’’ Demuren said.

He, however, urged intending passengers to liaise with their airlines to confirm the status of their flights and any special arrangements being made for passengers whose journeys had been disrupted.

“It is advisable that passengers remain at home until they could confirm their departure details with their airline,’’ said the NCAA boss.

Meanwhile, the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) says it has lodged a formal complain to the European Union over the blacklist of some African airlines within its airspace.

The EU recently rolled out a list of 13 African countries whose airlines are banned from flying into its airspace due to what it refers to as “safety concerns’’.

In an interview with the newsmen in Abuja on Sunday, Mr Nick Fadugba, the AFRAA Secretary General, said the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) as the global regulator of aviation safety should have been responsible to publish such list.

According to him, ICAO has a track record of impartiality to do so.

“We want the EU blacklist abandoned. It is financially bad to African airlines,’’ Fadugba said.

He explained that the EU list had the effect of damaging the reputation and business of many scheduled African airlines whose safety records and adherence to ICAO safety standards are comparable to the best airlines anywhere in the world.

Fadugba noted that the ultimate beneficiaries of the ban are European airlines which dominate the African skies to the disadvantage of African carriers.

“The majority of African airlines on the list have never operated scheduled flights to Europe and do not plan to do so and have no aircraft with the range to fly to any EU state.

“The list includes many airlines that only exist on paper and are not operational.

“The list indicates that neither the operating licence nor the ICAO registration numbers of most of the banned airlines are known,’’ he said.

Fadugba, however, said air safety was AFRAA’s number one priority, stressing that the organisation was the first to admit that Africa needed to improve its air safety record.