NCAA Laments Non-Payment Of Salaries By Airlines

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has expressed worry over the non-payment of staff salaries by airlines, especially pilots, saying the issue is disturbing.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the West Africa Wildlife Management Workshop organised by NCAA in conjunction with the Federal Aviation Administration at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, the Director – General of the authority, Dr Harold Demuren said the agency will continue to put pressure on the airlines to ensure they pay their workers’ salaries promptly.

According to him, some airlines have started paying, which the pilots have confirmed but the issue calls for concern.

He said: “The good news is that they’ve started payment now. You can go and check and the pilots too have told me also. I don’t want to mention their names, but two or three of them have told us and the pilots came back to confirm it. We need to put pressure to make sure they pay consistently.

Demuren disclosed that he had spoken with pilot association and also called the airlines concerned to discuss the issue, adding that they have made some progress.

“I have been speaking with the pilot association. I have had various meetings with them and I have called the airlines to discuss this. I know the progress they are making but not that all have been paid, some are still being owed,” he stressed.

The Director-General noted that the airlines have assured him of clearing the debts soon, adding “I have told them that the workforce is our life because we have not designed an aeroplane that will fly by wire without human beings.

He said NCAA will not certify any airports because they have not met the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) safety standards, pointing out that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) was aware of the challenges and the NCAA is working with the former to address the issues.

Also speaking, the President of Aviation Round Table (ART), Captain Dele Ore said infrastructure is a challenge to the industry, but despite that, he beleived the regulatory body would sustain its regulatory activities at the airports.

Said Ore: “It’s a big challenge, but I believe the regulatory efforts will have to be sustained. The NCAA will not take ‘no’ for an answer, so, the end result will be that airports will not be certified until they meet requirements.”