NCAA Constitutes Runway Safety Assessment Team

The Nigerian Civil Avia

tion Authority (NCAA), has constituted runway safety assessment team that will monitor the use of runways by airlines in line with International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) safety standards.

The Director-General of NCAA, Dr. Harold Demuren who disclosed this to newsmen said the team was made up of airport operators, airline operators, service providers, ground handlers and others that would ensure total safety at the nation’s airports.

He said the recommendations made by participants at a two-day seminar held in Lagos recently with the theme: “Runway Safety and Pavement Maintenance” would be fully implemented in Nigeria.

According to him, lack of total safety at the country’s airports made it impossible for the agency to certify any of the airports in the country. He attributed some of the accidents that took place at the nation’s airports to activities on the runways.

“Runway incursion, excursion and confusion are the areas we must work well and make sure we conclude that. If you have better runway safety, our accident record would decrease. Sosolisso happened on the runway, ADC was just off the runway and remember the Hydro Cargo from South Africa too. We are very concerned and we have to make sure that things are done very properly.

“That is why we have assembled everybody, air traffic controllers, engineers and pilots. I’m delighted to see professionals from over 12 countries participating in the workshop.

The NCAA boss said that the International Civil Aviation Organisation attributed 30 percent of all aviation accidents to runway defects and operational failures and expressed the commitment of his agency to improve on the activities around the airports.

He explained that the seminar identified the necessity for African region to take a cue from Federal Aviation Administration by investing in research and development as a way to address the infrastructural decay and improve on airport operations.

Reward Akwu