NCAA Insists On International Safety Rating For Airlines

T

he Nigerian Civil Avia
tion Authority (NCAA) has said airlines on scheduled operations in Nigeria must pass the international safety rating, known as IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA).

This is a standard safety rating instituted by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) that is aimed at ensuring safe flight operations for its member airlines.

Chief Executive Officer of IATA, Tony Tyler last year stated in Nigeria that airlines that passed IOSA safety standard are less involved in air crashes because they maintain high operational safety standards.

Presently, it is only Airk Air among Nigerian airlines that has IOSA certification and has maintained the high safety standards as recommended by IATA.

Director General of NCAA, Captain Fola Akinkuotu said the airlines would be audited in the areas of quality audit programme under the stewardship of IATA.

This would include continuous updating of standards to reflect regulatory revisions and best practices and elimination of audit redundancy.

The safety standard that must be met also include accredited training organisations with auditor training courses and structured audit methodology, standard check list and others.

NCAA confirmed that the total accident rate for IOSA carriers in 2012 was 77 per cent lower than the rate for non-IOSA operators  and as such IOSA has become a global standard, recognized well beyond IATA membership.

Keeping to that standard, many in the industry believe would eliminate air crashes in the country as government has improved the airspace safety weather forecast and airport facilities, but the airlines seem to be the weak chain in the safety process.

Akinkuotu said compliance  to the Aircraft Flight Information Recording System (AFIRS) by all airlines will also be made compulsory by the regulatory body and this would start with airlines on scheduled operations.

Akinkuotu said the thrust of NCAA under his management was not only to ensure safety but also to sustain it, adding that he would have an NCAA that is efficient, effective, safety and security conscious.