NCAA Rolls Out New Procedures For Airline Operators

Pursuant to the powers
vested by section 30(5) of the Civil Aviation Act 2006, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has proposed to issue an order in conformity with recent amendments to standards and recommended practices to the convention on International Civil Aviation for operators.
In an Advisory Circular from the office of the Director General, NCAA, Captain Fola Akinkuotu said Required Communications Performance (RCP) for flights in defined portions of airspace or on routes where (RCP) type has been prescribed, the airplane shall in addition to the requirements of Nigeria Civil Aviation regulations be authorized by the authority for corporations in such airspace.
The circular also specified that flights in such defined airspace be provided with communication equipment which will enable it to operate in accordance with the prescribed Required Communication Performance type.
The statement further said no person may operate flights in defined portions of airspace including MNPS, RVSM or any other route where a navigation specification for Performance Based navigation (PBN) has been prescribed except authorization for such operation by the authority under the navigational equipment for Performance-Based Navigation (PBN).
The circular signed by Akinkuotu said under the Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum (RVSM), operators shall ensure that a minimum of two aeroplanes of each aircraft types grouping of the operator have their height – keeping performance monitored, at least once every two years or within intervals of 1000 flight hours per aeroplane whichever period is longer. He directed that the operator shall conduct operational checks and evaluations of recordings from the flight recorder systems to ensure the continued serviceability of the recorders, noting that the procedures for the inspections of the flight recorder systems are given in the implementing standards of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (CAO).
According to him, “the operator shall, prior to the first flight of the day, monitor the built in test features for the flight recorders and flight data acquisition unit (FDAU), when installed by manual and / or automatic checks.”
The proposed order which gives room for comments by operators and stakeholders require an annual examination of the recorded signal on the CVR shall be carried out by replay of the CUR recording while installed in the aircraft the CVR shall record test signals from each aircraft source and from relevant external sources to ensure that all re