…As Ojikutu Urges NCAA, NAMA To Adopt New Procedures For Distinguish Commercial From Non-Commercial Flights
A Policy Analyst and Professor of Strategy and Development, Prof. Anthony Kila, has said that the commercial flight embarked on by Flints Aero Services Ltd, with registration marks 5N-AMM, that resulted into a crash at Ibadan Airport was not only a failure of the system but also an attempt by the airline to short change the system.
This is just as the Chief Executive Officer of Centurion Securities; Grp Capt. John Ojikutu (rtd) has asked the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) to adopt new processes and procedures for distinguishing commercial flights from the non-commercial flights If there is none.
These stakeholders spoke to Ontimenewsng.com, while reacting to contentment of the Preliminary Report on the released by the on the accident involving the aircraft owned and operated by Flints Aero Services Ltd, which occurred at Ibadan Airport, Oyo State on November 3, 2023 released by Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau(NSIB).
NSIB in the report stated that the airline operated a commercial flight despite the fact that it was issued with a Permit for Non-Commercial Flight (PNCF) by Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
What this implies is that Flints Aero Services Ltd operated a commercial flight on that day instead of a non-commercial flight in violation of the permit that was issued by the regulatory body the NCAA.
According to the NSIB Preliminary Report, the PNCF stipulates that the aircraft shall not be used for carriage of passenger(s), cargo or mail for hire or reward.
However, the flight that resulted in a crash at Ibadan Airport was a commercial flight with 10 passengers on board inclusive of two cockpit crew and one cabin crew.
Speaking to Ontimenewsng.com, Kila said that what the industry is witnessing is not only a system failure but also a calculated attempt to short change the system.
“I think what we are dealing with here is not just a system failure but a manipulation conceived and implemented by some individuals to short change the system.
“It is however important for the government and other stakeholders to remember the essence of regulation.
“Let me use this opportunity to remind all that good regulation is there to ensure good and safe services not make operations impossible or even difficult.
“As a country what we need now is more operations, more companies and more jobs, not less to that extent the airline should be helped to regulate its position,” he said.
Also speaking on this, Ojikutu wondered what happened to the procedures from distinguishing the flight plans of commercial and non -commercial flights that was in operations in the 90s
Ojikutu , who is also an aviation analyst and Security Consultant urged the NCAA and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency(NAMA) to adopt new procedures and processes for distinguishing commercial and non-commercial flights, if there is none.
“What happened to the procedures for distinguishing and clearing the flight plans for commercial flights and non-commercial flights that were in operation in the early 90s? There were also other flights done with Foreign Registered Aircraft that would have their Security Clearance attached to their flight plans before their flights could be cleared. What has happened to these processes and procedures? If these have been abandoned, why or what are the new procedures for distinguishing commercial flights from the non-commercial flights? If there is none, the NCAA and NAMA should adopt new procedures and processes.
“The main reason for the procedures in the 90s was purely SECURITY which the present situation in the country also requires. The NCAA should come out with the Appropriate Regulations, the Oversight and enforcement while the NCAA should be responsible for the monitoring of the operator and their flights,” he said.
Ontimenewsng.com recall that NSIB in one of its Immediate Safety Recommendations stated that “the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) should ensure that Flints Aero Services Limited operates within the limits of the approval given to it, in accordance with Section 18.2.4.3 of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations 2015.”
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