…Urges Him To Concentrate On Policy issues
…Advises Minister To Appoint Board For Aviation Agencies
The Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI) also popularly known as Aviation Round Table (ART)has expressed its disappointment with the actions of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development. Mr. Festus Keyamo and the Ministry for directing the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to ground Dana Air’s operations over a serious incident that occurred at the runway 18 left of the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos.
According to a statement signed by the General Secretary of ASRTI, Olumide Ohunayo stated categorically that the Minister’s directive to the NCAA is contrary to law and process and to the promise of the Minister, who before now had promised to respect both law and process and to restore autonomy to the NCAA.
According to Onunayo, the suspension of the entire operations of Dana Air directed by the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development runs against these principles and indicates a return to the ugly past that destroys confidence in the industry and by the global community on the principles of an autonomous industry regulator, representing a threat to safety, security in the sector generally.
ART, he said, condemns the external interference demonstrated by the Minister’s directive which serves to erode institutional autonomy and jeopardises safety in the aviation sector.
The think-tank body reiterated its commitment to the non-negotiable autonomy of the NCAA as stated in Section 4 (3) of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Act
“The conduct of financial audits of airlines lies exclusively with the NCAA. The decisions on what are appropriate sanctions for violations also lie with the NCAA exclusively,” ASRTI said.
ART advised an immediate lifting of the suspension of the entire operation of Dana Air and demands an apology to the entire aviation community for the actions from the HMA&A and the Ministry while the NCAA / NSIB investigation continues on the affected Dana Air MD 82 aircraft or fleet and the company Dana, for which the NCAA is expected to carry on its role and met the appropriate actions.
ART further advised the HMA&A to concentrate his efforts on policy issues that positively impact the airline industry.
It demanded that other agencies be allowed to carry out their statutory obligations without interference, including the observed interferences at the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), requesting that the HMA&A move promptly to appoint the required Boards to enable the smooth and properly guided operations of agencies.
The ART commended the NCAA for the recent suspension of three non-schedule operators for operational infractions and urged the NCAA to make public the list of the airlines concerned in the reported infractions for transparency as well as to highlight actions others must avoid to prevent the same outcomes.
Recall that Dana Air MD 82 aircraft with 83 passengers on board flying from Abuja to Lagos skidded off the 18 left runway of the Murtala Muhammed Airport(MMA),Lagos on Tuesday morning
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