The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on Thursday said it was
optimistic that the certification of the Murtala Muhammed International
Airport, Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja,
would be achieved by July.
Mr Sam Adurogboye, General Manager, Public Relations, NCAA, told the
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the certification process of
both airports was going on simultaneously.
He said the regulatory authority was working with representatives of
the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), Western and
Central Africa (WACAF), to ensure the completion of the project.
Adurogboye explained that there were still some open items that needed to be closed before the airports could be certified.
He said:“What happens is that the process is in phases and you move
from one phase to the other and it is only when the people involved are
through that you can move to the next phase.
“We are actually at the third phase and when we are through, we will
move to the fourth phase, which means we are almost getting there.
“The certification of both airports is being done simultaneously and we are hoping to complete it by July.’’
NAN reports that the certification of the airports is being done by
the ICAO WACAF, under its implementation of the Africa-Indian Ocean
(AFI) Plan Aerodrome Certification Project.
The AFI Plan was adopted by the 36th ICAO Assembly to address the safety status of aircraft operations in the AFI Region.
It is meant to address focal areas which are: to establish and
maintain a sustainable oversight system (infrastructure/capacity
building) and assist states to resolve identified deficiencies within a
reasonable time.
The plan also aims to enhance the aviation safety culture of African aviation service providers.
