By July 1, 2015, the federal government has said it would ground all airlines operating in Nigeria without a Nigerian pilot in its crew.
Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka who disclosed this on Tuesday said the move is part of reformative actions of the ministry under his leadership. He also stated that from February 5, 2015, any private airline doing commercial operations without regularising its operations would be grounded by the regulators, adding that airlines can now operate round-the-clock and no longer limited by time.
As part of the aviation reforms, the five per cent cargo charge will be exempted from all agricultural products exports. Also all domestic airlines would be required to train their pilots yearly as they would only get their Airline Operators’ Certificate (AOC) renewed on a satisfactory plan for training their pilots, in addition to other existing requirements.
According to the minister, “By February 5, 2015, all private registered aircrafts in general aviation operation which also provide commercial services will be grounded by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). “We will publish their names and we are saying that none of them will be on our airspace if they do not regularise their operations. We hope they will all come under this regulatory purview.”
The initiative will be a campaign to create awareness on the passengers’ bill of right. “It is aimed at re-packaging, re-branding and re-directing the aviation industry in Nigeria towards enhanced service delivery and customer satisfaction,” the minister said.
