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Removing obstructions for safe airspace

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By Kelvin Osa-Okunbor

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is set to build the data base on identification of obstruction to flight safety.

Its Director-General, Captain Musa Nuhu, who made this known, said the regulator was embarking on the programme as part of measures to promote air safety.

The data base,  according to Nuhu, will assist the authority in  identifying specific terrains and obstacles,  which would pave the way for the  commencement of helicopter night  operations in the country.

Speaking at the gateway forum  via Zoom in Lagos at the weekend, Capt. Nuhu said it was part of the NCAA’s  statutory responsibility to identify obstructions within and around the airports to ensure flight safety.

He noted that in the past all kinds of masts were erected within and around the airports constituting obstruction without clearance from the NCAA.

Nuhu said the regulator, has, however, directed those involved to obtain clearance height certificate before mounting their masts.

He said  talks  were on going   with telecoms firms concerning payment of relevant charges for the clearance.

He said: “Height clearance is a regulatory function of the NCAA, which is in our regulations that has been signed and passed by the government. We are dealing with all  communication companies, we are in contact with them deliberating on some of the knotty issues. Some  of them have made part payment and we are working toward getting the remaining payment.”

He clarified that the programme was not embarked on to rake in money alone but also put in place measures aimed at identifying possible threat to safety.

Also, NCAA’s Director, Aerodromes and Airspace Standards (DAAS), Mohammed Odunowo, said the identified  telecommunications masts constitute a threat to air safety. This, he said, was the motivating factor for NCAA rising to its responsibility by ensuring the  safety hazard are either removed or forced to comply with the approved height limits   to prevent  any accident.

“If we can implement it, the electronic terrain and obstacle data base and go live, that will enable with the help of the federal government helicopter to fly at night. We are trying to capture all  obstructions that is out there because everybody flies.”

Nuhu said the Ministry of Aviation was not teleguiding its operations, maintaining that the Civil Aviation Authority remains autonomous in the discharge of its responsibility.

According to Captain Nuhu, no matter how independent the NCAA is, it must have a line of connection with the Ministry  of Aviation.

He said: “Yes, NCAA has autonomy in the implementation of regulation but NCAA cannot totally remove itself from the ministry of aviation. The Ministry of Aviation is responsible for policy development for the industry while we implement those policies through regulations and so we must have a line of communication and consultation with the ministry.

“If you look at the organisational structure of the NCAA, you have the minister, the board and you have the Director-General, so we cannot totally isolate ourselves from the ministry. But, I can assure you, in terms of implementing regulations and otherwise, NCAA  is the only body that can do that and we are doing that without any sort of interference from the ministry and you can agree with me that without the political support of the ministry, it would be difficult to implement some of these regulations. We implement our regulations irrespective of who is involved and the political support of the ministry and minister has made our lives much easier in implementing our regulations

According to him, anyone who wants the NCAA to divorce completely from the ministry is not being realistic as aviation goes beyond NCAA, there  are other agencies including Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and others.

He said: “You cannot say because we are independent in implementing regulations we can totally isolate ourselves.”

On the effects of COVID-19 pandemic on airlines, the NCAA boss said Nigeria was not insulated from the shocks.

He said: “This is not only happening  in Nigeria, it is a global thing in the airline industry.

“But, with the COVID-19 and the difficulties, airlines financial positions are not the best, it is a global phenomenon and there are so many other issues that affect the financial health of airlines that is neither in the control of the ministry of aviation nor in the control of the civil aviation regulatory body.

“For instance, the provision of foreign exchange, it doesn’t come from us. If a country’s foreign earning goes down, the central bank prioritises.

“Take for instance  the lack of maintenance organisations in Nigeria, pilot recurrent training institutions in Nigeria have to go outside to do their  training which  entails a lot of foreign currencies, so it is not easy.”

He continued: “Also is aviation fuel  price,  that is a major factor that airlines have been having difficulties with, sometimes we see it induce scarcity and escalatory price. So,  there are factors that affect the health of the airlines that are not in our direct control.

“These are the micro and macro factors that affect the health of the airlines. We try through our economic regulations, to do the financial audit of the airlines and advise them where we see areas of economic difficulties and see how they can be tackled.

“One of the things we are doing is to strengthen our onomic regulation through more training of the staff of the directorate. As you are aware, we are having some restructuring going on, it is to reposition the regulatory body to be able to carry out its responsibilities in a more effective and efficient manner.”

On the maltreatment of Nigerian carriers abroad, Nuhu urged them to carry the NCAA along when they were filing for approvals to fly into other countries, to enable the regulator play its role in the international aeropolitics.

Nuhu said: “The advice I will give the airlines is that if you are going to another country to negotiate your services, you should involve the regulatory body, the ministry of aviation and also your embassy in that country.’’

“If you as a private organisation you go and negotiate with a government entity that is trying to protect its own airlines, you are going to run into difficulties, but you involve ministry of aviation officials, NCAA officials and embassy officials, the country knows that if they make things difficult for our airlines, we will apply the same reciprocity measures to their airlines, so it make a big difference.

” A lot of airlines go and do the deal themselves. They should involve us, carry us along, brief us, we are here to help our airlines grow both domestically, regionally and internationally. I hear them talking about aeropolitics, yes, an airline from Nigeria want to go compete with an airline of another country on their route, of course they will make it difficult for you but when you carry NCAA officials along, it makes a difference, if you put unreasonable demands on my airlines,

” I will apply the same to your airlines coming into my country, so it is to their benefit for everybody to come out with good terms for all the airlines. When airlines are going to foereign countries to negotiate, inform us so that we will sit down with you, guide you, send a representative there with you to negotiate with these foreign countries.

” If the foreign countries have airlines coming to Nigeria and they give unfair charges to our airlines, we will apply the same reciprocal charges to their own coming into Nigeria too. When we have BASA, there should be fairness on both sides, if there are challenges, they should inform us but if they are going for the first time, they involve us so that we sit down, strategize and send people there to negotiate.”

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