The Federal Government on Monday dismissed circulating rumors that Nigerian airlines had been banned by the United States government.
This clarification was provided by Chris Najomo, the acting Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), in an official statement.
Najomo explained that Nigeria attained Category One status under the International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) programme in 2010, which permits Nigerian airlines to operate flights directly into the U.S. This status was reaffirmed after subsequent re-evaluations by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 2014 and 2017.
However, Najomo addressed concerns that Nigeria was de-listed in 2022, clarifying that this was due to Nigerian airlines’ inability to meet specific operational requirements rather than any safety or security issues.
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“It is important to clarify here that the de-listing of Nigeria has absolutely nothing to do with any safety or security deficiency in our oversight system,” Najomo stated. He emphasized that Nigeria has successfully undergone comprehensive safety and security audits by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), with no Significant Safety Concern (SSC) or Significant Security Concern (SSeC) identified.
Najomo further explained that while Nigerian airlines can no longer operate directly under Category One, they can still fly to the U.S. using aircraft wet-leased from a country that retains Category One status. This arrangement ensures that NCAA continues to adhere to international safety and security standards.
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He reiterated that the decision to de-list Nigeria in 2022 was solely based on the inability of Nigerian airlines to meet specific requirements for offering services to the U.S. or carrying the airline code as a U.S. operator. However, this decision does not reflect any shortcomings in Nigeria’s aviation safety or security oversight.