NCAA begins audit of airlines ‘to prevent disasters’

Muhtar Usman, director-general of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), has ordered comprehensive audit of all the airlines operating in the country.

Usman gave the directive in a statement issued on Tuesday by Fan Ndubuoke, NCAA’s spokesman.

The statement said the pockets of incidents that had occurred recently were being viewed seriously by the authority and the wholesale audit was one of the measures taken to forestall further incidents.

Ndubuoke quoted Usman as saying the audit is to ensure the sustenance of the confidence of air travellers in the industry.

“The directive would forestall complacency among airline operators and ensure that they all continued to demonstrate absolute compliance to NCAA’s regulations,” the statement read.

“The director general said that the authority’s Aviation Safety Inspectors (ASIs) would continue to intensify routine ramp inspections.”

The statement added that NCAA had sent out a warning to all pilots to take precautionary measures during all adverse weather conditions.

“In other words, there should be strict adherence to states’ weather minimal and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP),” the statement read.

Usman assured Nigerians that the NCAA would continue to ensure that its regulations were strictly complied with.

“Airline Operations in Nigeria will continue to be done according to the Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) thereby ensuring safe and secure operations,” he said.

The Bristow helicopter that plunged into the lagoon in the Oworonshoki are of Lagos on Wednesday might have prompted the NCAA to order the audit exercise.

The mishap claimed six lives out of the 12 persons on board.