Airline Operators Tackle Sirika Over Deal With Ethiopia Airline On Nigeria Air

BY VICTOR BUORO, ABUJA – The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), on Sunday, May 28, 2023, declared that Nigeria Air with registration number ET-APL which is an Ethiopian Airline property, cannot conduct flight operations in the country since it has not been issued with an Air Operators Certificate (AOC) by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

This was as it said that further check at the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), showed that the flight entered Nigeria as an ET flight.

AON stressed that the NCAA is the legal authority for the issuance of such certificate adding that the Air Operators Certificate (AOC) is also a safety certificate by which the NCAA certifies that the holder has demonstrated that it is fit to conduct safe flight operations.

The AON said that its position is premised on the need for the right thing to be done the right way and strictly in the interest of Nigeria and her Aviation industry.

These were contained in a statement by AON spokesman, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, who explained that to achieve this, a prospective airline is put through a rigorous five-phase certification process before it is granted.

It noted that the Implication of granting an AOC to Nigeria Air without successfully going through the process is considered by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) as a serious infraction, which is also punishable.

According to AON; “It is capable of causing Nigeria to be blacklisted by aviation safety agencies like the US FAA and the EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency). “Further implications include that airlines of those countries will not come into Nigeria, and Nigerian airlines will not be allowed to operate in those countries.

“It also means that Nigeria will definitely fail the upcoming ICAO audit and, by way of further penalty, lose its FAA CAT-1 Certification.

“Nigerian airlines will also not be able to lease aircraft to boost their operations because no lessor will trust the safety certification process of the NCAA.

“As indigenous operators, we are happy and grateful to the NCAA for saving us from this punishment by resisting the pressure from Minister Hadi Sirika to grant an AOC to Nigeria Air without going through the due process.

“Besides, aviation is an essential sector that is critical to the economic development of Nigeria or any country. If tampered with, it will have a negative expanded multiplier effect on all aspects of the economy and life of Nigeria,” it said.

The AON further said that as strong stakeholders, its members have a national and patriotic duty to guard against such happening, saying that otherwise, their investments in the aviation sector of Nigeria, running into billions of dollars, would be jeopardized.

It therefore salutes the courage of the NCAA team led by Capt. Musa Nuhu, for insisting that the right things must be done in order to protect the safety and integrity of the Nigerian aviation industry, which they have nurtured to an enviable world standard.

AON also said that the Ministerial Committee on the Establishment of a National Carrier recommended the establishment of a National Carrier that is private sector-driven with minimum government involvement.

The AON noted that the aircraft that landed at Abuja on Friday, May 26, 2023, was greeted with a water salute, or shower, adding that a water salute is usually used to mark the first flight of an aircraft to an airport. It further said; “However, the aircraft that was used for the static display in Abuja on Friday was not the first flight of Nigeria Air into Abuja. This is because Nigeria Air has not commenced flight operations as required by law.

“Further to that, the aircraft is an Ethiopian Airline property that, even during the static display in Abuja, operated with an Ethiopian registration number as ET-APL,” it said.

AON also said that the issue of AOC was jettisoned by the Minister of Aviation Mr. Hadi Sirika, who is the person doing everything from designing the logo, unveiling it at the Farnborough Air Show in the UK, establishing the company, providing offices etc, while the so-called private investors are saying and doing nothing.

It further said that as soon as the recommendation was jettisoned, every other thing about Nigeria Air was engulfed in secrecy, adding that on further investigation, it discovered some mind burgling dangerous agenda to kill the entire indigenous operators and handover monopoly to Ethiopian Airline in a dubious and fraudulent way against the economic interest of Nigeria.

In the words of AON; “hence our court action supported by strong material evidence. For us, it is a patriotic action to save the Nigerian Government, people, and economy from exploitation and to also protect the Nigerian aviation sector and our investments. Otherwise, AON really cares less about the ownership of Nigeria Air if the intentions are genuine and for the common good with strict compliance with due process.

“After all, Ethiopian Airlines is already operating multiple landing rights in Nigeria, British Airways is owned by IAG, a company registered in Spain but owned by Qatar as the major shareholder. The Canadian government owns less than 7% of Air Canada’s National carrier. Takatso, a Pan-African consortium, recently took over South Africa Airways, etc.

AON also said that the Ethiopian Airline has not behaved like a responsible corporate entity as it is not only brazenly disobeying an order of a competent Nigerian court – the Federal High Court of Nigeria – but, also allowing itself to be used as part of the grand deception of Nigerians.

It further said; “Ethiopian Airlines knows that the aircraft it landed in Abuja on Friday, May 26, 2023, does not belong to Nigeria Air and is not registered in Nigeria as required by Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations.

“The question is, would Ethiopia allow a Nigerian airline to brazenly flout the orders of an Ethiopian court or violate the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Regulations as it did in Abuja on Friday, May 26?

“This goes to show that Ethiopia Airline Operators have no iota of respect for our country, our laws, and our regulatory agencies. It is our hope that Ethiopia Airlines does not get away with this disrespectful action,” AON said.