Airline Operators in Nigeria (AON) is seeking legislation that will remove Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) from the civil service structure.
The body of airline operators in a letter to Senate on January 19, 2022 said this would enable the Civil Aviation Authority attract the right personnel who would safeguard the industry.
In the letter signed by its President, Alhaji Abdulmunaf Yunusa Salina, AON explained that the request was of immediate safety concern about the aviation industry.
Noting that NCAA was established to regulate the aviation industry and implement government policies in the industry as well as enforce the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) safety standards and recommended practices to ensure that the operators in the industry met the safety requirements, the body however, said the agency would only be able to do this if it attracts the right personnel with sound technical know-how.
It added that to attract these special skills, NCAA must be willing to offer the personnel attractive and competitive emoluments.
“In order to effectively carry out its important duties as highlighted above, the NCAA needs to attract and engage a team of technically sound professionals in virtually every field of aviation, notably flight operations, engineering, safety inspectors, dispatchers, cabin executives among others, so as to be able to conduct regular oversight of the industry.
“Sir, it is however sad to note that there is a growing level of deficiency today within the NCAA in the area of human capacity due to its inability to attract and retain experienced industry professionals as a result of its inadequate recruitment and salary regime compared to the offers they get from working for the airlines,” AON said.
The operators informed the Senate that because of the prevailing situation, many inspectors are leaving NCAA and the few that remain are not well-motivated and hardly enough to meet the requirements of the industry.
It added that the young personnel that are in the agency currently do not have the required experience.
AON stressed that this portends immediate danger to flight safety and flight operations, as the few hands remaining are either too old and tired or are too inexperienced to undertake proper and adequate oversight functions over airlines’ operations.
The operators noted that no country allows its Civil Aviation Authority salaries to be determined by civil service rules.
“The safety challenges are real and should be addressed through legislation for the good of the industry and safety of the lives of the flying public. Sir, there is therefore a need to, as matter of urgency, find a way to immediately address the problem in order to forestall a potential beckoning disaster.
“AON would therefore, like to use this medium to respectfully call on the National Assembly to urgently review the establishment Act of the NCAA and to immediately remove the agency from the civil service salary structure in order for the agency to be able to attract the urgently needed experts for the sake of safety,” AON urged.
