Captain Musa Nuhu is the director general of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), in this interview with select aviation journalists he talks about airfares, multiple designation and Air Operators certificate (AOC). He said airlines owe it a duty to inform the NCAA each time they want to increase airfare while the final decision on multiple designations lies with the Federal Ministry of Aviation. He urged the public to make clarifications from the NCAA to avoid making contrary statements on the extension of AOC.
Excerpts
Airline airfares and NCAA interference Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has its own functions, which are different from that of NCAA.
FCCPC deals with consumer protection and Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) deals with air transport regulation, which I think still deals with the issue of airfares.
All airlines are supposed at the beginning of each year to file their airfares to the NCAA and most of the airlines do that. However, during the year, if the airfares are going to be higher than the ones filed before the NCAA, the airline is supposed to notify the NCAA.
Then, we will do our reasonableness check and if we are good with it we tell them to go ahead, but if not, we will tell them no.
It is not an unfettered deregulation that they can do as they like; there are guidelines to that in our regulations.
Multiple designations to airlines
Unfortunately the NCAA is not the one responsible for Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) negotiations to airlines. It is a policy issue and this is led by the Federal Ministry of Aviation.
The NCAA makes its own contributions, but the final decision is by the Ministry. So, anyone that blames the NCAA for that is probably out of lack of understanding of how BASA negotiations work for Nigeria. Every country has its own peculiarity on how they do BASA. In Nigeria, it is the Ministry.
Nigeria Air and Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) stage
The only thing I can tell you is that the promoters of that airline have applied and their AOC is ongoing. I don’t have any assurances of when the licenses would be ready.
You see, when you apply for AOC or any certification, some issues are not completely under the purview of the NCAA, like seeking security clearance for the applicant; security agents do that.
I don’t have control over security agencies to give such clearances. They have applied and it is ongoing, we are waiting for security clearance.
Extension of AOC for some operating airlines
To renew AOC, there are certain conditions and processes that must be completed. If for whatever reason, either from the operator or the NCAA, we cannot complete those processes before the expiration of the AOC, we will extend it for them.
Extension is for the system to continue to ensure that all regulatory requirements are complied with for the renewal. Sometimes for some reasons, some operators are not able to meet certain requirements on time or may be on our own part we cannot complete the process, and then instead of disrupting the system, we give them extension for that period so that they can continue their operations.
Before the extension completes, their renewal is given. People just talk without seeking clarifications. So, we look at the situations; give them extension while we continue to work to complete the renewal process. Renewal is not automatic. It is a process with steps, which must be completed.
Maximum period of extension
The most we have given if I am not mistaken is 90 days, but usually, it is hardly more than 30 days. We do this thing so that the system will keep functioning. If we are unable to complete the process either on the part of the airline or NCAA, we now ground one or two airlines; can you imagine the chaos that we will have in the industry?
So, people need to understand, rather than the blanket condemnation without clarifications on what the actual issue is and why we are doing what we do.
It is the same people that will turn around and insult us if we don’t renew the AOC of a particular airline. Whatever you do, head or tail, you lose.
I want to appeal to some of the industry analysts or stakeholders to come to us before making any public comments. When they hear stories or something, they can come to us and seek clarifications, rather than go out there and make wild comments, which aggravate the system.
I read a lot on different platforms daily and sometimes, it is annoying when some certain people who are respected members of the industry and are supposed to be the conduit for the industry, make false comments for whatever reasons without seeking NCAA clarifications.
We are open and ready to answer questions from the public. I expect people to seek clarifications. When you don’t seek clarifications and you go and make statements that are contrary, you are only making more problems for the industry.