The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has finally issued an Air Transport Licence (ATL) that will enable Nigeria Air commence flight operations, in accordance with the guidance of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC).
In a ceremony which took place in Abuja on Monday, June 6, 2022, the interim management of the national carrier received the licence certificate, which preceded the Air Operator’s Certificate.
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“Nigeria Air Limited received from Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) an Air Transport Licence (ATL) signalling the beginning of operations of the airline. Commencement date of domestic operations will be announced in due course,” the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, announced on Monday.
Nigeria Air, which replaces the defunct Nigeria Airways that ran aground due to corruption and poor management, fulfills President Muhammadu Buhari’s campaign promise, in 2015, of a national carrier.
The $308 million project had suffered a setback after it was launched in 2018 when critics raised concerns over its relevance and sustainability, but the government allayed all fears.
Last November, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had okayed April 2022 as take-off date for Nigeria Air flight operations, but its Chief Executive Officer, Dapo Olumide, had explained that the airline was yet to take delivery of its aircraft due to previous COVID-19 lockdown and other administrative bottlenecks.
“The aircraft are available but there are all sorts of issues because this is summer peak period. And as you know, post-COVID, all the aircraft were parked in the desert. The airlines are bringing them out slowly. It takes time to bring an aircraft out of storage.
“There is a further complication. A lot of flights in Europe are being cancelled or delayed because most people were laid off during the COVID and they don’t have enough staff in the airports to turn around flights. So there are lots of cancellations going on.
“So, it is very difficult to get the aircraft, but we have discussions going on with Original Equipment Manufacturers and we are just waiting for the right terms of the agreement. We already have the aircraft identified because that is one of the requirements for the NCAA. We are just trying to perfect titles and so on, ” Olumide said.
The Director General of the NCAA, Musa Nuhu, has said that the AOC would be issued to the airline as soon as it met all necessary requirements and standards.
“The ATL process is a step, and one of the certificates required towards schedule passenger operations. It is a big step forward in the processing of the Air Operator Certificate, which is presently ongoing.
“Once all the requirements are made and we are happy with the compliance with all our regulatory requirements and applicable standards, they would be issued an AOC,” he said.
Forty-nine per cent of the Nigeria Air project will be owned by equity partners and 46 per cent by Nigerians, while the Federal Government will own the remaining five per cent of the shares.
The ATL certificate Nuhu signed will run for a period of five years (June 3, 2022 to June 2, 2027).