The Federal Government clarified on Monday that no Nigerian airline has been banned by the United States government, dismissing rumours of such actions.
This was disclosed by the acting Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Chris Najomo, in a statement.
Najomo explained that Nigeria had attained Category One status under the International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) programme in 2010, allowing Nigerian airlines to operate directly into the U.S.
This status was reaffirmed after re-evaluations by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 2014 and 2017.
However, Nigeria was de-listed in 2022 due to the failure of Nigerian airlines to meet certain requirements, not because of any safety or security deficiencies.
“It is important to clarify here that the de-listing of Nigeria has absolutely nothing to do with any safety or security deficiency in our oversight system.
“Nigeria has undergone comprehensive ICAO Safety and Security Audits and recorded no Significant Safety Concern (SSC) or Significant Security Concern (SSeC), respectively,” Najomo stated.
He further emphasised that Nigerian airlines can still operate flights to the U.S. by using aircraft wet-leased from a country that retains Category One status.
This arrangement allows the NCAA to maintain adherence to international safety and security standards.
Najomo also highlighted that the decision to de-list Nigeria in 2022 was due to Nigerian airlines not meeting specific requirements necessary for providing services to the U.S. or carrying the airline code as a U.S. operator.
However, this decision does not reflect any flaws in Nigeria’s aviation safety or security oversight.
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