Abuja Airport Finally Gets NCAA Certification

 

The Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja has been certified by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

 

Mr Muktar Usman, NCAA’s  Director-General, made this known while presenting the certificate to Mr Saleh Dunoma, the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) in Abuja on Friday.

 

According to Usman, the certificate is in line with requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Annex 14, and part 12 of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations on safety of air navigation.

 

He said the primary objective of global air navigation plan was to achieve a safe, efficient, secured and environmentally friendly global air transport system through the deployment of harmonised air navigation facilities.

 

According to him, it is a global strategy for fostering standards and uniformity in the maintenance of aerodrome and air navigation infrastructure and associated services, with the aim of enhancing safety and efficiency.

 

 

NCAA boss disclosed that less than 25 per cent of international airports in the Africa and Indian Ocean Region had been certified, adding that only Nigeria had two airports certified in the region.

 

He commended the certification teams of FAAN and NCAA and Aerodrome Certification Project Team of the West and Central African Regional Office of ICAO for the attainment of the certification.

 

Usman said the Project Team was inaugurated by ICAO in August 2016, to provide technical support to states in the region toward achieving certification of international airports within 11 months in eight states.

 

He said that this pilot project designed in line with lCAO vision of “No CounTry LefT Behind’’ included Nigeria, Gambia, Senegal, Niger, Mali, Cameroon, Burkina Faso and Cote d’ Ivoire.

 

“Abuja airport remains very unique in the aerodrome certification project as it was greatly facilitated with the provision of a totally resurfaced runway, with full complement of Category 2 facilities,’’ he said.

 

The Managing Director of FAAN, Dunoma commended NCAA aerodrome certification team for their commitment toward the project, adding that FAAN was committed to ensuring that all international airports were certified.

 

Dunoma said that the authority with the support of the Federal Government was determined to ensure that Port Harcourt, Enugu, Kano and Kaduna airports were certified as soon as possible.

 

He promised that FAAN would continue to work with NCAA to achieve safety in all airports in the country.

“We have started the process of certifying Port Harcourt, Enugu, Kano and Kaduna but I cannot say when that will be completed because it is a process,’’ he said.

 

-NAN