NIGERIA MASTERWEB DAILY NEWS

*Nigeria: NCAA Reissues Arik Air 1st AOC

-*This is under the new civil aviation regulation

By Lateef Lawal

Arik Air last week, July 13, became the first Nigerian registered airline to be reissued Air Operator License(AOC), by the Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority(NCAA), Dr Harold Demuren, under the new Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations(NCAR).

The epoch-making short ceremony held at the Aviation House Annex, Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, which was witnessed not only by top officials from Arik Air led by its Chairman, Sir Arumemi-Johnson Ikhide, but also by officials of NCAA and those of United States Federal Aviation Administration(FAA).

This development is part of the process laid down for the attainment of FAA Category 1 Status by Nigeria, which entails airlines in the country must go through recertification as contained in the July, 2009 new NCAR. ( Continues below..... )

Photo Above: An Airborne Plane

Speaking at the signing and presentation ceremony, NCAA Director General, Dr Demuren noted that the occasion was historic in the country’s pursuit of greatness in safety within Nigeria airspace by ensuring that "our Safety standard meet that set at international level." This milestone, he noted had taken three years to achieve.

He said that in the pursuit of Category 1, eight critical areas were highlighted by FAA that must be addressed and that the recertification of airlines, that is, Airline Licensing and Certification, was item number 6, adding that, "today, we are about to close this open item and to be followed by the next, which is the Technical Review from FAA(Mock Audit) slated for the last week of July, 2010."

The elated Director General remarked: "I feel good for having gone this far in our pursuit of Category 1. After Arik, every other airline must pass through the same process." ( Continues below..... )

Photo Above: A landing Arik Plane

Responding, Arik Air Chairman, Sir Arumemi Johnson-Ikhide expressing his joy at the recertification of his airline and being the first to do so under the new NCAR, said: "It is a tedious, hard and expensive process but it is worth doing."

He commended officials of NCAA for a job well done and FAA for the support given to Nigeria in the process of ensuring that the country maintain the highest safety standard in civil aviation operations.

He added that he was commending the D.G of NCAA, Dr Demuren for the journey so far in ensuring that we maintain the highest safety standards in commercial airline operations, not because, "we are best of friends, but because we are blessed with a good technocrat. What you have done today, is, you are leaving your foot-print on the sand of time."

He also took a swipe at a section of the press that he accused of mudslinging and spreading negative stories about him and his airline, noting that nothing would be gained by anybody creating fear in the minds of the traveling public nor by writing stories that would paint the industry in the negative.

Lateef Lawal (NigerianAviationNews)

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*Tags: Nigerians, Arik, Abuja, Lagos, Aoc, Africa, Masterweb