The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) syas it has implemented 29 out of 37 safety recommendations issued to the authority by the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB).
The recommendations emanated from investigation of various investigations conducted into past air accidents.
AIB after releasing final report of accident usually issues safety recommendations to various stakeholders including the NCAA with a view to prevent recurrence of such accident or incident.
Daily Trust reports that since inception, AIB as a body has issued over 130 safety recommendations to the concerned airlines, aircraft manufacturers, and NCAA, among others.
The Director General of the NCAA, Capt. Muhtar Usman, disclosed that out of the total 37 safety recommendations issued to NCAA, 29 were fully implemented, two partially implemented, one yet to be implemented. But he said NCAA did not agree with the remaining five.
He also disclosed that the authority would soon certify Nigeria’s foremost airline, Air Peace, to commence international operations, saying the airline has almost fulfilled the requirements for the certification.
In a chat with newsmen on the sidelines of the AIB stakeholders’ forum on review of accident investigation, Usman explained that the authority had duly briefed the Bureau on why some of the recommendations were not implementable.
He said NCAA had forwarded the status of implementation of the three outstanding safety recommendations to a ministerial committee set up by the Federal Government to look into implementation of safety recommendations as issued by AIB.
He said: “There are rules to making safety recommendations. Safety recommendations are meant to address specific concerns. Sometimes active, sometimes proactive, but they have to be implementable.
“There are some that are not implementable. Anywhere that we do have that kind of disagreement, we sit down with the AIB and make them see reasons that make them not implementable.”
The DG however lauded the industry demonstrated by AIB in issuing these safety recommendations which he said had deepened safety practices in the sector.
He added that this had also led to the development of new and amendment of existing procedures, amendment of regulatory requirements and the strengthening of NCAA’s safety oversight obligations.
“The authority had also reviewed and analysed several observations and conclusions in the draft and final reports and had afterwards issued All Operators Letters to address certain safety issues, re-issued documents and heightened its surveillance on certain approved entities.
“So, the issuance of safety recommendations and their appropriate implementation by the Authority is invaluable to the functions of the authority.
“The NCAA is progressively ensuring the implementation of its responsibility with respect to enforcing compliance by relevant stakeholders with the AIB safety recommendations.
“The current procedures to assure the above include the distribution of the safety recommendations to the appropriate technical directorates with oversight responsibilities on the concerned certified entities, requiring their accomplishment with supporting evidences and thereafter providing reports to the office of the Director General for documentations and records”, he added.
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