NCAA may tinker with six aircraft provisions for airlines before 2025 take-off

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has hinted at tinkering with the new regulation, which specifies a minimum of six aircraft for a start-up airline.

Acting Director-General of Civil Aviation, Capt. Chris Najomo said though the new regulation on the minimum aircraft takes effect in 2025, the authority might rejig the regulation to suit the operation of each airline.

Daily Trust reports that the amended Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (NigCAR) provides a minimum of six aircraft for a start-up carrier.

Part Nine of the NigCAR 2023, which deals with Air Operator Certification and Administration explicitly makes provision for the new aircraft requirement but the existing airlines were given up to January 2025 to meet the requirement.

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Amidst the discordant tunes that have trailed the provision, especially the opposition from airline operators, Najomo during a training programme on the newly launched Consumer Protection Portal explained that the authority would be taking a second look at it.

He said: “If you are going to go into a full-blown airline, we will look at the regulations and maybe the six aircraft that will come in.”

“But there are some operators who just want to do, maybe Lagos-Ibadan, Lagos-Ilorin and all that. So, we’ll look at the regulation and say, okay, maybe you should stick back to the three aircraft and see how it is. We want to encourage more people to come into the industry.”