Nigeria Air Can’t Start Operations Within Two Days, Captain Tells FG

Capt. Ado Sanusi, the Chief Executive of Aero Contractors, has reacted to the planned arrival of a plane belonging to the proposed national carrier, Nigeria Air, which is said to be enroute to Abuja, the nation’s capital city, Daily Trust reports.

Sanusi, an aviation expert and analyst said the arrival of the aircraft does not translate into commencement of commercial operation by the airline.

He made his position known while featuring on Channels TV Sunrise Daily monitored by our correspondent.

There has been an uneasy calm in the industry over the comment by the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, that the Airline would fly before May 29 despite the court order stopping the national carrier project.

Sanusi, who bared his mind on the issue during the interview said it is one thing for the aircraft to arrive the country and it is another for the airline to commence commercial operation.

According to him, it is practically impossible for the airline to start commercial passenger operation in two days time given the rigorous process involved which he believes would not be waived by the regulatory authority, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), as the whole world is watching.

He said, “It is one thing to bring the airplane to the country, it is another thing to start the airline, getting all the necessary approvals from the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

“There’s a very important and vital component of getting an AOC which is the demonstration flights. Of course there are waivers that the Director General of the NCAA has the power to give, but the demonstration flights is critical to safe operations and I do not think he would give that waiver.

“So it is practically impossible for the airline to take off in the next two days. It is not possible. Because they have to do the demonstration flights, the five phases have to be completed, the international community is looking at us to see actually whether we are actually following what the international Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has stipulated in their recommended practices and laid down procedures for commercial carriage of passengers internationally.

“So I don’t think that the Director-General who has worked in ICAO before would flout those rules. So it is one thing to bring an airplane and it is another thing to start commercial operation.”