Ime Akpan
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is set to deploy the necessary digital platforms for the processing of approvals, licences, renewal of recertification as well as treatment of passengers’ complaints.
The acting director general of the Authority, Capt Chris Najomo disclosed this while declaring open a training programme for the consumer protection portal unveiled by the authority in Abuja yesterday.
Najomo said the capacity building programme was put together to equip the personnel of airlines and the regulatory body to find lasting solutions to the incessant complaints lodged by passengers on either delayed or cancelled flights and other service failures in the travel space.
To drive this, he said the NCAA had to retool its responsibilities by adopting the digitalisation of most of its operations using the latest information technology applications.
The acting director general said the digitalisation process began two years earlier.
“We have had some training. The people have come to train our people and they are deploying this system. This software is going to digitalise the whole system. The airline operator certificate system, certification, recertification, licensing; it is going to be awesome,” he added.
On the benefits of the portal, Najomo said said the new portal will not only make it faster and convenient to resolve complaints by passengers in record time, it will also serve as a barometer for assessing the performance of both local and foreign airlines operating into Nigeria.
He added: “The portal provides on-time monitoring of airline performances. This is in addition to monitoring passenger handling procedures during checking, boarding, disembarkation, and discomfiture.
“The data gathered will give us, the regulator, you, the service provider, and the public, the end-users, a reliable determination of performing airlines. Note that the public can see on the official NCA website the performances of all airlines. Everyone will be able to gauge the best and worst performing airlines from a consumer service standpoint.”
“Now this portal has not been unveiled, it is going to be launched, but we have to make sure that this training is key. We have done our training for the staff, it is important that we engage all stakeholders to see how this portal works. And I’m sure at the end of this training it’s going to be so beneficial for everybody.”
He further said the minister of aviation and aerospace development, Mr Festus Keyamo, was interested in ensuring that the local carriers have access to convenient aircraft acquisition by engaging major airplane manufacturers.
He added that the minister was doing a lot to assist the airlines by going round to talk to aircraft manufacturers and other players on how to get aircraft.
“He has been engaging Boeing, Embraer, and others on how to secure dry leasing for our local airlines. Very soon you will see the results; our airlines will be able to get airplanes and bring them in for use.
“It is capacity that is making what we’re having, having all these delays and cancellations. And all these airlines will key to it. Air Peace, United Nigeria Airlines, they are all doing everything possible to get dry lease aircraft. That is the way to go,” Najomo said.
On when the minimum of six aircraft in the fleet policy will take off for Nigerian carriers, Najomo said the regulator would work to ensure the implementation aligns with the scope of operations of individual carrier.
“We are tweaking that, even though it takes effect from 2025, but we are looking at the regulation very well, whereby it will suit what operation you want to do. If you’re going to go to a full-blown airline, we will look at the regulation 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 will look at the regulation and say, okay, maybe you should stick to three aircraft and see how it is. We want to encourage more people to come into the industry.”
