By Happy Osagie
April 16, 2024
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has suspended the permits of three private jet operators for engaging in commercial flights.
Chris Najomo, Acting Director-General of the NCAA, announced the suspension of the three aviators in a statement released Tuesday.
Najomo said the Minister Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, issued a directive against the use of private jets for commercial purposes in 2023 adding that the listed aviators flouted the order.
Subsequently, in March 2024, the NCAA had issued a stern warning to holders of the permit for non-commercial flights, PNCF, against engaging in the carriage of passengers, cargo or mail for hire and reward, Najomo stated.
The Authority had also deployed its officials to monitor activities of private jets at terminals across the airports in Nigeria.
As a consequence of this heightened surveillance, no fewer than three private operators have been found to be involved in violation of the annexure provision of their PNCF and Part 9114 of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations 2023.
In line with our zero tolerance for violation of regulations, the authority has suspended the PNCF of these operators.
The regulator also directed that the re-evaluation of all non-commercial flight permit holders be carried out on or before the April 19, 2024.
All PNCF holders will be required to submit relevant documents to the authority within the next 72 hours.
This riot act is also directed at existing Air Operator Certificate (AOC) holders, who utilise aircraft listed on their PNCF for commercial charter operations.
The regulator stressed that only aircraft listed in the Operation Specifications of the AOC were authorised to be used in the provision of such charter services.
Any of those AOC holders who wish to use the aircraft for charter operations must apply to the NCAA to delist the affected aircraft from the PNCF and include it into the AOC operations specification.
The NCAA urged the travelling public not to patronise any airline charter operator who does not hold a valid Air Operators Certificate issued by the NCAA.
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The Nigerian Observer is a daily newspaper published in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria, since 1968 by the Bendel Newspapers Company Limited (BNCL) and is owned by the Edo State Government
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