The aviation industry has been facing myriad of challenges, but runway incursions are emerging as a major concern, Justice Okamgba writes
The rise in runway incursions in the country’s airports is giving stakeholders reasons to worry. Experts said the risk of incursions might increase as air traffic grows unless regulators put in place safety mechanisms.
The latest runway incursion occurred on Friday when a private jet with registration number N580KR operated by Mattini Airline Services Limited overshot the runway at Ibadan Airport.
The aircraft departed from Abuja and was bound for the Samuel Ladoke Akintola Airport encountered difficulties around 11 am, veering off the runway and coming to a halt in the nearby bush.
Some firefighters and rescue officials from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria were immediately deployed to the scene, The PUNCH had reported.
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority announced in a statement it had suspended the license of the operator with immediate effect, pending the outcome of investigations into the incident.
The incident adds to the growing list of aviation safety concerns in Nigeria. In November 2023, a Flint Aero operated private jet with the Minister for Power, Adebayo Adelabu, onboard also overshot the runway in Ibadan airport. Although there was no fatality, the aircraft was badly damaged.
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau had called out the operator, saying Flints Aero Services Limited was issued with a permit for a non-commercial flight.
In the same month, Aero Contractors, Nigeria’s oldest aviation company, had a runway incursion at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
Another incident also occurred in September 2023 when an aircraft with registration number 5NBWY operated by United Nigeria Airlines skidded off the runway at Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos.
Reacting to the most recent incursions in Ibadan, the former commandant of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, John Ojikutu, said stakeholders await the investigative report from the regulators.
He told The PUNCH that it was imperative to recognise that addressing runway incursions required a comprehensive approach that considers the various factors contributing to those incidents.
“While we may be looking at the aircraft, which are not the same in the two serious incidents, are we seriously looking at the status of the landing environment and the times of the landing? Let us leave that to the investigation authority,” the former commandant remarked.
Earlier, reliable sources at the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, told The PUNCH that the details of the investigation would soon be made available having deployed a team of experts to ascertain the cause of the incident.
However, Ojikutu urged the NCAA to conduct an audit and take appropriate measures to ensure the safety of passengers, aircraft, and airport personnel in the sector.
He noted, “As it is becoming common in a particular airport, check the last time there was an NCAA audit of the airport or the regularity or irregularity of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria Periodic Maintenance for the runway.”
He claimed that the reports of the latest incursion and the one involving the minister in November 2023, all in Ibadan, would show which agency is to blame.
In September 2023, the International Civil Aviation Organisation conducted a Universal Safety Audit Programme Continuous in Nigeria in which the country performed poorly.
It fell five points short of the 75 per cent benchmark considered the pass mark in the global aviation industry.
The audit focused on evaluating the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority’s implementation of safety protocols and ICAO’s standards.
Stakeholders attributed Nigeria’s suboptimal performance to internal rivalry among directors in different agencies and a lack of coordination.
To prevent a recurrence of the poor performance in the USOAP, the aviation ministry established a security oversight committee chaired by the acting Director-General of NCAA, Chris Najomo.
This committee is tasked to address safety and security gaps, and to pass the upcoming March 2024 audit.
Operators without licenses
Some private jet owners in Nigeria had been found to operate their aircraft for commercial purposes without the required licenses, which is a violation of the Nigerian Civil Aviation regulations.
The General Secretary of the Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative, Olumide Ohunayo, told The PUNCH that such practice involved using private jets for commercial charter services without obtaining the required license.
“Private jet operators are supposed to be the oil revenue of the industry. That market is inelastic. Because it is inelastic, you would expect to make a lot of money because it is for the noble rich. But unfortunately, rather than going to the registered commercial jet owners to charter flights, they would rather take from those who are not authorised for commercial purposes to get a cheaper rate.”
Ohunayo advised passengers to go through the authorised operators for charter services.
He stated, “Whatever thing that happens, there won’t be any insurance to be paid, the passengers must understand this. Passengers should be asking the owners of the airline if they have a license to operate. It is only the owner that is insured. It is the same thing with those who charter military aircraft. Only military personnel can get compensation.”
In a press conference in Lagos a few weeks ago, the acting Director-General of the NCAA said that all private jet owners operating commercial services risk losing their licenses for non-compliance to regulations.
The NCAA DG emphasised the need for private jet operators to obtain the necessary commercial licenses to legally conduct commercial operations, and failure to comply with those regulations may result in the revocation of their licences.
NSIB recommendations
Some of the NSIB’s preliminary report on aircraft incursions obtained by The PUNCH bestowed certain responsibilities to the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency and NCAA.
The Bureau advised the NAMA to ensure that it strictly observes the airport operational hours as published in the relevant Aeronautical Information Publication and not permit extensions beyond the airport limitations.
It also recommended that the NCAA ensure that airlines operate within the limits of the approval given to it, in accordance with Section 18.2.4.3 of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations 2015.
NSIB also advised airlines to ensure that its flight crew has sufficient experience in nighttime flight operations.
