The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) says aircrafts operating in the country’s airspace are subjected to rigorous and specified maintenance and as scheduled.
NCAA’s General Manager, Public Relations, Mr Samuel Adurogboye disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Thursday.
Adurogboye said that maintenance and checks were categorised into A, B, C, and D.
According to him, A is the least and D is the most comprehensive type of maintenance.
“Carrying out checks is predicated on having flown or operated the said aircraft for a certain number of hours or cycles.
“It is the Authority’s mandate to ensure that the specified checks are carried out as and when due.
“No compromise and no waiver is granted,’’ he said.
On the number of aircraft currently operates in the Nigeria airspace, Adurogboye said the number “is not readily available’’.
“Aircraft don’t fold up, it is an airline that can be said to have folded up.
“Airline business or any business for that matter, is a free entry and free exit.
“It is an established fact that aviation is the most regulated business anywhere in the world for the reason of safety,’’ he said.
The NCAA spokesman said that combining passengers was purely a business decision taken by the affected airlines.
He said that the need to be able to operate a flight, recover the cost of operations and make a profit might be responsible or it may be prompted by technical issues.
“This is why airlines, all over the world, form alliances.
“We have the examples of one world and star alliance among others.
“This enables the airlines to put their passengers in another so as to be able to continue their journey unhindered and still retain their ticket.
“This is done in event of an unforeseen technical issue or low load factor.
“In all of these, passengers must be carried along and understanding sought,’’ Adurogboye said. (NAN)
