Nigeria has said the recent retention of the Category One status of the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will open up the sector for the much-needed investments.
”With the retention of this Category One, we in the NCAA (Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority) believe there is a level playing field for all shades of investors to tap into the corresponding and emerging business opportunities that will provide a value chain for the industry,” NCAA Director-General Benedict Ayileka told journalists here this weekend.
He said the retention of Category One status would also take the nation’s main gateway Murtala Mohammed International Airport ”a step closer to attaining the much-vaunted Regional Hub Status.”
Mr. Ayileka assured that the NCAA would continue to train and retrain its staff to ”sustain the professionalism that already existed in the Authority”.
The NCAA boss also assured Nigerians that it would continue to ensure that air travel is safe and secure at all times, with a ”zero tolerance” for any form of violation.
PANA reports that Nigeria’s Category One status, first awarded in 2009, was recently re-certified by the FAA, with the issuance of certification to Aviation Minister Osita Chidoka.
This means the NCAA has been assessed by FAA inspectors and has been found to licence and oversee air carriers in accordance with aviation safety standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
