According to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, there are 146 corporate jets in Nigeria; of this number, only 46 were registered in the country while 100 possessed foreign registration particulars.
The agency’s director general, Captain Mukhtar Usman made the disclosure while speaking to the public relations officers of airlines, aviation agencies and other organizations in the airline industry during a meeting. The meeting was aimed at improving the ways of reporting incidents and accidents in the industry.
Spitting out more Nigerian aviation trivia, Mr. Usman said there were 30 certified air operators, over 400 in-service aircraft registered in Nigeria and 130 helicopters.
According to him, the ultimate aim of operators and others involved in the airline industry should be to ensure the safety of passengers; while reiterating the NCAA’s resolve to progressively strengthen its oversight responsibilities to entrench safe and secure air travel in the country.
Usman said: “This forum however, is to take a cursory look at our information dissemination as it relates to handling and reporting safety vis-à-vis incidents and accidents. It is not entirely a new discussion in various fora, but the approach requires tinkering. There is a need for a unified communication and integration among all the information managers of all the agencies.
“We should put on the table a synergy and a robust working relationship among all of you. When I say all of you, this includes the public relations apparatchik of NCAA. If we commence integrated information, there will be a concerted approach when there are incidences. On the reality, an airline operation is not without its own fair share of incidences worldwide.”