August 31, (THEWILL) – Apex aviation regulatory agency, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), has revoked the Airlines Operator’s Certificate (AOC) of Xejet Air, over presentation of fake insurance cover by the airline.
AOC is the approval granted by a civil aviation authority (CAA), to an aircraft operator, to allow it to use aircraft for commercial purposes. This requires the operator to have personnel, assets, and system in place to ensure the safety of its employees and the general public.
THEWILL gathered from industry sources that NCAA took the decisive step when it discovered that the charter airline company was using a fake insurance cover to operate.
The discovery, according to sources did not go down well with NCAA, which has vowed to sanitise the sector.
It was also gathered that XeJet, which prides itself as “a Business Class only airline” and is based in Lagos, has just one aircraft in its fleet; an Embraer ERJ-145 with the registration number: 5N-BZM.
The airline on its website said it aimed to be the airline of choice for premium flyers.
It also said that plans are on “to upgrade existing Boeing B737 with only Business class seats. The key effort being made is to provide travellers with an enriching experience at a relatively affordable price.
“Xejet wants customers to experience the benefit of a private jet with personalised service within the comfort and safety of a commercial airline.”
The sanction is coming barely two weeks after the regulatory body threatened to ground any aircraft operated by any local airline without valid insurance coverage.
Captain Musa Nuhu, NCAA’s Director General, disclosed this in a recent letter with the reference NCAA/DG/AIR/11/16/369, to all airline operators.
The regulatory body said it would sanction airlines who fail to heed the warning.
The NCAA reiterated that “all airlines and allied aviation services providers must not operate without adequate and valid insurance cover, submitting to the Authority copies of valid insurance certificates, evidence of payment of premium and other policy documents of insurance cover of not less than three months.
“The authority wants to state that non-adherence to this Regulation will attract immediate sanctions including grounding the specific aircraft and taking enforcement action against any airlines or service providers that defaulted.”
NCAA had issued the airline an AOC to operate as a charter operator about 18 months ago.
About the Author
Anthony Awunor, is a business correspondent who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Linguistics (UNILAG). He is also an alumnus of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria Kaduna State. He lives in Lagos.
