August 16, (THEWILL) – The apex aviation regulatory agency in Nigeria, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), has announced plans to digitalise its operations using the latest information technology applications to enhance the discharge of its oversight duties.
The Acting Director General, NCAA, Captain Chris Najomo, disclosed this on Friday while declaring open a training programme for the Consumer Protection Portal proposed by the authority.
Under the new arrangement, the civil aviation regulator will be deploying the necessary digital platforms for the processing of approvals, licenses, renewal of recertification as well as the treatment of passengers’ complaints.
According to Najomo, the new portal will not only make it faster and more convenient to resolve complaints by passengers in record time but also serve as a barometer for assessing the performance of both local and foreign airlines operating in Nigeria.
Najomo said the capacity building programme was put together to equip personnel of airlines and the regulatory body to find lasting solutions to incessant complaints lodged by passengers on either delayed or cancelled flights and other service failures in the travel space.
To drive this, he said the NCAA has to retool its responsibilities by adopting the digitalisation of most of its operations using the latest information technology applications.
He said: “We have gone far. We started this MPIC process two years back and right now we’ve had some training. The people have come to train our people and they are deploying this system, the software that is going to digitalise the whole system. The AOC system, certification, recertification, licensing, you will see it’s going to be awesome.”
The NCAA boss said the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo, is leaving no stone unturned in ensuring that local carriers have access to convenient aircraft acquisition by engaging major aircraft manufacturers.
He said: “The Minister has been doing a lot to assist in this direction by going round to talk to airplane makers and other players on how to get aircraft.
“He has been engaging Boeing, Embraer, and others on how to secure dry leasing for our local airlines and he’s done so much.
“Very soon you’ll see that result will come out so that our airlines will be able to get airplanes and bring them in for use.
“It’s capacity that is making what we’re having, having all these delays and cancellations. And all these airlines will key into it. Air Peace, United Nigeria Airlines, they’re all doing everything possible to get dry lease aircraft. That is the way to go.”
Regarding the upcoming policy requiring Nigerian carriers to have a minimum of six aircraft, Najomo said adjustments are being made to ensure its implementation aligns with the scope of operations of individual carriers.
He said: “We are tweaking that, even though it takes effect from 2025, but we are looking at the regulation very well, whereby it will suit what operation you want to do. If you’re going to go to a full-blown airline, we will look at the regulations and maybe the six aircraft that will come in. But there are some operators who just want to do maybe Lagos-Ibadan, Lagos-Ilorin and all that. So we’ll look at the regulations and say, okay, maybe you should stick back to the three aircraft and see how it is. We want to encourage more people to come into the industry.”
On the benefits of the training and the portal, Najomo said, “The portal provides on-time monitoring of airline performances. This is in addition to monitoring passenger handling procedures during checking, boarding, disembarkation, and discomfiture.
“The data gathered will give us, the regulator, you, the service provider, and the public, the end-users, a reliable determination of performing airlines. Note that the public can see on the official NCAA website the performances of all airlines. Everyone will be able to gauge the best and worst-performing airlines from a consumer service standpoint.
“Now this portal has not been unveiled, it’s going to be launched, but we have to make sure that this training is key. We have done our training for the staffers. It’s important that we engage all stakeholders to see how this portal works. And I’m sure at the end of this training, it’s going to be so beneficial for everybody.”
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.
