The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has clarified that Nigerian airlines are currently prohibited from flying into the United States because they have not achieved the necessary Category 1 status.
This explanation was provided in a statement by the Acting Director General of Civil Aviation in Nigeria, Capt. Chris Najomo, on Tuesday in Abuja. The statement addressed concerns arising from reports suggesting a ban on Nigerian airlines by the United States.
Najomo emphasized the need to correct any misconceptions caused by such reports, stating, “Once Nigeria attains Category 1 status, Nigerian airlines will be allowed to operate Nigerian-registered aircraft and dry-leased foreign-registered aircraft into the United States, in accordance with the existing Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA).”
He went on to explain that Nigeria first achieved Category 1 status in August 2010, and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) conducted subsequent safety assessments in 2014 and 2017, with Nigeria retaining its Category 1 status on both occasions.
However, as of September 2022, the U.S. FAA removed from the Category 1 list countries that had not provided service to the U.S. using indigenous operators within a two-year period or had no airline carrying the code of a U.S. operator. Najomo clarified, “Nigeria was delisted in 2022 because no Nigerian operator had provided service to the U.S. using a Nigerian-registered aircraft within the required two-year period. This delisting was expected, and Nigeria was duly informed of this action in 2022.”
He stressed that the delisting had nothing to do with any safety or security deficiencies in Nigeria’s aviation oversight system. Nigeria had successfully passed comprehensive International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Safety and Security Audits without recording any Significant Safety Concern (SSC) or Significant Security Concern (SSeC).
Najomo further noted that a Nigerian operator could still operate flights into the U.S. using an aircraft wet-leased from a country with a current Category 1 status. He emphasized that the NCAA continues to strictly adhere to international safety and security standards and respects the sovereignty of states, including the United States, as outlined in Article 1 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation. “This provision grants states complete and exclusive sovereignty over the airspace above their territories,” he added.
The NCAA boss also highlighted that the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo, has been actively working to enable local operators to access the global dry-lease market. This effort included a recent visit to AIRBUS in France and the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with BOEING in Seattle, Washington.
Najomo expressed confidence that with these initiatives, it is only a matter of time before Nigeria regains and sustains its U.S. Category 1 status.
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