Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) has called on the federal government to remove the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) from the civil service structure to enable the agency attract the right personnel in order to safeguard the aviation industry. In a letter signed by its president, Abdulmunaf Yunusa and addressed to the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, the airlines said that the request to remove NCAA from civil structure is of immediate safety concern about the aviation industry.
AON stated that NCAA was established to regulate the aviation industry and implement government policies in the industry and also enforce the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) safety standards and recommended practices to ensure that the operators in the industry met the safety requirements. But the agency would only be able to do this if it attracts the right personnel with sound technical know-how and to attract these special skills, it must be willing to offer these personnel attractive and competitive salaries.
“In order to effectively carry out its important duties as highlighted above, the NCAA needs to attract and engage a team of technically sound professionals in virtually every field of aviation, notably flight operations, engineering, safety inspectors, dispatchers, cabin executives among others, so as to be able to conduct regular oversight of the industry.
“It is however sad to note that there is a growing level of deficiency today within the NCAA in the area of human capacity due to its inability to attract and retain experienced industry professionals as a result of its inadequate recruitment and salary regime compared to the offers they get from working for the airlines,” AON said.
