NCAA targets certification of more airports

The Director-General, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Capt. Muhtar Usman, on Tuesday said the organisation was targeting the certification of more airports in the country.

Usman disclosed this while briefing aviation correspondents at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.

He said everything was on course for the certification of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

“Based on our programme, our target for certification of Lagos airport is end of this month.

“We have gone very far to ensure it is certified in accordance with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Standard and Recommended Practices.

“For Abuja, we are targeting, latest, end of September for certification. But everything is on course, so far so good. We are all on schedule to deliver, ’’ Usman said.

According to him, certification is a requirement by ICAO for all international airports, and the authority is currently working on that.

“It is not all the countries in the world that have their airports certified, especially here in Africa.

“We are trying, and a lot of the countries in Africa; the few that were able to do it, managed to certify one.

“We are aiming to certify two almost the same year, and the remaining airports would follow.

“We are working very hard. We will continue to work even harder and we will extend the certification to even those other airports that are not required by ICAO,’’ he said.

The NCAA director-general said that certification of the airports would enhance safety, which was very vital to civil aviation.