NCAA audit not meant to target any airline – AON chairman

Capt. Noggie Meggisson, Chairman, Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) says the ongoing audit of airlines by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is not meant to target any airline.

Meggisson told newsmen in Lagos on Tuesday that the audit on both the general and commercial aviation industry was meant to enhance safety.

He said:” There is a general audit going on by the NCAA. It is wrong to insinuate that the audit is targeted at any particular airline.

“NCAA wrote to us (Jet Air) that they are coming to audit us and it is currently going on.

“What the audit does is to identify areas where there are gaps and give you a time frame to close such gaps. So it is aimed at improving safety. ”

Meggisson, who is also the Chairman of Jet Air, a private aircraft operator, noted that the NCAA’s audit was not based on the recommendations by the Federal Government.

Similarly, Mr Sam Adurogboye, General Manager, Public Relations, NCAA, said the audit was one of the statutory responsibilities of the regulatory agency.

Adurogboye said : “The audit of airlines is an ongoing thing and as we speak, all the airlines are being looked into.

“The whole idea is to ensure that everybody is doing the right thing to prevent anything untoward.

“The fact is that there is no way you will be operating a machine and there will be no occurrence.

“There are bound to be incidents and that is why there are technical logs located inside each aircraft where the flight crew is expected to log whatever occurrences they had.

“When our inspectors come around, these are one of the things they check.

“We analyse these reports and whatever direction it leads us to, we are able to take an informed decision.

“It is informed decisions that prevent accidents, not decisions based on emotions. ”