The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has announced the lifting of ban on Boeing 737 Max Aircraft in the Nigerian Airspace. The ban had followed two accidents involving the Boeing 737 Max Aircraft involving Lion Air Flight 610 from Indonesia which crashed into the Java Sea 13mins after takeoff, and Ethiopian Airlines flight 320, which crashed six minutes after takeoff.
The crashes made the Honorable Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, pronounce the ban on the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in the Nigerian airspace.
According to NCAA, it received a Continued Airworthiness Notification to the International Community (CANIC) CAN-2020-24 on the 18th November 2020, advising it of the United States Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) ongoing continued operational safety activities related to returning Boeing Model 737-8 and 737-9 (737 MAX) aircraft service.
NCAA said it recognized that a Joint Authority Technical Review (JATR) that comprised of International Aviation Authorities such as the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), Transport Canada (TC) and the Singapore Civil Aviation Authority amongst others carried out a joint review of the Boeing 737 MAX safety system alongside FAA and NASA.
In the light of the above, NCAA came up with the actions required of all foreign and domestic operators. These actions include that all intending domestic operators are required to work with the Boeing Company and NCAA for the Aircraft Type Certificate Acceptance Programme in order to have the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft registered in Nigeria and issued with a Standard Certificate of Airworthiness.
All foreign air operators that intend to operate the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft into Nigeria must submit evidence of compliance with the FAA AD 2020-24-02.
NCAA reiterated that it will continue to ensure strict compliance to Safety Regulations as violation will be viewed seriously.