Nigerian Civil Aviation Authoirty has embarked on Project 2024. Project 2024 championed by the acting Director General, Capt. Chris Najomo has nine (9) different parts namely: Intensified Consumer Protection; ICT Digital Transformation and Change Management, Staff Welfare, Training and Reorientation and ICAO Audits. Other aspects of the project are Simplified Certification and Licensing Processes, attainment of ISO 9001 Certification, Intensified Revenue drive, and Enhanced Surveillance.
Najomo emphasized that “the major aim of this project 2024 was to ensure the ease of doing business with the NCAA”. He further highlighted the priorities of this new management as; simplified certification and licensing processes, consumer protection, enhanced surveillance, staff welfare amongst others.
REVENUE DRIVE
The acting DG stated that the Authority works revue model is “cost recovery” and called on all debtor airlines to pay up their debts in order to avoid the piling of debts going forward. Najomo said “All debtors to NCAA shall cease to receive services from the Authority, there shall be operation No Pay, No service and there will be strict sanctions for defaulting operators.”
CERTIFICATION, TRAINING AND STAFF WELFARE
The NCAA’s new management is set to simplify the certification and licensing process. Najomo stated that “this will be extended to other authorisations, approvals and permits. It is a derivative of the ease of doing business philosophy towards encouraging the growth of the aviation industry.” On staff welfare, the NCAA boss assured the members of NCAA staff that their welfare will be prioritized and all trainings and retraining in and out of the country would be reinstated as he said “training and retraining is very key” and that “plans are on the ground to ensure that it is implemented.”
CONSUMER PROTECTION
The acting DG stated that the NCAA has the customer’s interest at heart and therefore, there are consumer protection officers monitoring airlines operations at all Nigerian airports. Najomo stated that some delays and cancellations are not the fault of the airlines but will be made to pay according to the regulations when it is their fault.
“We will ensure that airlines provide timely care to passengers for service disruption, we will ensure that consumers receive quality service in the Nigerian aviation industry and that their rights are always protected”, he said.
Najomo stated that the NCAA is working on a portal where passengers can lodge their complaints for prompt answers and resolutions.
SURVEILLANCE & TECHNOLOGY
Furthermore, the NCAA plans to enhance surveillance by “implementing a robust risk-based surveillance system intended to close any potential gap opened by the increased validity period of Air operators’ certificates for scheduled and unscheduled operators. This surveillance will be extended to all service providers.” As regards Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Najomo said the NCAA has started a digitalization journey with EMPIC in order to implement several modules of the system, “EMPIC-EAP provides software solutions for Civil Aviation Authorities and organisations. These modules include Personnel Licensing (PL), Medical Type Certificate, Aircraft register, Organisation Approval and Surveillance.”