Victor Ezeja
Director, Consumer Protection & Public Affairs, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Michael Achimugu, has said Air Peace was not forced to make any clarification regarding the alleged safety protocol violation on its London route recently.
Achimugu said he merely spoke to journalists about a letter by the NCAA to Air Peace regarding a report from the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority (UK CAA) to debunk false claims in some media reports that the airline was being suspended by the UK authorities.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelMr Achimugu stated this while reacting to issues raised in an article titled “Air Peace Detractors Are Often Pointless,” written by Dr Marcel Mbamalu, published on Prime Business Africa, regarding needless distractions that Air Peace has faced over the years in Nigeria.
Recall that the UK CAA recently sent a report of its ramp inspection of Air Peace to the NCAA.
The disclosure of the correspondence to the media led to various sensational reports that painted a grim picture of safety concerns about operations of Air Peace, especially on the Lagos-London route that it started two months ago.
The false accounts prompted the airline to issue a statement clarifying what happened and how it responded to all issues raised by the UK CAA and that everything had been resolved.
READ ALSO: Air Peace: Media Reports Of Safety Violation In UK, False
In a post on X, Achimugu said: “The NCAA did not ‘force’ Air Peace to do anything. Yes, I spoke to journalists about the letter by the NCAA to Air Peace. I needed to douse the false claims by some of the journalists that the airline was being suspended by the UK authorities.
“I let them know that ramp inspections were routine and for all airlines, not just this airline. I also informed them that none of the findings were Level 1 findings, so nothing to fear.”
Reacting to another issue raised in the article about the need for regular training for journalists covering the aviation sector, Achimugu stated that the NCAA does it annually. He said: “As a matter of fact, the League of Airport and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC) are presently in Ilorin, Kwara State, for this year’s training.”
Some industry experts who commented on the matter between Air Peace and UK CAA expressed concerns about how it was handled, especially by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority. They faulted the NCAA for disclosing the information to the media, stressing that while it was a standard practice for civil aviation authorities to exchange information, they did so without making it public.
They said conducting ramp inspection and issuing reports thereafter is a normal aviation practice in every country across the world, but what is expected of the civil aviation authorities like NCAA is to discuss the safety issues with the airline so that lessons can be learnt and prevent future occurrence.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
