The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA has on Thursday declared that local airline are in dire straits and would collapse if steps are not taken to assist them.
Director-General (DG) of the apex regulatory body, Capt. Musa Nuhu, told reporters in Lagos.
He said that the twin challenges of fuel and foreign exchange liquidity crises had forced operators into a “pathetic” reality and of “grave concern”.
While he assured that safety remains a priority and non-negotiable, Nuhu said efforts are on to salvage the sector from collapse.
“Nobody has to tell you that these are very difficult times.
“We have done three (airlines) and are still on two or three, because we are taking them in batches.
We also sit down to have discussions with the relevant management.
“Right now, we have financial and economic crises. We don’t want it to cross over to become a safety crisis.
“That is why we are doing this to manage the crisis and find solutions to the crisis they (operators) are facing.
That is why we are working round the clock to find solutions to the problem,” he said.
The NCAA DG noted that the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, had been working with the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) to finding solutions to the forex crisis and assuage the rising cost of aviation fuel that currently sells at an average of N1000/litre outside of Lagos and Abuja airports.
