The Director General, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Musa Nuhu, has announced that Boeing 737 Max Aircraft had been approved to resume operations in Nigerian airspace effective February 12, 2021.
The aircraft was banned from Nigeria airspace following two fatal crashes whjich happened in 2018 and 2019.
According to Nuhu, domestic operators interested in flying the aircraft model are required to work with the Boeing Company and NCAA for the Aircraft Type Certificate Acceptance Programme.
He said Boeing 737 MAX aircraft would be registered in Nigeria and issued with a Standard Certificate of Airworthiness.
The NCAA said foreign air operators that planned to operate the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft into Nigeria must submit evidence of compliance with the FAA AD 2020-24-02, adding that it would continue to ensure strict compliance to safety regulations.
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Boeing’s 737 Max fleet was grounded globally after the crash of Lion Air flight into the sea off Jakarta, Indonesia, in 2018, and an Ethiopian Airlines’ flight crashed shortly after take off from Addis Ababa in March, 2019.
In total, 346 people were killed, including a Canada-based Nigerian social critic, Prof Pius Adesanmi.
The DG said the NCAA on November 18, 2020 received a Continued Airworthiness Notification to the International Community (CANIC) CAN-2020-24 advising it of the United States Federal Aviation Administrations (FAAs) ongoing continued operational safety activities related to returning Boeing Model 737-8 and 737-9 (737 MAX) aircraft service.
Nuhu said, “NCAA recognises that a Joint Authority Technical Review (JATR) that comprised of International Aviation Authorities including 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, the FAA has released documents on Boeing 737 Flight Standardization Board Report, revision 17, identifying special pilot training for the 737 MAX and Safety Alert for Operators.
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“NCAA recognises the joint review of the Boeing 737 Max Safety System and came up with the following actions required of all foreign and domestic operators.”
Some Nigerian operators – Air Peace, Arik Air and Green Africa Airways- had indicated interest in flying the aircraft model.
