… NCAA to audit the airlines and meet EU over ban
Medview Airline’s B767 aircraft returned from a comprehensive maintenance at Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) approved MRO facility on Tuesday night.
The aircraft with registration 5N-BQN, which has a capacity of 221 (191 economies and 30 Business class) passengers was withdrawn from service to undergo scheduled maintenance (C-Check).
The airline positioned the aircraft for the airlift of pilgrims for the Umrah – lesser Hajj with the first flight on Thursday, May 25, 2017. It plans to operate its schedule flights to Jeddah from Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos and the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano for the airlift, while charter flights will be operated from Airports of choice.
Medview is also building up capacity for Dubai route commensing July 4, 2017, the expansion to francophone countries and Hajj operations in July.
Meanwhile the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has ordered a full-scale audit on the operations of Med-view Airlines to ensure the safety of its aircraft. The internal audit will be part of the engagement to ensure that the ban placed on it by the European Union (EU) was lifted.
Further to the audit, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is said to be planning to hold high level talks with EU’s Air Safety Committee (ASC) of the European Commission (EC) this week to resolve all discrepancies that will facilitate lifting of the ban on Medview Airline.
The EU Air Safety Committee had invited NCAA and Medview for a tripartite meeting in Brussels on the 25th – 26th April, 2017. After the deliberations, the European Commission (EU) with the full support of the EU Air Safety Committee unanimously decided to ban Medview Airline. The ban which is in accordance with the common criteria set out in the Annex to Regulation (EC) No 2111/200 took effect a day after it is published in an official journal. The ban is in accordance with the common criteria set out in the Annex to Regulation (EC) No 2111/2005
The Regulatory Authority then engaged Medview Airlines to straighten out issues arising from the failed application to the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
Adurogboye further disclosed that the Commission has expressed its readiness to reconsider the inclusion of Medview Airline on the EU Air Safety List as soon as all issues of non-compliance are resolved with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). He reiterated that in addition, as part of the efforts to arrive at a resolution and lifting of the ban, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) will conduct a full scale audit of Medview Airlines’ operations. The result would therefore determine further actions and engagements by the Regulatory Authority.
