Nigerian airlines have been stripped of their Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Category One status under the International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) program.
This change follows Nigeria’s airlines’ failure to operate flights directly to or from the U.S. for the past two years, as reported by Business Day.
As a result, Nigeria is no longer listed among the African countries recognized by the FAA for Category One status.
Currently, only Egypt, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Morocco, and South Africa maintain this status, which signifies compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards.
This development aligns with a recent FAA regulation stipulating that countries whose airlines do not operate under the ‘Open Skies’ agreement with the U.S. for two years must undergo a recertification process for their entire aviation sector.
This new rule, effective a few months ago, has effectively removed Nigeria from the Category One list.
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As a consequence, Nigerian airlines, including Air Peace and United Nigeria Airlines, which were designated to operate flights to Washington and Houston, Texas, may face delays in launching these routes until Nigeria’s aviation sector is recertified.
Currently, Nigerian carriers cannot operate flights to the U.S. directly and must do so via a third country.
The recertification process involves a comprehensive review, including airport security, airport facilitation, airline audits, and an assessment of the types of aircraft to be used for operations to the U.S.
(Daily Post)
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