NCAA Suspends SkyPower Express Airways

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has suspended the aircraft leasing operations (Specs Part G) of the Air Operator’s Certificate of SkyPower Express Airways Nigeria Limited due to non-compliance to guidelines.

Following the violation of the provision of Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (NCARs) Part 9.2.3.4(b), the regulatory body also suspended operations of some private charter aircraft due to non-compliance of the same ops Specs Part G.

Referenced NCAA/DG/AIR/11/16/129, the suspension was signed by Mr Musa Nuhu, NCAA director-general and titled Suspension of the Ops Specs Part G (Aircraft Leasing Operations) of your organization’s Air Operator’s Certificate.

“Be informed that by this action your organization ceases to exercise all the privileges associated with Part G authorization.

“Furthermore, the operations of the following aircraft listed on the Part G of your organization’s operations specifications are hereby suspended pending a full audit of your organization and compliance with all the relevant NCARS: Hawker 800XP: N838BB, Hawker 800XP: N552ME, Hawker800XP: N749WW, Hawker800XP:ZS-EXG, CL604-D-ANGB, CL604-T7-NMN, CL601-N580KR, and Gulfstream 200-N100EK,” the notice said.

Other airline operators, whose aircraft were affected by the audit, include CL604-N605JA operated by Jedidiah Air, CL604-N880ET operated by OmniBlu, CL604-N604WL operated by West Link Airlines, G.IV-N990EA operated by NestOil, CL601-N253LA operated by West Link Airlines, G1159A-N313MS operated by Izy Air and CL604-G-FABO operated by Jet Support Services.”

NCARS Part 9.2.3.4(b) refers to Wet Leasing aircraft and states that “no holder of an AOC issued under this Part 9 may allow another entity or air operator to conduct wet-lease operations on its behalf (a wet-lease in) unless— that air operator holds an AOC or its equivalent from a Contracting State that authorizes those operations; the AOC holder advises the Authority of such operations and provides a copy of the AOC under which the operation was conducted; such operation does not exceed a period of 12 months and the Authority approves the operations.