The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has clarified the reasons behind the delisting of Nigerian airlines from the list of carriers authorized to operate in the United States.
In a statement released on Monday, the Acting Director General of the NCAA, Capt. Chris Najomo, addressed the reports, explaining that the delisting was not due to any safety or security oversight deficiencies.
Najomo revealed that the removal occurred because Nigerian airlines had not conducted direct flights to the U.S. for two years.
“No Nigerian airline has provided service into the United States using a Nigerian-registered aircraft in the two years preceding September 2022.
Consequently, it was expected that Nigeria would be delisted, similar to other countries in the same situation,” he stated.
He further disclosed that Nigeria was formally removed from the list in 2022 and had been notified of the decision at that time.
Airlines that could be impacted by this decision include Air Peace and United Nigeria Airlines, both of which were authorized to operate flights to Washington, D.C., and Houston, Texas.
Najomo also stressed that Nigeria has successfully passed safety and security audits conducted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and there are no significant safety or security concerns regarding Nigerian airlines.
