The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has responded to recent reports regarding the removal of Nigerian airlines from the list of those authorised to operate flights to the United States. This clarification was made in a statement by the NCAA’s Acting Director General, Capt. Chris Najomo, on Monday.

The delisting of Nigerian airlines, including notable carriers like Air Peace and United Nigeria Airlines, which had plans to fly routes to Washington and Houston, Texas, has caused significant concern.

The restriction came as a result of the loss of Nigeria’s Category One status certification, which is essential for airlines to maintain direct operations to the U.S.

However, Capt. Najomo provided clarity on the situation, explaining that the decision to delist Nigerian airlines was not linked to any safety or security deficiencies in the country’s aviation oversight system.

Instead, the delisting occurred because Nigerian airlines had not operated direct flights to the U.S. for two consecutive years leading up to September 2022.

“No Nigerian operator has provided service into the United States using a Nigerian-registered aircraft for two years before September 2022,” Najomo stated.

“As a result, it was expected that Nigeria would be removed from the list, just as other nations in similar situations were. The NCAA had been duly informed of this action back in 2022.”

Najomo further emphasised that Nigeria had undergone thorough safety and security audits by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

These audits found no Significant Safety Concerns (SSC) or Significant Security Concerns (SSeC), confirming that Nigeria’s aviation sector met international standards in these areas.

The acting director’s statement aims to address concerns and reassure the public that the delisting is purely an administrative consequence of airlines’ lack of recent operations to the U.S., rather than any fault or shortcoming in Nigeria’s aviation safety and security protocols.