"Tinubu Agrees": Air Peace, Other Nigerian Airlines to Begin US, UK Flight as NCAA Gets Permission
- Nigerian airlines can now begin direct flights to the United States and the UK
- The development follows the Third Country Operator (TCO) certificate obtained by the NCAA
- The NCAA said with the certificate, Nigerian airlines can begin direct flights to foreign countries
Nigerian airlines can now fly to the United Kingdom and Europe following the Third Country Operator (TCO) certificate the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) received for the affected airlines.
With the operator license, the airlines selected for the UK or some of the European nations' routes can apply to operate without stress.
Source: UGC
Air Peace to begin UK, US flight
The TCO allows airlines such as Air Peace, Nigeria's largest operator, to ply the UK route.
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Daily Trust reported that Air Peace Chairman Allen Onyema recently raised concerns over the denial of Air Peace to fly the London route.
But with the intervention of the NCC, all the hurdles are clear.
Omni Blu Airline also obtained the TCO clearance as the United Nigeria Airlines also received certifications to fly to the UK.
Director-General of the NCAA, Musa Nuhu, confirmed the development at the sidelines of the 7th Aviation African Summit and Exhibition in Nigeria.
Nuhu asked airlines always to carry the CAA while negotiating with another country for direct flights.
According to him, many privately owned airlines would negotiate flights with other countries without carrying the CAA and always go to the Authority during hitches.
Per the NCAA DG, if airlines are designated to fly to a country, they negotiate with the government without notifying the Authority.
Tinubu directs CBN to begin negotiations with foreign airlines
The development follows a directive by President Bola Tinubu to CBN to start engaging foreign airlines to clear the backlog of $600 million trapped funds belonging to foreign airlines.
The President ordered the apex bank to meet quarterly with the foreign airlines to find ways of clearing the debt.
Legit.ng reported that Nigeria remains one of the most indebted countries to foreign airlines with a vast fund trapped with the CBN.
The CBN said it is hampered by Forex scarcity for the funds' release.
"We're Disappointed:" Air Peace boss Says 15 aircraft grounded abroad, CBN withholding firm's $14 million
Legit.ng reported that the Chairman of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, disclosed that the company spent about N78 billion on maintenance, and the funds went to foreign firms.
Onyema revealed that the airline has about $14 million stranded with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and about 15 aircraft are grounded abroad.
He said these during his address at the Annual Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association held in Abuja.
Source: Legit.ng
