Cablegate: Nigerian Aviation Roundup
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PP RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHUJA #3008/01 3211204
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 171204Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY ABUJA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7834
INFO RUEHOS/AMCONSUL LAGOS 5556
RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 0379
RUEHDK/AMEMBASSY DAKAR 0317
RULSDMK/DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION WASHDC
RUEANHA/FAA NATIONAL HQ WASHINGTON DC
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 003008
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
DOT PASS TO FAA
ROME PASS TO TSA REP JOHN HALINSKI
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAIR CASC AMGT ASEC NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIAN AVIATION ROUNDUP
REF: ABUJA 2941
1. (U) Summary. A five-member team from the International Civil
Aviation Organization (ICAO) arrived in Nigeria on November 8 to
audit the country's aviation industry over a 10-day period.
Nigerian President Obasanjo signed a new civil-aviation law on
November 16 to improve the country's aviation standards. The law
limits ministerial powers during emergencies and provides for a
Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority autonomous from the Ministry of
Aviation (MA). On the morning of November 10, one person was killed
and three others injured in a helicopter crash near Warri. On
November 13, the MA banned all night flights by helicopters. End
Summary.
ICAO Team Surveying Aviation Industry
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2. (U) A five-member team from the ICAO arrived in Nigeria on
November 8 to audit the country's aviation industry. Over 10 days,
the experts will visit aviation institutions and facilities
throughout the sector, ICAO officials told the media. The ICAO said
it would validate the safety oversight conducted by the Nigerian
Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). An ICAO document said the
inspection would take into account factors including the results of
previous audits and accident-incident rates. The current audit is
expected to cover Nigeria's aviation legislation, operating
regulations, the structure of its civil-aviation administration, and
safety-oversight functions, the media reported. Other areas the
ICAO will examine are technical personnel qualifications and
training, technical guidance materials, licensing and certification
obligations, continuing surveillance obligations, and the resolution
of safety issues.
Funding For Upgrades
--------------------
3. (U) On November 14, the Nigerian cabinet asked the Ministry of
Finance to release 19 billion naira ($146 million) to enable the MA
to upgrade existing airports and to modernize their equipment, as
was recommended by a presidential committee early this year. Harold
Demuren, NCAA Director General, told the media, "There has been a
long decay in the system." He said some airlines could not afford
sufficient maintenance, and that the Government of Nigeria (GON)
needed more highly trained technical personnel, as well as
improvements in areas such as weather forecasting and safety
training. Officials also admitted that nearly none of the
recommendations issued by a Nigerian panel of inquiry after the 2005
Bellview and Sosoliso crashes have been implemented. Moreover,
Nigerian aviation officials suggested that some small domestic
airlines will have to merge with larger rivals to ensure adequate
oversight and funds for maintenance.
Obasanjo Signs New Civil Aviation Law
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4. (U) Nigerian President Obasanjo signed a new civil-aviation law
on November 16 to improve the country's aviation standards. The new
law defines offenses that endanger safety, enacts penalties for
violations, introduces new licensing regulations, and sets up a
compensation plan for passengers involved in crashes. The law also
limits ministerial powers during emergencies, which is part of
efforts to increase the power of regulatory bodies such as the NCAA.
Most importantly, the new law provides for the establishment of a
Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority autonomous from the MA.
Watchdog Group Notes GON's Lack of Action
-----------------------------------------
5. (U) Efanga Offiong, the acting head of the Nigerian Aviation
Safety Initiative (NASI), an industry group seeking higher
air-safety standards, on November 16 termed Nigeria's new aviation
law a "step in the right direction" but said much more needed to be
done. He contended that political interference and corruption meant
that some domestic airlines that skimped on safety retained their
operating licenses, while political opponents of the government had
theirs revoked.
6. (SBU) Offiong underscored that corruption, incompetence, and a
lack of trained aviation employees meant that air travel in Nigeria
had become even more dangerous. (Comment: Two years ago, Offiong's
friend and predecessor as head of NASI was murdered after strongly
criticizing airlines owned by prominent Nigerians. No one has been
convicted of the killing. Nigeria has multiple "vanity" airlines
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owned by prominent politicians, which have very small fleets. These
airlines usually do not have the economy of scale to permit
efficient or financially viable aircraft maintenance. End
Comment.)
GON Makes Progress in ADC Crash Probe
-------------------------------------
7. (SBU) An investigator with the U.S. National Transportation
Safety Board who was in Nigeria reported that the GON had made
significant progress in investigating the October 29 crash of ADC
flight 53. The U.S. official also said the GON seemed to be
committed to determining the cause of this accident and to making
substantive changes to prevent recurrences.
GON Restricts Lufthansa, Air France Flights
-------------------------------------------
8. (U) New Minister of Aviation Femi Fani-Kayode announced November
13 that the GON had curbed the Air France and Lufthansa flights that
had been redirected from Port Harcourt to Lagos while the Port
Harcourt International Airport was being repaired. The two
companies will no longer be able to operate those flights. He said
that as a concession, the Nigerian naval airport in Port Harcourt
will be open to restricted daytime flights from those carriers. The
number of passengers served on this new route will depend on the
aircraft available. While this measure will help business travelers
flying to or from Port Harcourt, it is not a solution for other
passengers because of the baggage restrictions aboard small
aircraft, industry contacts said. The contacts added that these new
restrictions likely will put great strain on holiday air travel in
Nigeria. Nigeria's air sector experienced considerable difficulties
with delayed and canceled flights during the 2005 Christmas season.
Fani-Kayode told Air France and Lufthansa officials the GON had made
this decision because foreign carriers "hold too much" of the
Nigerian market. On November 16, however, Luthansa flew its former
Frankfurt-Lagos-Abuja route.
Abuja International Airport Operations Change Hands
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9. (U) On November 13, the GON concessioned off Nnamdi Azikiwe
International Airport in Abuja to the Abuja Gateway Consortium (AGC)
for the next 25 years. The private consortium offered $101.1
million under a deal with Nigeria's Bureau of Public Enterprises
(BPE). Under the terms of the deal, AGC is to make an upfront
payment of $10 million before taking over management of the airport
in the next three months from the Federal Airports Authority of
Nigeria.
10. (U) Irene Chigbue, BPE Director General, said the agreement was
not an outright sale but rather a public-private partnership that
will ultimately transform Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport into
a major business hub in West Africa, as part of an ongoing
privatization program aimed at improving transparency and
efficiency. She predicted that Nigeria will carry out in 2007
similar concessions for its airports in Port Harcourt, Enugu, Kano,
and Lagos. The AGC's bid must be submitted to the GON for its
approval before the deal takes effect.
GON Bans Helicopter Night Flights After Crash
---------------------------------------------
11. (U) On the morning of November 10, one person was killed and
three others injured in a helicopter crash near Warri, the capital
of Delta State. The helicopter, an AS 355 Twin Squirrel belonging
to the privately owned Nigerian company OAS Helicopters, Ltd., was
flying between Lagos and Port Harcourt. The helicopter reported
modifying its flight plan due to bad weather in Port Harcourt before
losing contact with air traffic controllers. It crashed shortly
afterward following a collision with high-tension power cables along
the Aladja expressway. On November 13, the MA banned all night
flights by helicopters.