Chinedu Eze
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has hosted On Site Cabin Safety Oversight Course in Lagos, Nigeria.
Nigeria was selected to play host to participants from different African countries after due consideration which included its safety record of airline operations.
This course was conducted under the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC) and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS).
The course commenced from Monday, September 9, 2019 and ended Friday September 13, 2019, at the Training Center of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), HQ Annex.
The agency said the objective of the course was to provide participants with a good understanding of critical areas of cabin safety oversight. These are Operation of Aircraft under ICAO Annex 6; Transportation of Dangerous Goods by Air under Annex 18; Technical Instructions on the Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air in ICAO Doc 9284; and Manual of Procedures for Operations, Inspection, Certification and Continued Surveillance in ICAO Document 8335.
During the course, best practices in safety oversight management with a focus on special operations approval for Transportation of Dangerous Goods by Air and Extended Diversion Time Operations (EDTO) were dwelt upon.
The Director General of the Authority, Capt. Muhtar Usman while declaring the training open, said the course came at a very appropriate time, especially as Nigeria is preparing for the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP) ICAO Coordinated Validation Mission (ICVM) scheduled to take place in the first quarter of next year.
He commended the progressive partnership of AFCAC and CAAS with NCAA, which has contributed immensely to strengthening the Authority’s safety oversight responsibilities.
There were 39 participants from 15 African countries including Nigeria. These are Burkina Faso, Burundi, Gambia, Senegal, Togo, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Gabon. Others are Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Niger, Cape Verde, Mozambique and Sao Tome and Principe.
