The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has clarified the reasons behind the United States Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) decision to remove Nigeria from its Category One status.

In a statement released by the Acting Director-General, Chris Najomo, it was explained that the delisting occurred because no Nigerian airline currently offers flight services to the United States. The last airline to operate such a route was Arik Air, which discontinued its New York service on 3rd February 2017.

The statement further revealed that in September 2022, the FAA began delisting Category One countries that had not had a native airline providing service to the U.S. or carrying the code of a U.S. operator within a two-year period. Additionally, countries that failed to comply with international safety oversight standards and did not receive technical assistance from the FAA were also removed from the list.

Najomo emphasised that Nigeria’s delisting was not due to any safety or security lapses within the country’s aviation oversight system. He pointed out that Nigeria had successfully undergone comprehensive audits by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) without any major safety or security concerns.

The statement also noted that Nigerian operators could still operate flights to the U.S. by using aircraft wet-leased from a country that retains its Category One status.

Najomo highlighted that the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has launched an aggressive international campaign to enable local operators to access the dry-lease market globally. This includes visits to Airbus in France and the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Boeing in Seattle, Washington.

He expressed confidence that with these efforts, Nigeria would not only regain its Category One status but also maintain it.