VZCZCXRO2120
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 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶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 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶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 
 
ABUJA 00003008  002 OF 002 
 
 
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 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶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.