[Peetwo]

A singular rap for the Mike Smith CV

Reference Avmassi: http://www.avmassi.com/about-us/our-team...smith.html

..Since leaving the Australian Civil Service, Mike has been engaged as a senior consultant by airlines and aviation regulators around the world, predominantly advising clients in the areas of regulatory reform, ICAO USOAP and FAA IASA compliance and the introduction of Safety Management Systems and risk based oversight principles into their organizations. Recent clients include the World Bank and the civil aviation administrations of Singapore, the UAE, Nigeria and Bahrain. Mike led the World Bank funded program that gained IASA category one status for Nigeria in 2010, allowing that country’s airlines to operate to the USA. Nigeria remains one of only six African nations to hold that status...

This is what the Mike Smith legacy has invoked in the aviation safety administration in Nigeria...

Aviation safety in Africa not negotiable

Opinion | 23 June 2017, 1:00pm

Victor Kgomoeswana

Unlike with schools, where a high failure rate of students can almost be equated to the inability of the teacher to teach, instead of the learners’ inability to learn, failure by airlines to meet certification of any civil aviation authority is a welcome sign.

Nigeria just earned my respect when 26 airlines abandoned the process to secure certification.

Aviation is a way of life, as flying cars and drones are encroaching on our airspace. Countries of the world face a rising probability of objects falling out of the sky, be they medical supplies being dropped in a controlled manner by drones - as we have seen in Rwanda - or planes crashing into a residential area.




The latter happened in Lagos on June 3 2012, when the engine of Dana Air Flight 992 failed and the plane slammed into a building, killing 153 people on board and 10 on the ground.

It was reassuring, therefore, to read a report in Daily Trust that at least “26 airlines have discontinued the process for the acquisition of the Air Operator Certificate over stringent conditions set by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA)”.

Not long after the crash in June 2012, Nigeria embarked on a campaign to align its aviation safety standards with global norms.

As Africa’s largest nation in terms of population and, depending on who counts or when, the size of the economy, Nigeria does not have the luxury to operate as an island. It is the hub of West Africa, making it the capital of an economic bloc of 15 states and more than 300 million people. Its proximity to London and most of Europe, the US and its oil industry, diversifying economy and vibrant culture of entrepreneurship can only signify pressure to satisfy an array of expectations - beyond Africa.

It was therefore not surprising that the NCAA, the National Airspace Management Agency (Nama) and every allied agency in the aviation industry had to act in concert to improve the image of Nigeria’s airlines, airports and safety standards. Every nation with an airline or airport worth its salt knows that to acquire a respectable implementation score under the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), it has to effectively implement measures across different areas.

These include legislation, accident investigation, organisation, licensing, airworthiness and air navigation services.

Unless the country in question is Eritrea, Haiti or Kyrgyzstan - all red-flagged by the ICAO - it has to maintain continuous monitoring and improvement. Although the ICAO is the global mother body of aviation, countries’ civil aviation authorities also strive for affirmation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the US.

Known for its obsessive safety and security consciousness, the US through the FAA awarded Nigeria Level 3 State Safety Programme (SSP) in January. Although it admitted that it had implemented only 43.6% of the required SSP tasks, the NCAA proudly stated that “only two member states - Australia and Sri Lanka - had achieved full implementation of the SSP according to ICAO records”.

It added that Nigeria would like to achieve such excellence by the end of the year. As expected, airlines hoping to take to the skies of Nigeria can look forward to a steep ascent to accreditation. No wonder these 26 applicants abandoned their efforts; and that is good for Nigeria because they knew that the NCAA would not cut them any slack.

When boarding a plane, only 100% confidence in the ability of the pilot to take off and land safely is a minimum. Unless the airline is forced to comply 100% with the standards of its civil aviation authority, no safety is guaranteed.

This is an encouraging sign that aviation in Africa could be coming of age; paving the way for intra-Africa trade and true global integration. Anything less than stringent testing would not do.

Victor Kgomoeswana is the author of Africa is Open for Business and weekly columnist for Sunday Independent. Twitter Handle: @VictorAfrica.

Calling bollocks on this..
"...the NCAA proudly stated that “only two member states - Australia and Sri Lanka - had achieved full implementation of the SSP according to ICAO records”.


MTF...P2


Ps Come on ICAO the world deserves better than this 'tick-a-box' routine for compliance of ICAO Annex 19...