FG grounds Amaechi's aircraft at Akure Airport over 'Illegal Operations

THE Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Saturday, declared that the aircraft in the service of Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State was on illegal operations in the country.
Consequent upon this, the NCAA has grounded the Bombardier -BD 700 Global Express aircraft, with registration number N565RS, which, the authority said, had an expired clearance approval effective April 2, 2013.
Addressing reporters Saturday at the Aviation House, the headquarters of NCAA, the Director of Air Worthiness Standards, Engineer Benedict Adeyileka, explained that, while the aircraft was still operating illegally, it has been sighted in several places, including Owerri and Akure.
The NCAA director said about the incident:" The controversial aircraft on the service of Governor Rotimi Amaechi is operating illegally in the country. The aircraft, a Bombardier BD 700, Global Express with registration number N565RS, has its clearance approval expired since Tuesday, April 2, 2013.
"By our records, the last flight clearance for this aircraft was approved for operations on Thursday March 28, 2013 on Accra/Port Harcourt and Accra to terminate on April 2, 2013.
"With this development, the aircraft has exceeded the extra two days or 48 hours leeway for it to leave the country.
"While still operating illegally, the aircraft has been sighted in several places, including Owerri and Akure. The owner of this aircraft, according to the certificate of registration, is Bank of Utah Trustees of Salt Lake City, Utah United States of America.
"The clearance for the aircraft was sought by Caverton Helicopters on March 27,2013.  NCAA did not ground the aircraft prior to request for start up in Akure on Friday 26, April 2013.
Consequently, this aircraft in reference is hereby grounded at any airport that is located right now in the country."
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), during a press briefing at its headquarters in Lagos Saturday, defended its action in delaying the aircraft carrying the Rivers State Governor at the Akure Airport on Friday.
Managing Director of NAMA, Mr. Nnamdi Udoh, said Amaechi's aircraft was delayed due to the inability of the pilot to submit manifest of passengers onboard.
According to him, the aircraft was not grounded by the airspace manager. He also stressed that aviation personnel do not mingle with politics.
But Amaechi, a statement, signed by his Chief Press Secretary, David Iyofor, described the defence by the authorities as "cock-and-bull" story.
According to the Chief Press Secretary, "Our plane, a Bombardier jet owned by the Rivers State Government, landed at the airport in Owerri. It was in Owerri that the pilot of our plane was first tipped off that there is a plot to ground our plane in Owerri that Friday.
"... Once our party left the Akure airport for Ekiti, our pilot went to the airport offices to make statutory airport payments and fees, file his flight plan and declare his manifest. After filing his fight plan and declaring his manifest, our pilot was told to go and see the Controller.
"The Controller bluntly told him that the Rivers Government plane would not be allowed to leave the airport. In other words, the plane had been grounded!

"He said that the plane should have been grounded in Owerri. The Controller on duty at the airport in Akure mentioned some vague issues relating to the customs papers of the plane, which has been flying in Nigeria for many months? That didn't make any sense to the pilot.

"He enquired on whose orders the plane was being grounded, he was told that it was the Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Authority (NAMA). And that he should reach the NAMA MD.

"It is indeed most shameful and ludicrous that NAMA and the Aviation authorities are now saying that they grounded the Rivers State Government plane because the pilot did not file a flight plan and declare a manifest. That's a blatant lie."

But Captain Dele Ore, a pilot, Saturday said it was not the business of the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) to ask for the manifest of people onboard an airplane, saying it is beyond the power of the agency.

Ameachi flew into the airport Friday at about 4.pm from where he was transported to Ekiti State to attend the funeral of the deceased Deputy Governor, Mrs. Funmilayo Olayinka.

However, on his return to the airport, the control tower refused to clear his plane for take off for over an hour and no one was willing to explain the reason to the governor, which made him even more furious, one of the governor's aides had said.

Speaking to The Guardian, Ore, who is the president of the Aviation Round Table (ART), said it was not clear under which rule the River States government was operating the aircraft, adding, "It is most likely going to be under charter service or operations.

Ore disclosed that Part 8 (22) of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulation 2009 stipulates that it is only in Hire and Reward operation, that is, commercial operations, that manifests are required, adding that once a flight plane is given before hand, there was no reason to ask for a manifest for that type of operations.

To him, manifest simply means the number of persons on board for the sole purpose of insurance in case of accident, adding that manifest requirement was beyond the powers of NAMA.

His words, ""We don't know under which rule the Rivers States government is operating the aircraft. It is most likely going to be under charter service or operation. If it is under charter operation, there is no requirement for manifest. It is beyond the powers of NAMA to ask for manifest. All that NAMA needs to know is the number of people onboard and not asking for manifest".