Aviation Watchdog Fights for Kalu's Airline

P.M. News (Lagos)

May 7, 2004
Posted to the web May 7, 2004

Oluokun Ayorinde
Lagos

Aviation industry watchdog, the Nigerian Aviation Safety Initiative (NASI) has instituted an action at the Federal High Court in Lagos to compel the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to lift the ban it imposed on Slok Airlines, owned by the Abia State Governor, Orji Uzor Kalu.

In a suit it filed in conjuction with another human rights body, Socio-Economic Rights Initiative, the bodies are asking the court to determine whether the alleged offences committed by Slok Airlines are sufficient grounds in law for suspending the operating license of the airline.

The NCCA had claimed that Slok Airlines was suspended for not disclosing to it the addition of two aircrafts to its fleet and the dangerous manner in which the crew of the Airline flew one of its planes into the Enugu Airport.

NASI is also asking the court to determine "whether the continued suspension of the operating license of the Airline and grounding of its fleet is still legally justifiable and appropriate within the circumstances of this case." The body argued that taking a critical look at Section 3 (1) of the Civil Aviation Act, Cap. 51, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 1990, and Air Navigation Regulations, "the punishment imposed on Slok Airlines in respect of the allegation against it is excessive. NASI also argued that NCAA has no power to suspend the operating license of Slok Airlines in the circumstances of the allegations levelled against it.

The body is therefore asking the court to declare the revocation of the operating license of Slok Airlines illegal, ultra vires, null and void and to order the restoration of the Airlines operating license so that it can resume flight operations. No date has been fixed for the hearing of the case.

Meanwhile, NASI has joined Financial Derivatives Company Limited and Stanbiz Bank Limited as defendants in the suit it earlier instituted against the selection of South Africa Airways Limited (SAAL) as the core investor in the Nigeria Eagle Airlines, the airlines being floated to replace Nigeria Airways Limited (NAL) as a national carrier.

Financial Derivatives Limited was the company that conducted the bidding process that led to the selection of SAAL as the core investor in the new airline.