The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, has raised the alarm over growing safety lapses on airport aprons, warning that unsafe ground operations are becoming increasingly common.
The Director General, Civil Aviation, Captain Chris Najomo, sounded the warning at the First National Aircraft Marshaller Consultative Forum and Joint Apron Stakeholders Safety Operations Workshop in Lagos.
Speaking through the Director of Aerodrome and Airspace Standards, NCAA, Mr. Ahmad Abba, Captain Najomo said recent inspections revealed worrying practices such as passengers boarding during refuelling, congested aprons before departures, aircraft parked outside approved bays, inadequate trained marshallers and weak coordination among apron teams.
He cautioned that these lapses expose airports to preventable accidents and costly disruptions, stressing that safety violations will no longer be tolerated.
The DGCA reaffirmed that safety remains non-negotiable and central to Nigeria’s drive to build efficient, globally compliant airports.
Also speaking, the Director General, Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau, NSIB Captain Alex Badeh Jr, said investigation records locally and internationally show that many serious incidents originate on the apron.
Represented by Mr. Henry Nwanyanwu, he explained that collisions with ground equipment, fuel spills, foreign object debris and wrong marshalling signals are often linked to human and organisational failures, including fatigue, complacency and poor supervision.
Captain Badeh Jr emphasized that safety recommendations are only effective when all stakeholders take responsibility and enforce discipline in daily operations.
From the weather front, the Director General, Nigerian Meteorology Agency, NiMet, Prof. Charles Anosike, represented by Mr. Shehu Bashir, reminded stakeholders that safe ground operations depend heavily on accurate and timely weather information, particularly in fast-changing conditions.
Representative of the Managing Director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, Mrs Olajumoke Olatunji and the workshop organiser, Mr. Fortune Idu called for frank exchange of experiences, stronger operating procedures and renewed commitment to training and best practices across the country.
They urged participants at the workshop to move beyond talk and propose practical, workable solutions that will directly influence NCAA’s regulatory actions.
Participants were drawn from both government and private Airports across the country.
Reporting By Nosa Aituamen