The Senate has ordered an investigation into frequent and prolonged airspace restrictions during movements by very important persons (VIPs), amid concerns that poor coordination is causing flight delays and could pose safety risks.
The resolution followed a motion moved by Isah Jibrin during Tuesday’s plenary. The senator raised concerns about the procedures governing airspace restrictions and their effects on airlines, passengers and aviation safety.
The Senate directed its Committee on Aviation to work with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) and Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to examine the restrictions and assess compliance with established procedures. The committee is expected to report back within two weeks.
The Senate also urged aviation agencies to consider diverting flights to alternative airports instead of keeping aircraft circling for extended periods while awaiting clearance.
Contributing to the debate, Diket Plang, who represents Plateau Central, said aviation authorities should coordinate flight schedules more effectively to prevent commercial aircraft from being cleared to fly to destinations where restrictions have already been imposed for VIP movements.
Plang, a former station manager with Kabo Air in Kano, said authorities should pay closer attention to take-off and landing times to avoid conflicts. He warned that poor management of airspace could lead to a “calamity” and urged the NCAA and FAAN to take decisive action.
Abdul Ningi, who represents Bauchi Central, described the delays as an urgent problem, saying they had become commonplace and reflected weak supervision and enforcement of aviation standards.
Ningi said a flight from Kano that should have taken about 40 minutes recently took two and a half hours because of airspace-related delays. He also criticised airlines and regulators for failing to adequately explain delays or provide passengers with effective channels for complaints.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio recalled being kept on a bus for about three hours while waiting to board a flight, despite being a state governor at the time. He said restrictions were sometimes imposed well before a VIP’s movement, leaving aircraft circling and passengers waiting at airports.
Akpabio said poor communication between airport authorities and officials coordinating VIP movements could result in airspace remaining closed for hours. He called for restrictions to be timed more closely with the VIP’s actual journey to or from the airport.
The Senate President also said he had been told that a recent aircraft crash in Nigeria was caused by the plane running out of fuel while circling in the air awaiting clearance. He stressed, however, that he had not received the official report on the incident.
Akpabio directed the Senate Committee on Aviation, chaired by Abdulfatai Buhari, to convene a meeting urgently, describing the issue as life-threatening. He also asked the committee to establish whether airspace restrictions were imposed for VIPs other than the President.
