THE Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has expressed commitment towards meeting the requirements for the restoration of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Category 1 status.

Director-General Civil Aviation (DGCA), Captain Chris Najomo, made this commitment during the recent ICAO AFI Aviation Week meeting in Cairo, Egypt, between the NCAA and the United States FAA.

Other key issues of the meeting, which was a follow-up to an earlier discussion, focused on Air Peace Limited’s proposed direct operations between Nigeria and New York.

Captain Najomo expressed Nigeria’s readiness for the FAA Category 1 reassessment, stating that Air Peace Limited is fully prepared for the required audit.

He, however, requested technical assistance and capacity-building support from the FAA, particularly in specialised technical areas, to strengthen Nigeria’s readiness for the reassessment.

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In response, the FAA representative requested the specific areas where assistance would be required. He assured the NCAA of commitment to providing the necessary technical support towards a successful reassessment of Nigeria’s Category 1 status, and the eventual commencement of Air Peace Limited’s direct operations to New York.

FAA Category 1 status means a country’s civil aviation authority complies with international safety standards to operate flights to the United States.

Nigeria is currently working to regain this rating, as the country is actively preparing for an FAA International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) audit to restore the rating.

Local carriers like Air Peace require this status restoration to launch planned direct operations to destinations such as New York.