Cally Air, operated by Aero Contractors on behalf of Cross
River state, only began operations on July 15, 2021, covering Lagos, Kano, and
Abuja with two B737-300s.
The airline had on April 6, 2021 took delivery of its first
aircraft, B737-300, 5N-BYR bought from Magnetic Leasing. The second aircraft,
B737-300, 5N-BYQ, was also leased from Magnetic Leasing and delivered on April
28, 2021.
The 22-year-old jet is the first of two former airBaltic
B737-300s secured from Magnetic Leasing by the new airline, which is a
public-private partnership (PPP) between the Cross River state and Dana Air, in
a bid to boost tourism to the state.
Configured with 144 all-economy seating, 5N-BYR previously
flew with airBaltic, as YL-BBR from March 31, 2009, to June 30, 2020, whereafter
it was stored.
TheWILL has, however, found out that of the two Boeing
737-300 aircraft, one is alleged to have developed a minor fault while the
other will be due for maintenance check by the end of September, 2021.
What this means is that that, when the second aircraft
leaves for maintenance checks, the new airline will be left with no airworthy
aircraft, a situation, aviation experts have said may affect the issuance of
the AOC.
An AOC is the approval granted by a national aviation
authority (NAA) to an aircraft operator to allow it to use aircraft for
commercial purposes. This requires the operator to have personnel, assets and
systems in place to ensure the safety of its employees and the general public.
The certificate will list the aircraft types and registrations to be used, for
what purpose and in what area; specific airports or geographic region.
Commenting, the General Manager, Public Relations, Nigerian
Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Mr Sam Adurogboye told TheWILL that the AOC
issue is very serious business with stages that no airline can bypass.
Adurogboye who said that he was yet to get an update on the
matter said the AOC acquisition process has five stages: pre applicant phase,
compliance phase, demonstration phase, inspection phase and certification
phase.
Although, Adurogboye did not confirm whether the airline’s
aircraft is faulty or not, he affirmed that the NCAA ensures all airlines pass
through the five stages for acquiring an AOC.
Earlier, the Director General, NCAA, Captain Musa Nuhu had
given an update on the number of new applicants seeking AOCs.
According to Nuhu, there are three to four intending
airlines, all at different stages of the process.
“The domestic industry in Nigeria is growing. People don’t
feel comfortable going on the road, so, they prefer to travel by air. Also, the
interconnectivity is growing between all facets of the corners of the country,”
Nuhu said.
On the calls for a revamp of the AOC collection process in
Nigeria, Nuhu said the agency will look at the civil aviation regulations after
the new NCAA Act.
“That is why I said when we are doing our regulations, we
discuss with stakeholders; when people have issues like this, we sit down and
discuss and we will find a way of adopting or changing our regulations to
reflect such matters without compromising safety, security, efficiency and
effectiveness in the system.”
Meanwhile, Cross River state Governor Ben Ayade had during
the celebrations to mark the airline’s commencement of daily flight operations
from Calabar Airport to Abuja and Lagos on August 1, 2021, said Cally Air will
serve the new Obudu International Airport, which is expected to be complete by
December 2021.
Ayade said the aircraft will be operated and maintained by
Aero Contractors until Cally Air receives its AOC.
“It takes six months for the licence to come.
“We will continue with Aero Contractors until Cally Air has
its full management team and a full AOC,” Ayade said.
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