Murtala Muhammed Airport receives ICAO certification

The Murtala Muhammed International Airport has been ertified by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) in line with the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) laid down rules.
By this award the airport become the first of the four international airports in the country to be so certified.
At the reception of the certificate at the NCAA Head Office, Director General of NCAA, Capt Usman Muhtar said it is important to receive the award, but insisted that sustaining is vital.
He said first attempt to certify the airport and others hit the rocks 2006 leading to a more purposeful coordinator to scale the hurdle.
“The current drive towards the certification of Nigerian airports is very significant, not only as a requirement by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and Nigerian Civil Aviation regulations, but even more importantly as one of the critical safety targets set by the Abuja Ministerial Declaration of July 2012 that mandated all African states certify their international airports,” Mr. Usman said.
“It is also interesting to note that certification is an enabler for the attainment of a regional hub, which Nigeria desires for Lagos and Abuja. Aerodrome certification is therefore an ICAO strategy for the standardization and harmonization of airport services, facilities and procedures, as well as ensuring uniformity in safety critical aerodrome elements, irrespective of differences in ownership and management of such aerodromes.”
Speaking at the event, the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr. Saleh Dunoma said the FAAN worked to ensure that the airport scaled the NCAA hurdle.
He emphasized that the certification did not only indicate that the airport was safer, but was also more efficient and profitable, stressing that staff morale has the tendency to increase due to enhancement of knowledge and competency.