Nigerian Airlines Banned from US Flights After FAA Safety Status Lapse

Nigerian airlines have been barred from operating flights to the United States following a lapse in their Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Category One safety status. This restriction, effective immediately, is the result of Nigeria’s airlines failing to maintain direct flights to the US for over two years, as mandated by the FAA’s International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) Program.

The FAA updated its IASA guidelines on July 15, 2024, instituting a new procedure that removes countries from the IASA program summary listing when their airlines no longer offer air service to the US. Additionally, if no air carriers from the country are involved in codeshare agreements with US airlines and the nation’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has not engaged with the FAA for an extended period, the country is delisted.

In a statement, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) clarified that the delisting of Nigeria from the IASA program was not due to safety or security issues. “It is important to clarify here that the de-listing of Nigeria has absolutely nothing to do with any safety or security deficiency in our oversight system,” the NCAA stated. The authority explained that no Nigerian operator has provided service to the US using Nigerian-registered aircraft in the two years preceding September 2022, which led to the expected de-listing.

As a result of this delisting, Nigerian airlines are now prohibited from operating direct flights to the US. Consequently, these carriers can only access the US market through third countries, rather than directly.

Under the IASA program, airlines from countries with Category One status are authorized to operate flights into the US and enter into codeshare agreements with American carriers, provided they have the necessary Department of Transportation (DOT) approvals. To achieve and maintain Category One status, a country must adhere to eight key standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

Currently, only five African countries—Egypt, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Morocco, and South Africa—have been certified as meeting ICAO standards, allowing their airlines to operate flights to and from the US.

The suspension of Nigerian airlines underscores the importance of maintaining active international air service agreements and compliance with aviation safety standards. The NCAA is expected to work towards reinstating Nigeria’s Category One status by addressing the requirements set forth by the FAA and resuming direct flights to the US.