The Network for the Actualisation of Social Growth and Viable Development has faulted the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority over its recent directive mandating passengers to switch off their mobile phones completely during take-off and landing, instead of using “airplane mode.”
The Director-General of NCAA, Capt. Chris Najomo, had on Tuesday, at a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja, announced that electronic devices must now be turned off entirely during flights, a move that effectively ends the long-standing practice of using “flight mode.”
Reacting in a statement on Wednesday signed by its Country Head of Office, Akingunola Omoniyi, NEFGAD described the directive as “a source of serious international embarrassment to Nigeria.”
The organisation said the move by the NCAA is an attempt to cover up “its regulatory ineptitude, which have created multiple embarrassments for the country in recent times.”
It said, “The NCAA’s recent directive mandating all air passengers to completely switch off their mobile phones during flight take-off and landing is outdated and out of fashion.”
The group argued that the aviation sector has advanced far beyond the NCAA’s position, noting that modern aircraft are built to withstand interference from personal devices and even provide in-flight Wi-Fi.
“The NCAA seems to have forgotten that the aviation sector has advanced far beyond its current operational scope.
“Modern aircraft in today’s world, including Emirates, Lufthansa, Air France, Delta, British Airways, and Qatar Airways, all offer free Wi-Fi services for passengers in the air and during all stages of flight operations,” Akingunola said.
NEFGAD further warned that the directive portrays Nigeria’s airspace as being dominated by outdated aircraft.
“The NCAA directive has clearly shown the outside world that Nigeria’s airspace is dominated by obsolete planes manufactured before the year 2000 — aircraft over 25 years old. It is doubtful if any serious-minded investor will risk his life flying in a country whose airspace is largely dominated by such outdated aircraft,” the statement read.
The group also accused the NCAA of neglecting more pressing issues in the sector, including reforms on aircraft technology standards, passenger codes of conduct, consumer protection guidelines, and aviation security management.
“This is not the era of regulatory grandstanding, but technological innovation and competitiveness. NCAA has no excuse other than to wake up from its regulatory trance and bring real innovation to our airspace by benchmarking Nigerian airlines’ technology against ICAO-compliant international standards, and make Nigerians more comfortable with full in-flight experiences as obtainable anywhere else in the world,” Akingunola stressed.
NEFGAD disclosed it has petitioned the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion to verify the technology status of Nigerian airlines, warning that the NCAA’s stance could send “dangerous signals to the international community about the state of Nigeria’s airspace.”
It also lamented that Nigerians pay some of the highest airfares for both domestic and international flights, yet continue to endure poor in-flight experiences due to outdated aircraft.
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