Business Aviation Operations to Nigeria– Part 1: A must-read for any operators planning a mission to Nigeria. UAS’ best airport information and advice on permit approval, fuel, and ground handling.
Airport Considerations
What are the airport operating hours in Nigeria?
All five AOEs in Nigeria (DNMM, DNAA, DNPO, DNKN, and DNEN) operate 24/7 except otherwise advised in NOTAMS for maintenance, safety and other reasons. Smaller airports and local airports (except a few like DNCA, DNUY) typically follow the sunrise and sunset pattern usually between 0600 – 1700Z.
What are the peak hours of commercial activity?
Peak hours are only applicable to commercial flights, particularly at DNMM and DNAA, and these are usually between 1900 – 2300z. The peak traffic at these hours may occasionally result in fuelling delays for private flights.
What are the security arrangements for aircraft and crew?
Aircraft parked on aprons in Nigeria are generally secured by AVSEC. However, operators may also request additional aircraft security but armed guards are generally not allowed on the apron except for military, state, VVIP or any flights of high-security concern.
What about ramp access?
Ramp access is tightly controlled at all airports in Nigeria. Even crew in uniforms and valid IDs will still need assistance from the handling agent to be able to access the aircraft or the ramp.
How about parking availability?
Parking is an issue at the International Apron of DNMM during peak commercial flight operations and usually, private business aircraft are directed to a specific FBO on arrival to clear customs and park. However, depending on handling agent, alternative parking may be sought. At DNAA, parking may pose problems during big events or state functions, but rarely at other airports.
Permit Approval
What lead-time is required for permits?
The average lead-time for obtaining permits is 72 hours provided all required documentation is complete and supplied on request. Sometimes, permits can be obtained within 24 hours provided all required documents are provided. Special permits like MEDEVAC can be processed in a shorter period. Incomplete documentation is the major cause of approval delays.
Note: Permits can only be processed with the Civil Aviation through registered agents of the CAA known in Nigeria as Agents of Foreign Airlines and Operators.
What documentation is required for processing of permits?
Typically, the documents required to obtain permits for Nigeria will be Certificate of Registration of the Aircraft, Certificate of Airworthiness, Noise Certificate, and Certificate of Insurance valid for Nigerian territory. The NCAA may request additional documents as it deemed fit depending on the circumstances of the flight.
Generally, permits are valid for 48hrs +/- (unless otherwise stated) and will normally indicate the airports and routings for which the permit was approved. Any re-routing or extensions must be requested.
Note: When operating business or private aircraft into Nigeria, be sure to stay in contact with your handler all the way. No additional PPR is required other than the landing permission issued by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and the National Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), except when travelling to military airports or airports that may be restricted for security reasons such as DNMA.
Fuel Availability
Fuel supply could be very erratic at most Nigerian Airports for reasons of internal logistics. It is always advisable to check availability and make firm arrangements with the supplier or through your agent before departure to Nigeria.
What are the pricing and payment options?
Generally, suppliers will accept some cards such as UVAIR and TOTAL cards but prior confirmation must be sought, but do not rely on this alone. Fuel arranged through contracts etc. must be backed up with fuel release. Ensure and reconfirm that the into-plane supplier has a copy of the release.
What fuel and supply are available?
Jet A1 is widely available, but AVGAS may have to be pre-ordered. Most fuel deliveries in Nigeria are done using bowsers but there are functional hydrants at DNMM and DNKN.
Ground Handling
Early planning and advance prior notices will help a lot to remove any potential bottlenecks and speed up arrival and departure processes. It is recommended to send all information relating to your flight such as passenger details, crew details, and ETA prior to arrival. Copies of updated passenger manifest and GENDEC will be very useful tools to expedite your arrival/departure processes.
What’s the equipment availability?
Generally, all handling equipment required to handle the smallest aircraft up to the largest aircraft can be found at all the major airports. Specialized equipment like Ambulifts, tow-bars tugs, GPUs, air start units are also readily available.
Visit the UAS Blog for more tips on business operations to African countries. We’ll publish Business Aviation Operations to Nigeria – Part 2 later this week.
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Mitch Launius
Instructor Pilot for 30 West IP
Mitch is the CEO of 30 West IP where he is also an instructor providing pilot training on international procedures. With an illustrious career of over 34 years in the cockpit, Mitch has acquired over 13,000 hours of flight time flying worldwide, with over 9,000 hours of this in Challenger and Gulfstream aircraft. He is an experienced safety officer and was also an IS-BAO project manager for a fortune 500 flight department. He has presented on Safety and Operations topics at the NBAA International Operators Conference and the Canadian Business Aviation Association Convention and is currently on the NBAA International Operators Committee and serves as the North Atlantic Regional Lead. Mitch is also a member of an FAA working group on General Aviation International Authorizations and Tabletop Exercises (GIATE). He was recently selected to represent IBAC as a member of the ICAO Personal Training and Licensing Panel (PTLP) and was also recently named as a 2020 recipient of the NBAA Tony Kern Professionalism in Aviation Award for his contribution to the business aviation community.
Henry ‘Duke’ LeDuc
Director Of Operations, Americas, UAS International Trip Support
Duke has been a dearly respected member of UAS Americas team and the UAS global family for more than five years. A safety-oriented, FAA-licensed aircraft dispatcher, he oversees all of the operations of the elite UAS Operations Team. With twenty-five years of experience in aviation overall with more than fifteen years of experience in international flight planning and VVIP trip coordination, he is responsible for the development of the dispatch training program and involved in the strategic development of UAS Americas. With a myriad of rich aviation experience behind him, he has extensive experience in worldwide operations with both corporate and charter environments, including seven years as Operations/Dispatch Manager in an industry-leading, Fortune 500, IS-BAO Stage III Certified corporate flight department. Duke is frequently asked shares his knowledge at major industry events and is currently serving on the NBAA’s International Operators Conference (IOC) Planning Committee.
Dudley King
President and Founder, FlightBridge
Dudley is the Founder and President of FlightBridge, which he established in 2011 and has been focused on technology solutions for the private aviation industry since 2006. Since he graduated from Dartmouth in 1988, he has worked with an array of companies listed anywhere from VentureWire to the Fortune 100. A rare blend of executive, entrepreneur, and consultant, Dudley’s executive roles have included acting CIO positions for several companies and tech advisory services to CEOs trying to rebuild their technology organizations or looking for an external, professional point of view. Highly skilled at deeply understanding his customer’s business challenges and drawing from a long and varied experience in information technology services, Dudley excels at designing technology solutions to solve their problems.
Dr. Paulo Alves
Global Medical Director, Aviation Health, Medaire
Paulo has extensive experience in medical advisory in the aviation industry. As a cardiologist, he provides technical guidance and analysis for MedAire’s MedLink medical advisory service and is MedAire’s liaison with civil aviation regulators and industry associations. Paulo worked with Varig Brazilian Airlines for 23 years, 10 of which were spent as General Medical Manager. A member of the MedAire Medical Advisory Board, Paulo is also President of the Ibero-American Aerospace Medical Association, a member of the International Academy of Aerospace Medicine, a member of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Safety Committee, a Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA), and a Fellow of the Civil Aviation Medical Association. Throughout his illustrious career, Paulo has held industry leadership roles including Chairperson of the AsMA’s Air Transport Medicine Committee, President of the Airlines Medical Directors Association, President of the Brazilian Society of Aerospace Medicine and was a member of the IATA Medical Advisory Group from 2002 to 2006.
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