Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA has said that it will sanction any airline operator who allows unauthorised personnel into their aircraft cockpit during operations. The warning was made known in a letter signed by the Director General of NCAA, Captain Musa Nuhu. He said the cockpit is a ” sterile area ” of the aircraft and its importance should not be undermined . In the letter, NCAA/ DG/ AIR/1/11/324 dated 25th October 2021 and addressed to Accountable Managers of airlines , Nuhu decried the worrisome trend and vowed to take action.
The letter reads in part ,” It has been brought to the notice of the authority of a worrisome development in which passengers are admitted into the flight deck ( cockpit) especially on commercial air transport flights. Aircraft flight decks are designated sterile working environment and the presence of unauthorised persons is both a distraction to safe flight operations and a potential security . In addition, it is a violation of Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations ( NCARs) 8.5.1.12 and 8.5.1.13.”
”All operators and flight crews are hereby warned to desist from admitting unauthorised persons into the cockpit during all phases of flight operations with immediate effect. Any violation of non-compliance with the directive will result in the imposition of applicable sanctions on both operators and flight Crew,” the NCAA Director General warned.
