Good news! The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority is considering certifying the Chinese COMAC C919 aircraft for local airlines

The head of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority told Reuters that as Nigerian airlines receive more planes and relations with China continue to strengthen, the authority is considering certifying the Chinese-made C919 aircraft.

COMAC is producing the narrow-body C919 aircraft to compete with Western leading aircraft manufacturers Airbus and Boeing, and has held multiple meetings with Nigeria on this model. The Minister of Aviation and Space Development of Nigeria, Kiamo, said this month that Nigeria is willing to allow COMAC to use the country as a base to enter a broader African market.

However, the state-owned enterprise COMAC faces challenges. Its two aircraft models lack benchmark certification from Western regulatory authorities, and delivery targets have also fallen behind. Due to trade conflicts, the United States has temporarily suspended exports of CFM International, Safran Group engines used in the C919 this year.

Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, with 230 million people, and has great potential in the aviation market. The Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Njomo, told Reuters that the authority is considering a domestic route operation certification process for the plane that could last several months, and pointed out that the plane has not yet received approval from Western regulatory authorities.

Njomo said during the International Civil Aviation Organization conference in Montreal: "We are considering certifying the plane. First, we must start here." A spokesperson at the first Nigerian International Air Show told Reuters that COMAC plans to showcase one of its production planes at the exhibition scheduled for December, but did not reveal the specific model.

Njomo said that officials from COMAC have proposed to provide maintenance and training support for any aircraft operated by Nigerian airlines, and are exploring so-called "dry lease arrangements" - aircraft leasing schemes without crew members.

Njomo said: "We just told them that if they can ensure a good 'dry lease arrangement', it would be better."

Ahmad, CEO of Nigerian airline NG Eagle, said he is interested in expanding his fleet size, so that the company will no longer be limited to its current three planes, and said he would consider it if the COMAC aircraft were certified and provided maintenance and training support.

The improvement in the rating of the Nigerian aviation working group reflects an increased compliance with the Cape Town Convention, which aims to simplify the process of leasing aviation equipment. Njomo said this progress has enhanced the confidence of lessors, allowing the country's 13 airlines to obtain updated aircraft in the leasing market.

Although air travel remains expensive for many Nigerians, according to data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the average real ticket price fell by 43.6% between 2011 and 2023. Currently, the C919 is only operated by Chinese airlines. COMAC's small C909 regional jet is also operated by three airlines in Southeast Asia.

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1844640943193227/

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