The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has granted Pioneer Airlines approval to commence non-scheduled commercial flight operations, marking the airline’s formal entry into Nigeria’s aviation industry.
The approval followed the presentation of an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) to the Bayelsa State-backed carrier in Abuja on Wednesday.
The Director-General of the NCAA, Chris Najomo, who presented the certificate to the airline’s management, congratulated the company and urged it to maintain high operational and safety standards.
Mr Najomo said the aviation authority would continue to monitor the airline’s operations to ensure compliance with regulatory and safety requirements.
Speaking after receiving the certificate, the Managing Director of Pioneer Airlines, Henry Ungbuku, said the airline secured certification in just over four months due to what he described as its preparedness for operations.
According to him, the airline currently operates two aircraft owned by the Bayelsa State Government.
He explained that the airline initially applied for approval to conduct non-scheduled operations because previous NCAA regulations required a minimum of six aircraft before an airline could obtain certification for scheduled commercial services.
“So, since we had two, we applied for unscheduled operations, which include charter and group bookings,” Mr Ungbuku said.
He added, however, that the NCAA has since reviewed the requirement and reduced the minimum aircraft threshold for scheduled operations from six to two aircraft.
“That is why we are by for scheduled operations from tomorrow because the requirement is now two and we already have two aircraft,” he said.
Mr Ungbuku also disclosed that the airline leases the aircraft from the Bayelsa State Government under a rental arrangement.
The development was also confirmed by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, in a post on his X account on Thursday.
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Mr Keyamo described the certification as the beginning of Pioneer Airlines’ commercial operations and said the airline’s management later paid him a courtesy visit after receiving the certificate.
The minister linked the emergence of more state-backed airlines to reforms introduced under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
“I remarked at the occasion that the rise in state-owned airlines is a result of excellent aviation policies put in place by the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” Mr Keyamo said.
He added that more airlines within the sector could provide passengers with wider travel options across domestic routes.
The entry of Pioneer Airlines comes at a time Nigeria’s aviation industry continues to face mounting operational pressures, including high aviation fuel costs, foreign exchange challenges, aircraft shortages and rising maintenance expenses.
Despite these challenges, industry operators and regulators have continued to push for increased domestic airline capacity and improved connectivity across the country.