The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has revoked the Air Operator Certificates (AOCs) of Eastwind Aviation Logistics Services Limited and Omni-Blu Aviation.
The regulatory body stated that the decision was due to violations of Part 1.2.1.5 of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig. CARs), which prohibits the falsification, reproduction, or alteration of applications, licences, certificates, logbooks, reports, or records.
The disclosure was conveyed in a statement posted on the official X (formerly Twitter) account of the NCAA on Friday.
This move is part of the NCAA’s ongoing efforts to sanitize the aviation industry, ensuring that all operators uphold the highest standards of integrity and safety in their operations.
“In efforts to further sanitize the aviation industry, the NCAA has revoked the Air Operator Certificates of two operators:
“Eastwind Aviation Logistics Services Limited
“Omni-Blu Aviation
“The Authority has determined that both Omni-Blu Aviation and Eastwind Aviation are in violation of Part 1.2.1.5 of Nig. CARs on Falsification, Reproduction, or Alteration of Applications, Licences, Certificates, Logbooks, Reports, or Records,” the statement read in part.
The statement further highlighted that under Part 1.2.1.5(b) of Nig. CARs, the penalty for such violations is certificate revocation, leading to the withdrawal of the AOCs—OBA/AOC/12-15/002 for Omni-Blu Aviation and EAL/AOC/03-24/001 for Eastwind Aviation.
As a result, both operators are no longer authorized to carry out commercial air transport operations under their revoked AOCs.
What you should know
Before its AOC was revoked, Eastwind Aviation Logistics Services Limited primarily provided helicopter services to Nigeria’s oil & gas and government sectors. The company operated the Sikorsky SK76c helicopter (registration 5N-BQG), which crashed off the coast of Calabar on October 24, 2024.
- The helicopter, which was carrying eight people, including personnel from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), was en route from Port Harcourt to the NUIMANTAN oil rig when the crash occurred, resulting in fatalities.
- Omni-Blu Aviation, according to its website, offered helicopter charter services for offshore oil and gas operations, as well as business jet and helicopter charter services. However, in October 2023, the NCAA suspended Omni-Blu’s certification process, preventing it from operating as a scheduled airline.
- The suspension was linked to concerns over its major financier, Engr. Akin Olateru, who was also serving as Director-General of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) at the time. Despite this, Omni-Blu Aviation eventually resolved the issue and successfully obtained its AOC before its recent revocation by the NCAA.
The NCAA’s decision to revoke these AOCs highlights its commitment to regulatory enforcement and industry integrity.
