The airline’s Deputy Executive Vice President, Mr. Chris Ndulue said in Lagos at the weekend that “it has been a long wait for the certification which will enable Arik Air, presently the only Nigerian carrier flying direct to US, to use Nigerian registered aircraft and fly Nigerian crew to the US.”

Arik Air’s Airbus A340-500 aircraft being used on the Lagos-New York JFK route carries a foreign registration number and has been operated by Hi-Fly of Portugal since November 29, 2009 when Arik Air started flying direct flights three times weekly to the US.

“We expect that Nigerian pilots will benefit from this new dispensation as some of them will have to go on training to upgrade and fly our flagship aircraft,” Mr. Ndulue said.

He thanked the American government, the Federal government of Nigeria and particularly the Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr. Harold Demuren for their consistent support and utmost cooperation during the entire process.

Arik Air’s Senior Vice President Commercials, Mr. Suraj Sundaram stressed: “Arik Air is pleased to have played a significant role in the process leading to the award of the US Category 1 Status. Arik Air is the first and only Nigerian carrier to be issued the new Air Operator Certificate by the NCAA having met the Federal Government’s requirement of the new Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulation.”

This recertification process by NCAA, supervised by FAA and Department of Transport, United States of America, sets a new level of compliance with regards to international safety, security and quality standards.