NCAA prepares for surge of aircraft, airlines with digital transition of licences

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is strengthening its regulatory systems to accommodate an anticipated surge in domestic airlines and aircraft with a transition from manual to automated license issuance—a move designed to make the certification process seamless, transparent, and resilient against human interference.

At the heart of this transformation is the implementation of EMPIC, a globally recognised specialised software platform used by premier aviation authorities to manage safety oversight. The system primarily aligns Nigeria’s regulatory framework with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) standards, ensuring that local certifications carry global relevance.

The initial phase of the Go-Live project focuses specifically on the Personnel Licensing (PEL) and Medical Certification (MED) environments. By digitising these licences, the NCAA is shifting from a bureaucracy of paperwork to a licensing ecosystem capable of operating at the speed of the industry it oversees.

Speaking during a stakeholder engagement on the digital transformation initiative of EMPIC PEL | MED at the NCAA’s office in Lagos, Chris Najomo, the director general, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, stated that as traffic grows, the aviation workforce expands, and global scrutiny intensifies, regulatory systems must evolve accordingly and operate at the speed and intelligence of the industry they oversee.

According to him, the deployment of the EMPIC Licensing and Medical Certification platform is the first phase in the NCAA’s response to this reality, and it represents the authority’s deliberate shift toward a data-driven, intelligent, audit-compliant licensing and medical certification ecosystem; one that enhances integrity, transparency, and global credibility.

“Licensing and medical certification are not administrative functions; they are safety controls,” Najomo said.

Related News

He said in a modern aviation ecosystem, these pillars must be supported by robust digital infrastructure.

“Manual and semi-automated processes and validation, fragmented databases, paper-driven workflows, and limited traceability no longer meet the demands of ICAO SARPs compliance, real-time verification requirements, global mobility of license holders, data integrity and audit traceability, and increased industry volume and complexity,” the DG NCAA explained.

Najomo said the NCAA’s digital transformation is in two broad categories – persons and organisations, adding that the Go-Live stakeholder engagement is focused on aviation licensed personnel (PEL); however, its next phases of implementation will be focused on organisations.

He said the organisation approval surveillance comprises air operator certification, approved training organisations, approved maintenance organisations, continuing airworthiness management organisations (CAMO), aerodromes, air navigation service providers, meteorology ground handling organisations, dangerous goods approval & oversight, and operational specifications (Ops Specs) management.

Ramp inspections & surveillance audits technical certification, on the other hand, include aircraft type certification validation, supplemental type certificates approval, aircraft registration, airworthiness certification, export/import certificate of airworthiness, Airworthiness Directives (AD) adoption & monitoring, major modifications & repairs approval, aircraft maintenance programme approval, and Minimum Equipment List (MEL) approval.

Technical certification, on the other hand, includes aircraft-type certification validation, Supplemental Type Certificates (STC) approval/validation,
aircraft registration, airworthiness certification, export/import certificate of airworthiness, airworthiness directives adoption & monitoring, major modifications & repairs approval, aircraft maintenance PM program approval, and Minimum Equipment List (MEL) approval.

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.