The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has issued Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) to Genesis Global Aviation to operate full charter helicopter services.

The certificate was issued after the company had satisfied all the regulatory requirements and went through a thorough screening.

Speaking in Lagos after receiving the AOC, the company’s chairman, Capt. Emmanuel Iheanacho said getting the certification was a major milestone for the company.

He expressed confidence in the Nigerian economy despite that so many companies had had fizzled out.

He said although lots of players in the aviation industry had crashed out “it has not changed the situation that requires helicopter services.”

“Whether it is in respect of offshore service delivery or for emergency medical evacuation or general logistics of moving people and personnel from one point to the other, there is requirement for helicopter services.

“I think, really, people should doff their hats for us that we are not quitting; we are absolutely standing there because we really believe in the resilience of the Nigerian economy.

“What we are witnessing is just a dip for the time being and we believe that there is bound to be a rebound at some point in time. The future belongs to those who dare; he who dares wins,” he said.

Iheanacho said it was herculean to get the AOC because of the rigorous processes involved.

“The AOC is a wonderful achievement in my own opinion. We have been in the business for more than two years and it has been a very hard and arduous journey to being where we are today.

“There are five stages of the AOC and you have to go through vigorous examinations; standards to meet, understanding the rules, and so many other things.

“You have to go through a rigorous examination. The registration of the company was accomplished in April 2015 and since then we have gone through one approval process after another all towards obtaining the commercial airline certification status. It has not been an easy process,” he added.

However, he said he was elated that the company had satisfied all the regulatory requirements.

“We have now convinced the regulatory authority that we have now met the standard for offering commercial services for whosoever may require.

“Today marks the beginning of our real journey in commercial aviation of delivering unrivalled safe, comfortable and reliable services to our perspective to our prospective clients and the flying public.

“We are poised to deliver safe, qualitative and cost effective commercial helicopter services to the general public including offshore oil industry service providers, EMS service operators, line surveillance operators, and so on

“We look forward to the task of growing Genesis Global Aviation Ltd to the highest international civil aviation, oil and gas and helicopter charter industry standards, where our goal is to become the foremost player,” he said.

Iheanacho said the company owns and operates six Eurocopter EC 155B helicopters “while plans are afoot to acquire additional rotary assets to enhance service delivery.”
Newsgazet