Air Safety: Reps demand medical test on Pilots

Air Safety: Reps demand medical test on Pilots

OrderPaperToday – The House of Representatives has called on the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to routinely subject members of crew and pilots of airlines to medical tests before and after flights to determine their fitness to fly.

It also called on airline operators to diligently ensure that only sober pilots or members of crew are allowed on their planes adding that the diligence should be extended to their period of employment.

These resolution followed a motion entitled “Danger of Pilots Flying under the Influence of Alcohol and Psychoactive Substances” sponsored by Mr Taofeek Adaranijo (APC, Lagos) during plenary.

Leading the debate on the motion, Mr Adaranijo expressed worry on the development.

He noted that by the provision of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations, members of crew are not to engage in the use of these substances while on duty, adding that a violation of the provision attracts the suspension of the offending party.

According to the lawmaker, psychoactive drugs work by manipulating the synapses in between nerves in the central nervous system thereby distorting thought processes and causing a variety of side effects such as anxiety, psychosis, mood swings, depression and sleep problems, all of which are not suitable to the job demands of pilots or members of crew.

The House therefore adopted the motion and mandated its Committee on Aviation to liaise with the Ministry of Transportation to ensure implementation of the resolution.

Recall that in May 2017, the NCAA conducted random tests on 87 personnel from Air Peace, Med-View and Air Traffic Controllers of the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) as they were about to embark upon flight operations and air traffic control duties and a member of crew tested positive for a psychoactive substance.