An FAA evaluation team will travel to Nigeria on March 31 to conduct an international air safety assessment (IASA) to determine if that country will maintain its category-one safety certification. The recertification is an important part of Nigeria’s aviation strategy because it allows direct access to U.S. airspace by carriers from that country. The enhanced safety rating also directly affects the insurance premiums Nigerian airlines pay, considered to be one of the greatest operating costs for those carriers.

Capt. Fola Akinkuotu, new director general for the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, said he is confident the country’s aviation system will again win its three-year recertification.

India lost its category-one safety rating last month when a similar FAA IASA audit downgraded the country to category two.