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The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority and Lufthansa Airlines have reaffirmed their drive toward sustainability in aviation through impact green policy actions. This renewed partnership was spotlighted at Lufthansa’s Exclusive Discourse Event, held at Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Director of Air Transport Regulations, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Mrs. Olayinka Babaoye-Iriobe, was represented by Deputy General Manager (Commercial Agreement and Aviation Environment), Mrs. Evelyn Tanko.

Tanko explained that the Authority, under the Civil Aviation Act 2022, is empowered to regulate environmental issues within the aviation sector.

To support this mandate, the NCAA has domesticated ICAO Annex 16 on Environmental Protection under national regulations. Part 16 of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations outlines procedures for reporting and verifying CO₂ emissions in international operations.

In addition, Part 5 of the same regulation focuses on aircraft noise certification and emission control requirements within the aviation system.

She further explained NCAA’s commitment to sustainability in aviation through development of a national State Action Plan on CO₂ emission reduction.

Nigeria voluntarily joined the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) during the pilot phase in 2018. The country has since maintained consistent submission of emissions data to support the programme’s climate change mitigation goals.

Tanko revealed that the NCAA is also spearheading a Sustainable Aviation Fuel Roadmap for local production and deployment across Nigeria.

This is a major step in the journey toward sustainability in aviation and energy transition for the domestic aviation sector.

Meanwhile, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria is implementing Airport Carbon Accreditation at major airports across the country.

This process is expected to greatly lower carbon emissions, improve energy efficiency, and promote green airport management practices.

Also, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency has introduced Free Route Airspace and Performance-Based Navigation systems to optimise flight paths.

These technologies are crucial to lowering aircraft fuel burn and consequently reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions from flight operations.

Despite these efforts, challenges persist including limited data systems, fragmented policies, funding gaps, and institutional readiness issues.

Senior Director (Sales), Lufthansa Sub-Saharan Africa, Mr. Rene Koinzack, said the airline is advancing science-based sustainability targets.

He highlighted investments in modern aircraft, efficient flight planning, SAF usage, and waste reduction initiatives in flight operations.

The Exclusive Discourse Event closed with a strong call for all stakeholders to enhance sustainability in aviation through shared responsibility.

To truly achieve sustainability in aviation, airports, airlines, regulators, and manufacturers must adopt integrated and environment-conscious strategies.