The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority announced on 6 April 2020 a temporary extension to the validity of pilot licences, medical certificates, and aircraft airworthiness and maintenance approvals that were due to expire during the COVID-19 lockdown, when training organisations, medical examiners and inspection facilities were largely inaccessible.
Following ICAO Guidance
The extension followed guidance issued by the International Civil Aviation Organization encouraging member states to adopt flexible measures to avoid grounding qualified personnel and airworthy aircraft purely because routine renewal processes had been interrupted by pandemic restrictions. NCAA Director-General Musa Nuhu said the extension would be reviewed as lockdown measures eased and would not compromise safety oversight, with holders required to complete outstanding renewals once facilities reopened.
The measure covered private and commercial pilot licences, type ratings, and certificates of airworthiness for both passenger and cargo aircraft, and was welcomed by airlines that had feared a backlog of expired documentation would delay their return to service once flights resumed.