Authority Unveils Digital Licensing Platform, Ends Paper-based Aviation Certification

As part of efforts to end paper-based aviation certification processes and modernise regulatory oversight in the aviation sector, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has unveiled a fully digital personnel licensing and certification platform.

The director general of the Civil Aviation Authority (DGCA), Chris Najomo, disclosed on Tuesday, during the unveiling of the Modern Personnel Licensing and Certification (MPLC) NCAA Digital Transformation Initiative and PEL/MED Stakeholder Engagement, held at Murtala Muhammed Airport.

Najomo said the new digital regime would take effect from July 2, 2026, stressing that the initiative would eliminate delays associated with manual processing of licences and certifications for pilots, engineers, medical personnel and other aviation professionals.

According to him, the era of waiting for weeks or months for aviation licences and certifications would soon become a thing of the past as the authority transitions fully to electronic processing.

He explained that the digital platform was designed to strengthen the regulatory backbone of Nigeria’s aviation industry while aligning the country with global best practices in aviation oversight.

Najomo noted that the stakeholder engagement was organised to ensure industry-wide readiness ahead of the full deployment of the system.

“Personnel licensing is key to airline operations. Airline operators have always asked when the long wait for licences would end. I can assure you that it will be over soon. There will be no more waiting,” he said.

The NCAA boss stated that the platform would provide online and transparent application processes for issuance, renewal and conversion of licences, while also enabling real-time status tracking and significantly reducing turnaround times.

He added that the system would introduce biometric-backed credentials and QR-code-based licence verification to improve security and transparency.

Najomo stressed that the aviation industry could no longer depend on manual and semi-automated processes in an era where global compliance, real-time verification and data integrity had become critical.

He explained that the deployment of the digital licensing and medical certification platform represents the first phase of the NCAA’s broader digital transformation programme.

According to him, subsequent phases of the initiative would cover Air Operator Certificate (AOC) processes, Approved Training Organisations (ATOs), Approved Maintenance Organisations (AMOs), aerodromes, air navigation service providers, ground handling organisations and dangerous goods approvals.

Najomo revealed that while obtaining an AOC previously took between one and two years, the process had already been reduced to between six and eight months under his administration.

He added that the new digital platform would further reduce the timeline to about 90 days.

The DGCA further disclosed that the platform would also handle technical certification processes, including aircraft registration, airworthiness certification, maintenance programme approvals, export and import certification of airworthiness, supplemental type certificates and monitoring of airworthiness directives.

In his remarks, the director of Airworthiness Standards, Godwin Balang, said the MPLC project would permanently eliminate paper-based processing in aviation certification and licensing.

Balang explained that the project was conceived to digitise and modernise the authority’s regulatory processes, noting that effective aviation oversight could no longer be managed manually.

He commended the NCAA management for advancing the project within two years and engaging international partners and technical experts to understudy global best practices in aviation digitalisation.

According to him, a team from the authority recently travelled to South America for a technical engagement on the implementation of the MPLC project.