SH&E/ICF Helps Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority Achieve Top Rating from International Aviation Safety Assessments Program

FAIRFAX, Va. (August 27, 2010) – SH&E, a subsidiary of ICF International (SH&E/ICF) and one of the world’s leaders in aviation expertise, has been an integral contributor in guiding the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) in receiving a Category 1 rating from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s International Aviation Safety Assessments (IASA) Program.

“Under the vision and leadership of NCAA Director General Dr. Harold Demuren, the Category 1 safety designation is a major milestone for Nigeria, for Africa, and for the global aviation community. Nigeria has achieved what many believed was impossible. Vision, determination, and the commitment of the NCAA, the Nigerian Ministry of Aviation, and the Nigerian federal government have brought this dream to reality,” said Lou Sorrentino, senior vice president and managing officer for SH&E/ICF.

Working under the auspices of the Flight Safety Foundation in the effort to achieve a Category 1 rating, SH&E/ICF performed an initial baseline assessment of the oversight capabilities of the NCAA. Shortly thereafter, SH&E/ICF prepared the NCAA for the International Civil Aviation Organization Universal Safety Oversight Audit Program inspection. SH&E/ICF was selected by the Nigerian Ministry of Aviation in 2009 to perform consultancy services for the recertification of the Nigerian aviation industry as part of the World Bank Economic Reforms and Governance Project, Aviation Safety Component Project, which launched in January and is expected to continue through the first half of 2011.

“There is more work to be done with continued vigilance and oversight of the Nigerian aviation community and we are pleased to be a valued partner to the NCAA and to the Nigerian Ministry of Aviation,” Sorrentino said.

“SH&E/ICF is very proud of the Nigerian authority’s achievement, and we are proud to be partners with the NCAA, which has demonstrated exceptional perseverance and commitment to aviation safety,” said José Muñoz, vice president for SH&E/ICF.