ByMyReckoning

In Nigerian a Boeing 737 belonging to ADC Airlines crashed in to a field whilst taking off in the capital Abuja. 96 people were killed including the spiritual head of Nigeria's 70 million strong Muslim community, Muhammadu Maccido known as the Sultan of Sokoto. As a catastrophe it stands alongside the crash a month earlier which killed ten of the top personnel in the Nigerian military.

There's little doubt that these incidents are the culmination of a pattern of mismanagement and corruption that has led to the death of over 300 people in three passenger plane crashes during the last 12 months.

Auditors from the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) are due to visit in late November and their verdict will indicate whether there have been any real improvements, especially in light of the $150m emergency fund set aside by the Nigerian government.

If the Nigerian aviation industry and ministry cannot convince the ICAO and other countries that that they can run reasonably safe operations, we may find Nigerian registered airlines being restricted from entering some national airspaces.