Ifetayo Onasanya is an accomplished aviation professional with over 15 years of experience in commercial flight operations and aviation training.

Currently a Pilot for ASKY Airlines on the Boeing 737 NG and MAX, he has logged over 6,500 flight hours and is pursuing a Master of Science in Air Transport Management. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Geography and a Diploma in Commercial Pilot Training, having served as a Flight Instructor for over a decade at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT).

An ICAO-qualified and NCAA-approved instructor, Ifetayo has led Aviation Training Organisation setups and facilitated safety programs. Additionally, he is the Managing Director of Onas Electrical Engineering Co., demonstrating a commitment to operational excellence and aviation education advancement in Nigeria and beyond.

Onasanya in an exclusive interview with the Guardian Nigeria shares the core of practice

Excerpt

You have spent a large part of your career training pilots and aviation professionals. From your perspective, what role does instruction play in aviation safety overall?

Instruction sits at the very foundation of aviation safety. Aircraft technology continues to evolve, but human decision-making, procedural discipline, and risk management remain central.

Training is where those habits are formed. When instructional systems are consistent and safety-focused, the benefits extend far beyond individual pilots; they influence organisational safety behaviour, regulatory compliance, and operational reliability. In many ways, improvements in training environments produce a lot of safety gains in aviation.

Your instructional work began at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), a globally recognised institution. What did that experience teach you about training systems?

NCAT holds a uniquely important position in aviation training history as it is the first aviation training college in West Africa and it has five specialised schools covering the full spectrum of aviation disciplines, including the Flying School, Aircraft Maintenance Engineering School, Aeronautical Telecommunications Engineering School, Air Traffic Services/Communication School, and the Aviation Management School. I am also proud to be an alumnus of NCAT, which gives me a dual perspective, first as a student shaped by its training philosophy, and later as an instructor contributing to the same system.

The institution provided exposure to a highly structured, standards-driven training environment aligned with ICAO frameworks. It reinforced how critical standardisation and instructional governance are in safety-critical industries. Beyond teaching flight skills, we were continuously focused on consistency, evaluation methods, and safety integration.

That experience deeply shaped my understanding of how training organisations function as safety systems, where even small variations in instruction or safety culture can produce significant operational consequences.

Many of your former students now operate internationally. How does that shape your understanding of training effectiveness?

Aviation is inherently global, so training quality becomes visible over time and across jurisdictions. When pilots trained under a particular instructional philosophy perform effectively in different regulatory and operational environments, it highlights the durability of the training model. It also underscores a broader principle: well-designed training systems create competencies that transfer reliably across aircraft types, operators, and national boundaries.

Safety Management Systems (SMS) appear repeatedly in your career. Why do you see SMS as especially relevant to training organisations?

Because many safety risks in training environments originate from human factors, procedural interpretation, and organisational behaviours rather than mechanical issues. SMS provides a structured way to identify, measure, and mitigate those risks proactively. Instructors, students, and evaluators all operate within an interconnected safety environment. Effective SMS adoption helps organisations move from reactive compliance to predictive safety management, which is particularly valuable in dynamic training contexts.

You have worked across instruction, airline operations, and training leadership. Do you see common challenges across different aviation systems?

Very much so. Regardless of geography, training organisations often face similar challenges: maintaining instructional consistency, aligning safety culture with regulatory expectations, translating complex rules into operational practice, and managing human-performance variability. These are not purely technical problems; they are systems-design and risk-management challenges. Addressing them requires both operational experience and structured safety analysis.

Your academic path includes graduate education and planned doctoral research in aviation training. How does research intersect with practical aviation safety?

Aviation has long relied on evidence-based safety improvements. Research helps identify patterns, refine training methodologies, and develop measurable safety indicators. In training contexts, research-driven instructional models can significantly improve learning reliability, error management, and decision-making quality. Bridging research with operational realities is essential for producing training solutions that are both theoretically sound and practically effective.

You have earned certifications across multiple regulatory environments, including FAA credentials. How does international exposure influence your professional outlook?
International exposure highlights both the harmonisation and variability within global aviation systems. While safety principles are universal, implementation practices differ. Understanding those differences is invaluable when working on training frameworks, safety systems, or compliance tools. It encourages designing solutions that are unique, adaptable, and grounded in internationally benchmarked standards.

Looking ahead, where do you believe the aviation-training sector can achieve meaningful safety improvements?

One promising area is the development of accessible, data-driven safety tools and simplified compliance resources for training organisations. Many safety frameworks are conceptually strong but operationally difficult to implement. Practical solutions that help instructors and organisations measure safety culture, interpret regulations clearly, and integrate Safety Management System principles efficiently can produce substantial improvements. Safety advancements often come not from entirely new regulations, but from improving how existing systems are understood and applied.

How would you summarise your long-term professional focus?

My work has consistently centred on strengthening training reliability, safety-system effectiveness, and regulatory alignment. Aviation safety is ultimately built through disciplined training environments, clear standards, and structured risk management. Supporting those elements, whether through instruction, safety systems, or training design has been the defining thread of my career.