Akin Olateru M.SC., FCILT, FRAeS, FNSE

Akin Olateru M.SC., FCILT, FRAeS, FNSE

Commissioner/CEO

Akin Olateru is a multi-talented, resourceful Aviation industry professional with vast Airline and Air Transport management expertise. His industry experience and pedigree acquired in more than 30 years of versatile work exposure, crisscrosses the Aviation Industry in the UK, Europe, and Nigeria, at hands-on operational, management and top executive levels.

His desire has always been to create a better and safer sky for the flying public and has strategically grown his career pathway through the core aviation units of aircraft engineering maintenance, ground handling, and passenger and cargo transport operations in the bid to become well-rounded and grounded in the business of air transportation.

As an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer with Nigerian, UK and USA licenses, he began his career in engineering maintenance with Pan African Airlines and the Nigerian Police Air Wing after which he left Nigeria for further studies abroad. He has also worked with multiple airlines in Europe including KLM, Martin Air in Holland, British Aerospace Engineering and British Midland Airways.

He attended City University, London and graduated with an M.Sc. in Air Transport Management, where amongst other specializations he studied and made in-depth research and simulations into accident investigations at postgraduate level.

He was appointed by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to head the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB-Nigeria) as the Commissioner/Chief Executive Officer in January 2017.

Since his appointment, a total of 27 Final Reports (including several outstanding accident/incident reports) have been released to the public which makes up 58.7% of AIB’s total of 46 Final Reports released since inception (2007). A total of 97 safety recommendations have been issued in these reports accounting for 54.5% of the total 178 recommendations issued since the inception of AIB.

His focus on human capacity development has ensured that all investigators have received training in accident investigation from prestigious institutions. He has propelled the reactivation and upgrade of several of AIBs facilities in order to improve the Bureau’s capabilities. The Bureaus Flight Safety Laboratory has been equipped and its software upgraded to the latest technology available which allows it to simulate animations based on data from the Flight Data Recorders (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), and has been accredited for FDR/CVR Replay and Analysis by the International Society of Air Safety Investigators (ISASI).

He has initiated collaborations and cooperation agreements with several countries and institutions such as the Republic of Benin, US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Singapore Transport Safety Investigation Bureau (TSIB), Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses pour la sécurité de l’aviation civile (BEA- France), University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), and University of Lagos (UNILAG).

He has rigorously analyzed the critical issues, challenges, and opportunities faced by the Bureau and identified strategies for improvement while advocating for better policies that will steer the Nigerian aviation industry forward and assist other African countries.

He is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, UK, United Kingdom Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, Nigerian Society of Engineers and a member of the prestigious Chatham House, UK.