The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has suspended Dana Airlines’ Air Transport Licence (ATL) and Air Operator Certificate (AOC) indefinitely, with effect from midnight of Wednesday, July 20, 2022.
This is contained in a statement signed by Capt. Musa Nuhu,
the Director General of NCAA, on Wednesday in Lagos.
The statement said that the suspension was made pursuant to
Section 35(2), 3(b) and (4) of the Civil Aviation Act, 2006 and Part
1.3.3.3(a)(1) of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs), 2015.
It said that the suspension order, handed down by Nuhu, has
since been communicated to the management of Dana Airlines.
According to statement, the decision was the outcome of a
financial and economic health audit carried out on the Airline by the
Authority, and the findings of an investigation conducted on the Airline’s
flight operations recently.
It said that these revealed that Dana Airlines was no longer
in a position to meet its financial obligations and to conduct safe flight
operations.
“The NCAA acknowledges the negative effect this preemptive
decision will have on the Airline’s passengers and the travelling public and
seeks their understanding, as the safety of flight operations takes priority
over all other considerations,” the statement said.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Dana Air Boeing 737
aircraft with registration number (5N DNA) had on Tuesday made an emergency
landing at Abuja Airport.
The airline, after the incident, said that the aircraft had
been grounded for immediate attention by engineers.
The airline’s Communication Manager, Mr Kingsley Ezenwa made
these known in a statement issued in Lagos.
Ezenwa said that the incident was due to an indication on
one of its engines.
He noted that the Pilot-in-command briefed the passengers on
the incident and landed the aircraft safely at the Abuja International airport
at about 2.52 p.m.
“All the 100 passengers disembarked safely and the aircraft
has been grounded for immediate attention by our team of engineers.
“The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) have also been
briefed on the incident,” he had said.
Ezenwa apologised to passengers on board the flight and
reassured customers that the airline would continue to maintain high safety
standards.
The suspension of DANA Air operations also comes soon after
the Airline Operators of Nigeria wrote to the NCAA and the Federal Airports
Authority of Nigeria expressing some concerns and seeking reliefs.