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.
NCAA Director-General, Captain Musa Nuhu, announced this in a statement on Wednesday.
Nuhu said, “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.”
According to him, the suspension order has since been communicated to the management of Dana Airlines.
The NCAA chief said, “The decision is 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, which revealed that Dana Airlines is no longer in a position to meet its financial obligations and to conduct safe flight operations.
“The NCAA acknowledges the negative effect this pre-emptive 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 added.
Recall that Nigeria’s oldest airline, Aero Contractors suspended its passengers flights operations indefinitely from Wednesday, July 20.
Aero Contractors in a statement said the suspension of its operations was due to “most of our aircraft are currently undergoing maintenance, resulting in our inability to offer a seamless and efficient service to our esteemed customers.”
However, it listed “high cost of maintenance, skyrocketing fuel prices, inflation, and forex scarcity resulting in high foreign exchange rates,” as issues hampering operations.
The company also cited the impact of the challenging operating environment on its daily operations as one of the contributing factors to the flight suspension.
Ifunanya Ikueze is an Engineer, Safety Professional, Writer, Investor, Entrepreneur and Educator.
