FG Suspends Dana Airline License

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The crisis in the aviation sector is far from over. 3 days after a tragic crash involving an Associated Airlines plane that killed 14 people in Lagos, the Federal Government, through the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority on Sunday night, announced the suspension of Dana Air’s operations nationwide. The decision to suspend Dana’s operations came 24 hours after the NCAA also grounded the operations of Associated Airlines, whose Embraer 120 plane crashed near a fuel depot just two minutes after takeoff at the Lagos airport, killing about 15 personalities.

The charter plane was conveying the remains of a former Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Agagu, to Akure for interment. It also had on board 20 people, including officials of Ondo state government, family members and friends of Agagu.

Also, 24 hours after the Associated Airlines crash, another major air disaster was averted when a Kabo Airlines’ Boeing 747 plane carrying 512 pilgrims had a near-crash at the Sokoto airport with deflated tyres, damaging the airport’s Instrument Landing System.

The General Manager, Corporate Communications, Aviation Parastatals, Yakubu Dati, confirmed on Sunday night that the government had suspended the operations of Dana Air nationwide. Dati said the decision was to allow the regulatory agency “conduct an operational audit” on the carrier and its planes.

The latest suspension of Dana’s operations made it the third time the NCAA would be grounding the carrier over safety and other related issues. Nigerians who fly regularly are worried that the regulatory authority in Nigeria is not living up to its task.

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