The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has suspended Dana Airlines’ Air Transport Licence and Air Operator Certificate indefinitely..
The suspension, according to the NCAA takes effect from midnight of Wednesday, 20th July, 2022.
The NCAA in a statement by its Director General, Captain Musa Nuhu, said the decision to suspend the operation of the airline 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.
Nuhu said the decision has since been communicated to the management of Dana Airlines.
The statement explained that the decision was part of 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 added that the findings 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 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”, it said.
Meanwhile, Dana Air has confirmed its suspension.
While reacting to the development, the Airline in a statement sought the “understanding and patience of our customers, travel and business partners and sincerely apologise for any inconvenience our short absence from the market might cause”
The statement read in part, “Our operations have been suspended as advised by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority in order to undergo a full operational audit with effect from midnight 20th July, 2022.
“Operational audits are regulatory and airlines are obligated to suspend their operations when the NCAA calls for it and we understand the impact this suspension will have on our partners, staff, passengers and the general public but we are very confident that we would come out stronger as we have done in the past.
“We crave the understanding and patience of our customers, travel and business partners and sincerely apologise for any inconvenience our short absence from the market might cause.
“Our customer service team will continue to operate 24/7 to assist affected customers with necessary information on refunds and our offices will be open to all our existing partners.”
The suspension is coming barely 24 hours afte its Boeing 737 aircraft with the registration number (5N DNA) made an emergency landing at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on Tuesday.
The incident, which occurred at about 2.52 pm on Tuesday with about 100 passengers aboard the aircraft, was caused by a mechanical fault in one of its engines.
A statement issued by Dana Air On the incident had read: “Our Abuja-bound Boeing 737 aircraft with the registration number (5N DNA) embarked on an emergency landing today, 19th July 2022, due to an indication on one of its engines.
“The pilot in command briefed the passengers on the incident and landed the aircraft safely at the Abuja International Airport at about 2:52 pm.
“All 100 passengers disembarked safely and the aircraft has been grounded for immediate attention by our team of engineers.
“The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has also been briefed on the incident.”
