The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on Wednesday suspended the Air Transport Licence (ATL) and Air Operator Certificate (AOC) of Dana Airlines indefinitely.
The Director-General of NCAA, Musa Nuhu, announced this in a statement on Wednesday night.
Nuhu said the suspension of the operations of the airlines would take effect from midnight of Wednesday.
The decision, according to him, was the outcome of a financial and economic health audit carried out on the airline by the regulatory authority.
He said the findings of an investigation conducted on the airline’s flight operations 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 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,” he said.
Dana Airlines confirmed the suspension in a statement it issued on Wednesday.
“Our operations have been suspended as advised by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) in order to undergo a full operational audit with effect from midnight 20th July, 2022,” the statement said.
An aircraft belonging to Dana Airlines on Tuesday made an emergency landing in Abuja after developing suspected engine problem midair.
The airline said the affected aircraft was an Abuja-bound Boeing 737 aircraft with registration mark 5N DNA.
In a statement, Dana Airlines management said all the 100 passengers onboard disembarked safely and that the aircraft has been grounded for immediate attention by our team of engineers.
“Our Abuja bound Boeing 737 aircraft with registration number (5N DNA) embarked on an emergency landing today 19th July, 2022, due to an indication on one of its engines,” the airline said.
It said the pilot of the aircraft briefed the passengers on the incident and landed the aircraft safely at the Abuja International airport at about 2.52 p.m.
“The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) have also been briefed on the incident,” it added.
The latest incident comes two months after the tyres of one of the aircraft operated by the airline caught fire at the Port Harcourt airport on May 2, terminating a scheduled trip to Lagos on that day.
Recall that earlier this week, Nigeria’s oldest surviving commercial airline, Aero Contractors, also said it would shut down its operations indefinitely from Wednesday, July 20 “due to the impact of the challenging operating environment on our daily operations”.
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