The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, has suspended the Air Operator Certificate, AOC, of Dana Air following the runway excursion involving the airline’s aircraft.
The aircraft MD-82 with registration number 5N-BKI had skidded of the runway at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport on the 23rd of April, 2024 at arrival at the airport from Abuja.
The Civil Aviation Authority in a press release, signed by the Acting Director General, Captain Chris Najomo, he said while it is waiting for the preliminary report of the investigation launched by the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, NSIB, the NCAA has initiated an in-house compliance assessment of the occurrence, taking into account previous occurrences involving the airline’s aircraft.
According to the regulatory body, the decision is in a bid to establish any trend which must be nipped in the bud in the interest of the safety and well-being of air travellers.
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He said: “Furthermore, the Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development in sharing the concerns of the Authority has thrown his weight behind the need for swift measures to be taken to address pertinent safety and economic issues that may underpin some of these occurrences.
“As a precautionary step, and in accordance with Sec 31 [7] of the Civil Aviation Act 2022, the Authority has imposed a suspension on your Air Operator Certificate, AOC, with effect from 24th April, 2024 at 23:59 to allow for a thorough safety and economic audit. The safety audit will entail a re-inspection of your organization, procedures, personnel and aircraft as specified by Part 1.3.3.3 of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations, while the economic audit will critically examine the financial health of your airline to guarantee its capability to sustain safe flight operations.”
