Nigerian Government Suspends Dana Air Operations Indefinitely After Emergency Landing Of Airline’s Plane

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has suspended indefinitely the Air Transport Licence (ATL) and Air Operator Certificate (AOC) of Dana Air.

This was announced in a statement released by NCAA director-general, Captain Musa Nuhu, on Wednesday, stating that suspension of the operations of the airline would take effect from midnight of Wednesday, July 20, 2022.

He disclosed that the suspension order had since been communicated to the management of Dana Air.

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,” Nuhu said.

Captain Nuhu explained that the decision came after a financial and economic health audit was 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 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,” the statement added.

SaharaReporters on Tuesday reported that Dana Air said its Boeing 737 aircraft with registration number: 5N DNA made an emergency landing on approaching Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja after one of its engines developed a fault.

The airline stated this in a statement posted on its Twitter handle, @DanaAir on Tuesday.

According to the statement, the incident happened at about 2:52 pm on Tuesday with 100 passengers on board safely disembarked.

“Our Abuja-bound Boeing 737 aircraft with registration number (5N DNA) embarked on an emergency landing today, July 19, 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.