Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has suspended Dana Airline indefinitely over its Air Transport License (ATL) as well as Air Operator Certificate (AOC) with effect from midnight, Wednesday, July 20, 2022.
The NCAA announced this suspension yesterday in a statement signed by its Director-General, Musa Nuhu.
The Authority said it withdrew the operating license of Dana Air after “discovering that the airline is no longer in a position to meet its financial obligations and to conduct safe flight operations”.
“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 (http://Nig.CARs), 2015.
“The decision is 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, which 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.”
This year, the airline has reported two incidents with its aircraft.
It was reported that the airline made an emergency landing at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja, where the management said 100 passengers on the Abuja-bound aircraft were “disembarked safely”.
“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 statement had read.
It would be recalled that in May, over 50 passengers were rescued when fire gutted the tyres of an aircraft operated by Dana Air in Port Harcourt.
Federal government also grounded Dana Air in 2012, after its passenger plane carrying 153 people crashed in Lagos.