Three incidents that forced govt to revoke operational license of Dana Airlines

After multiple incidents that put lives of passengers at risk, the Federal Government’s regulator, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), has suspended the license of Dana Airlines.

NCAA striped Dana Airlines’ right to fly status in the Nigerian airspace by suspending its Air Transport Licence (ATL) and Air Operator Certificate (AOC), as sanctions for unsafe flight operations.

The aviation regulator also disclosed that Dana Airlines was struggling financially, “the airline is no longer in a position to meet its financial obligations and to conduct safe flight operations”. NCAA Director-General, Musa Nuhu, said.

Incidents leading to the license suspension

In the last 10 years, Dana Airlines has experienced life threatening incidents; one in 2012, then twice this year, with the first being the company’s plane crashing with 153 passengers on board the aircraft.

Another near tragedy was recorded in May this year after the tire of the plane belonging to Dana Airlines was engulfed by fire in Port Harcourt. There were 50 passengers onboard the flight.

Read also: Passenger sues Dana Air, seeks N1bn in damages

Meanwhile, the latest is the emergency landing by Dana Airlines’ plane at the Nnamdi Azikiwe international airport in Abuja, which had 100 people on board, due to engine failure.

In a statement released on its Twitter account, NCAA said Dana Airlines has been suspended indefinitely, starting from Wednesday July 20, 2022.

“The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has suspended Dana Airlines’Air Transport Licence (ATL) and Air Operator Certificate (AOC) indefinitely, with effect from midnight of Wednesday,20th July 2022,” NCAA said.

“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.”

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