The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) says it has suspended Dana Airlines’ air transport licence (ATL) and air operator certificate (AOC) indefinitely.
NCAA announced the suspension on Wednesday in a statement signed by Musa Nuhu, its director-general.
The authority said it suspended the operating licences after “discovering that the airline is no longer in a position to meet its financial obligations and to conduct safe flight operations”.
According to NCAA, the suspension takes effect from midnight on Wednesday, July 20, 2022.
The statement partly read, “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
“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.
On Tuesday, THE WITNESS reported that an aircraft belonging to the airline made an emergency landing at the Nnamdi Azikwe international airport in Abuja.
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.
In May, over 50 passengers were rescued when fire gutted the tyres of an aircraft operated by Dana Air in Port Harcourt.
In 2012, the federal government also grounded Dana Air after its passenger plane carrying 153 people crashed in Lagos