Minister of Aviation, Mrs. Stella Odua
Three
days after a tragic crash involving an Associated Airlines plane killed
14 people in Lagos, the Federal Government, through the Nigerian Civil
Aviation Authority on Sunday night, announced the suspension of Dana
Air’s operations nationwide.
The decision to suspend Dana’s
operations came 24 hours after the NCAA grounded the operations of
Associated Airlines, whose Embraer 120 plane crashed near a fuel depot
two minutes after takeoff at the Lagos airport, leaving only six
survivors.
The charter plane was conveying the
remains of a former Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Agagu, to Akure
for interment. It also had on board 20 people, including officials of
the state government, family members and friends of Agagu.
Also, 24 hours after the Associated
Airlines crash, another major air disaster was averted when a Kabo
Airlines’ Boeing 747 plane carrying 512 pilgrims had a near-crash at the
Sokoto airport with deflated tyres, damaging the airport’s Instrument
Landing System.
The Coordinating General Manager,
Corporate Communications, Aviation Parastatals, Mr. Yakubu Dati,
confirmed to our correspondent on Sunday night that the government had
suspended the operations of Dana Air nationwide.
Dati said the decision was to allow the regulatory agency “conduct an operational audit” on the carrier and its planes.
The latest suspension of Dana’s
operations made it the third time the NCAA would be grounding the
carrier over safety and other related issues.
On March 17, 2013, the government
suspended the operations of Dana in order to “resolve certain safety
issues,” according to the NCAA.
Some days later, the government lifted the suspension thus clearing the carrier to resume operations.
The March 17 suspension came nearly
three months after the airline resumed operations following a
seven-month suspension after its Boeing MD-83 crashed in Lagos, killing
163 people
The government had on June 5, 2012 revoked the operational licence of Dana, two days after the crash in Iju-Ishaga, Lagos.
The government had also at a time
directed Dana to pay compensations to the families of all the victims of
the June 3, 2012 crash or risk severe sanctions.
It is unclear whether the latest
suspension of the airline’s operation is related to the issue of payment
of compensation or whether the NCAA is having issues with it on the
safety condition of its planes.
The Associated Airlines’ crash in Lagos
and the Kabo Airlines’ averted crash in Sokoto have combined to raise
tension in the sector as industry observers are beginning to raise
doubts about the operational condition of planes flying in the country.
The flying public is also worried that the regulatory authority is not living up to its task.
Meanwhile, the Accident Investigation
and Prevention Bureau has announced the commencement of investigations
into the causes of the crash of an Associated Airlines flight on
Thursday, and the near-crash of a Kabo Air plane on Saturday.
A statement from the agency on Sunday
confirmed that the readout of the recordings of the Associated Airlines’
flight recorders had started.
The statement signed by the
Commissioner, AIB, Capt. Muktar Usman, said, “We have commenced
investigation into the crash of the Embraer 120 ER aircraft marked
5N-BJY belonging to Associated Aviation Limited.
“Flight recorders of the ill-fated
aircraft have been recovered and will be downloaded at the Bureau’s
newly installed flight laboratory at its Abuja headquarters. The readout
of the recorders has commenced.”
The statement added that of the 20 passengers on board the aircraft, there were only six survivors as of Saturday.
Associated Aviation Limited is a
Nigerian registered domestic airline, which operates chartered and
scheduled flights in the country.
In a separate statement, the AIB also
said investigations had commenced into the incident involving a Kabo Air
B747 plane, which occurred in Sokoto on Friday.
The aircraft, carrying Saudi Arabia-bound pilgrims, was believed to have burst tyres on landing.
“The AIB investigators have been
dispatched to conduct an investigation into the circumstances
surrounding the incident to determine the probable cause. The
investigation is not to apportion blame or liability, but to prevent
future re-currence of similar incidents and improve air safety through
safety recommendations,” the statement explained.
It added that the AIB was charged with
the responsibility of investigating aircraft accidents and serious
incidents within the country, and where Nigeria’s interest was
represented.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Union of Journalists has described as tragic and unfortunate the crash of the Associated Airlines’ plane.
The union, in a statement by its
Vice-President, B Zone, Mr. Dele Atunbi, in Abuja, commiserated with the
government and the people of Ondo State over the tragedy that claimed
the lives of four state functionaries.
Also, a cleric, Pastor Akeem Idoniboye,
has attributed the high casualty figure recorded in the ill-fated plane
crash in Lagos to the failure of the National Emergency Management
Agency to handle emergency situations.
Idoniboye, who spoke during a sermon at
the Glorious Destiny Christian Centre on Sunday, noted that some of the
victims, who were already out of the plane, were killed by the explosion
after the crash and before help could reach them.
PUNCH
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