…As FG suspends airline indefinitely
Scores of passengers yesterday besieged the airline’s counters at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, Private terminal-2, otherwise known as MM2, to demand refunds of fare following their inability to travel after ticket purchases.
Recall that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has suspended Dana Airlines’ Air Transport Licence (ATL) and Air Operator Certificate (AOC) indefinitely, over its alleged inability to run safe operations. The move, following an investigation by the apex regulatory body, saw to the immediate withdrawal of the airline’s Air Transport Licence (ATL) and Air Operator Certificate (AOC) indefinitely, with effect from midnight of Wednesday, July 20, 2022.
The passengers, numbering over 70, expressed reservations on the absence of personnel of the suspended carrier at the departure hall.
The suspension order, handed down by the regulator’s Director-General, Captain Musa Nuhu, has since been communicated to the management of Dana Airlines.
“The decision is the outcome of a financial and economic health audit carried out on the airline by the authority (NCAA), 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”, Nuhu said, in the statement. “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”, he added..
Many of the passengers who were billed to travel on the airline tickets were caught up in the action, leaving them with the option of buying fresh tickets from other available airlines in operation.
Just a few days ago, Dana Air was forced to an emergency landing at the Abuja International Airport after one of its aircraft, a Boeing 737, with registration mark 5N DNA, had an engine failure with 100 passengers disembarking safely.
