Following the diversion of an Abuja-bound flight from Lagos to Asaba Airport on Sunday, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has reportedly slammed a suspension on all wet-leased aircraft in the operations of United Nigeria Airlines (UNA).
A source close to the agency disclosed on Monday that the regulatory body took the decisive action after an emergency meeting held at its headquarters in Abuja.
It was learnt that at the meeting, the NCAA inspectors were not convinced about the claim of the airline that its crew diverted to Asaba following the bad weather situation at Abuja Airport.
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It was learnt that all the wet-leased aircraft in its fleet would remain suspended until after the conclusion of the investigation into the incident.
The NCAA’s decision has been communicated to the airline via a letter on Monday.
Meanwhile, in light of the recent near accidents in the aviation sector, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, will today, in Abuja meet with the heads of aviation agencies in the country to discuss safety issues in the industry.
The agencies expected at the meeting include the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), the Federal Airport Authority Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
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The minister will meet with them “to discuss the recent accidents in the sector and will thereafter brief the press on the outcome of the deliberation to avert such occurrences”.
On Sunday, there was drama on Flight NUA 0504 from the Lagos airport on Sunday when some Abuja-bound passengers were flown to Asaba airport.
The cabin crew, upon landing in Asaba, told the passengers that they had arrived at Abuja airport, creating confusion among the passengers. The airline later blamed “poor weather” for the diversion of the flight.
Earlier, The Matrix reported that Nigeria witnessed about four major incidents of near accidents in the aviation industry in the last two months.
