The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has announced the suspension of Dana Airlines’ air transport licence (ATL) and air operator certificate (AOC) indefinitely.
The NCAA made this known in a statement signed by it’s Director-General, Musa Nuhu.
Dana’s operating licences were suspended after the authority “discovered that the airline is no longer in a position to meet its financial obligations and to conduct safe flight operations”.
According to the NCAA, the suspension takes effect from midnight on Wednesday, July 20, 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, 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 pre-emptive 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.”
Reacting to the suspension, Dana Air appealed to passengers, as the management of the airline promised to cooperate with the NCAA.
The statement read in part, “Our operations have been suspended as advised by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority in order to undergo a full operational audit with effect from midnight 20th July, 2022.
“Operational audits are regulatory and airlines are obligated to suspend their operations when the NCAA calls for it and we understand the impact this suspension will have on our partners, staff, passengers and the general public but we are very confident that we would come out stronger as we have done in the past.
“We crave the understanding and patience of our customers, travel and business partners and sincerely apologise for any inconvenience our short absence from the market might cause.
“Our customer service team will continue to operate 24/7 to assist affected customers with necessary information on refunds and our offices will be open to all our existing partners.”