April 26, (THEWILL) – Following the suspension of Dana Airlines operations and the order for audit, to ascertain the air safety of its fleet, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN), has disclosed plans of a comprehensive audit of all the local airlines in the country.
THEWILL earlier reported that the Federal Government directed the immediate suspension of Dana Airline operations pending a comprehensive audit on its fleet by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). This followed Tuesday’s incident involving its aircraft with registration number 5N BKI, flying from Abuja to Lagos, which overshot the runway while attempting to land at the Muritala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos.
Speaking on Thursday, when he featured on Politics Today, a Channels Television’s programme, Keyamo said beyond the suspension of Dana Airlines and its ongoing audit, all other carriers in the country would be audited, to guarantee the safety of passengers and the health of the civil aviation industry.
Defending the suspension of Dana Airlines’ operations amid criticisms of the action by some Aviation stakeholders, Keyamo argued that “a series of incidents had happened two years ago that the airline is not healthy. Let those aviation experts take their wives and children to board that airline that was declared unsafe.
“Would Nigerians have preferred that I keep quiet and be part of the cartel, all in the name of I am not supposed to interfere? What am I doing as minister?
“We must do the right things for the safety of Nigerians. Not only them (Dana Airlines), we will carry an audit of all of them, all of them. Let Nigerians be safe when they fly our airlines.”
About the Author
Anthony Awunor, is a business correspondent who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Linguistics (UNILAG). He is also an alumnus of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria Kaduna State. He lives in Lagos.
