We Will Come Out Stronger, Dana Assures Passengers After FG’s Suspension Of Air Operations

Following the suspension of its air operations license by the federal government through the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, the management of Dana Airlines on Wednesday assured that it would come out of the crisis stronger and better.

The Airline said in a statement issued shortly after the NCAA announced the suspension of its operations that it is committed to cooperating with the government in the course of the audit.

The company also reassured its customers and partners that the airline is still safe, efficient, and reliable.

The statement signed by Kingsley Ezenwa, Communications and Marketing, Dana Airlines Ltd was made available to THE WHISTLER on Wednesday night.

It reads, “Our operations have been suspended as advised by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority ( NCAA) 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 wish to assure the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) that we are fully ready and committed to cooperating with them in the course of this audit and to also reassure our customers and partners that we are safe, efficient and reliable.

“The recent skyrocketing cost of Jet A1 at 830/litre, unavailability of forex, inflation are also contributory factors to this decision regrettably.

“We crave the understanding and patience of our customers, travel and business partners and sincerely apologize 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.”

The federal government through the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has suspended Dana Airlines’ Air Transport Licence and Air Operator Certificate indefinitely.

The suspension, according to the NCAA takes effect from midnight of Wednesday, 20th July, 2022.

The decision to suspend the operation of the airline 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 (Nig.CARs), 2015.

The suspension order, handed down by the Director General, Captain Musa Nuhu, has since been communicated to the management of Dana Airlines.

In a statement on Wednesday night, the NCAA said 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.

The findings revealed that Dana Airlines is no longer in a position to meet its financial obligations and to conduct safe flight operations