Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, has disclosed that the 2022 Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) audit found Dana Air financially and economically unfit to fly, noting several infractions during his predecessor’s term.
Keyamo disclosed this during an interview on the ‘Politics Today’ programme on Channels Television on Thursday, when asked about the health status of Dana Air in the light of the recent suspension by NCAA over runway incursion incident at the Lagos airport on Tuesday.
He stated that before his tenure as Minister, Dana Air had consistently faced flight-related incidents in the past. He highlighted the 2018 incident where a door on one of Dana Air’s aircraft fell off shortly after landing, along with other infractions recorded against the airline.
Pressing for clarity, the anchor asked the Aviation Minister how the airline was operating before its recent suspension. Keyamo revealed that the specifics of how the airline managed to regain its license to operate remain unclear to him, because, normally, it would not have been able to do so.
Furthermore, the Aviation Minister stated that he will actively supervise regulatory bodies, such as the NCAA, particularly with the recent launch of Dana Air’s financial and safety audit.
He stressed his commitment to ensuring these investigations are conducted properly, free from complicity and negligence, to guarantee the safety of the flying public.