NCAA suspends Azman Air operations

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has suspended Azman Air flight operations, The PUNCH has learnt.

In a statement on Tuesday, NCAA Director-General, Capt. Musa Nuhu, said the suspension was with immediate effect.

The statement was titled, ‘NCAA Suspends Azman Air Operations With Immediate Effect’ and was made available to The PUNCH by NCAA Spokesman, Sam Adurogboye.

It read, “Following series of incidents involving Azman Air Boeing 737 Aircraft, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has pursuant to Section 35 (2) of the Civil Aviation Act, 2006 and Part 1.3.3.3 (A) of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations 2015, suspended the operations of all the Boeing 737 Aircraft in the Fleet of Azman Air Services Limited, with effect from March 15, 2021.

“The suspension is to enable the Authority conduct an audit of the airline to determine the root cause(s) of the incidents, and recommend corrective actions to forestall re-occurrence.

“The NCAA regrets the inconvenience this action may cause to the public, particularly to Azman air passengers but the need to ensure the safety of Air Transport and protect the public interest, cannot be compromised.

“The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority will continue to ensure compliance to its regulations in the interest of safety and will viewed any violation(s) seriously.”

Meanwhile, Azman Air, in a tweet on Tuesday, also confirmed the suspension of all its flight operations.

“Due to our strong stance on safety, @AzmanAir will be undergoing an audit of its safety processes as supervised by the regulators.

“In this regards, all our operations is hereby suspended. We are on our toes to restore operations within a short period. Kindly accept our apologies,” the airline stated.

Azman Air, which started commercial flight operations in Nigeria in 2014, has its hub at the Kano airport. The airline has up to seven aircraft in its fleet which mostly comprise B 737 aircraft. It plies about 10 domestic destinations.