Another Nigerian airline suspends operations

Barely 24 hours after Aero Contractors Airline suspended it operations in Nigeria, another airline, First Nation has announced the indefinite suspension of its own operation.

Muhtar Usman, Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), made the declaratin in a statement where he also explained Aero Contractor’s absence from the aviation scene.

Usman said First Nation was in the middle of an engine replacement programme for one of its aircraft and another aircraft was due for mandatory maintenance as is allowable by NCAA.

“The First Nation Airlines on its part is in the middle of an Engine Replacement Programme for one of its aircrafts. Another aircraft is due for mandatory maintenance as allowed by the regulatory authority,” Usman said.

“In these circumstances, these airlines clearly cannot continue to undertake schedule operations, hence the inevitable recourse to self regulatory suspension.”

Usman said it is against the Nigerian civil aviation regulations for airline operators to carry out schedule commercial operation with only one aircraft, the reason both Aero Contractors and First Nation had to suspend operations.

He said NCAA would never compromise safety and security of airlines operations in the airspace, adding that every facet of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARS) and Standard and Recommended Practices (SARPs) must be adhered to with due diligence.

He explained that everything had been put in place to continue ensuring compliance.