Mr. Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, lacks the power to direct the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to suspend Dana Air, aviation experts said on Wednesday.

Some of the experts that spoke to Daily Independent said that the directive of the minister to the NCAA was an indictment on the autonomy of NCAA and a signal to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) that the country’s apex regulatory body was not in charge in Nigeria.

The professionals stated that Keyamo should have allowed the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) to come out with its investigation and issue its safety recommendations before taking any action or directive on the serious incident, which occurred at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos on Tuesday.

Grp. Capt. John Ojikutu, aviation analyst, queried the basis in which Dana Air was suspended by the minister.

Ojikutu explained that the letter signed by Dr. Emmanuel Meribole, Permanent Secretary on behalf of Keyamo was not explicit enough, as the reason for the suspension of the airline was not stated.

Ojikutu declared that Keyamo as the supervising minister of aviation lacked the authority to order for a suspension of any airline.

He insisted that by that letter, Keyamo was unnecessarily exposing Nigeria to ICAO and warned that it may have a negative impact on the image and rating of the country.

He said: “The suspension of Dana Air is on what basis? If he is calling for the suspension of Dana Air, the reasons for the suspension must be there, but in any case, the minister has no such power. He is exposing this country to ICAO. This simply means that the NCAA is not in authority.

“He is gradually making himself the chief executive of the NCAA. He doesn’t have that power. We have already written to the ICAO and recommended the NCAA as the civil aviation authority and as the authority that is why when they come, they don’t go to the minister, they talk to the NCAA and go back.

“Keyamo has no such authority. He should have waited for the report of NCAA and NSIB to come out and its recommendations because NSIB must make recommendations, depending on their findings. Why are you suspending the airline? What are you talking about the runway? Somebody just said that the runway acquires water and that is the truth. The same thing with Port Harcourt airport. I am ashamed to see some of the things that were done and the whole thing is being messed up by this minister.”

Besides, Mr. Olumide Ohunayo, Director, Research, Zenith Travels Ltd, described the directive as a gross interference of safety processes and procedures.

Ohunayo, like Ojikutu, expressed that the ministry had no business with the airlines, maintaining that he also lacked the power to order the director-general on safety related issues.

“This is a very wrong decision. I don’t know if the ministry wants someone to clap for them. If Dana Air has any safety issue, it is the NCAA that should tell us. First thing he can do is to tell the NCAA to examine their books again. You can’t ground them based on the minister’s directive. That is very wrong.

“Other airlines that have had runway excursions this year, were they grounded? Why are you going for Dana? Why do you want to start with Dana? Why are you not looking at your runway? Why are you not looking at the difficulty of removing debris from the runway? Those are the issues he should address urgently, rather than dabbling into the issue of safety.”

Ohunayo further recalled that an incident involving a Delta Air Lines’ Boeing 757, where its door pulled off while waiting to take off at Atlanta Airport earlier this year did not lead to suspension of the airline by either the Ministry of Transportation or the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

He wondered why Dana Air was suspended when the investigation into the serious incident by NSIB had just begun.

Besides, another aviation expert, who didn’t want his name in print, declared that the directive was ‘totally uncalled for.”

The source queried the autonomy of NCAA if the minister is allowed to issue such a directive on safety related issues, maintaining that such directive was not good for the image of the country.

However, a source close to Dana Air, confided in Daily Independent on Wednesday that the airline was yet to receive a suspension letter from NCAA.

The source, however, described the directive as, stressing that it amounted to pre-empting the outcome of the NSIB investigation on the runway excursion.

A letter from the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, signed by Dr. Emmanuel Meribole, dated April 24, 2024 with the reference number, PS/FMA/MA/S.121/Vol.I/99, directed to the Director-General, NCAA, had ordered for the immediate suspension of Dana Air pending safety and financial health audit of the airline by the regulatory body.

The letter to the NCAA stated that the recent incidents involving Dana Air had raised serious concerns regarding both the safety and financial viability of their operations.

The letter directed Director-General NCAA to immediately initiate the suspension of the airline’s fleet until a comprehensive audit could be conducted, directing that the audit should encompass all aspects of safety protocols, maintenance procedures, and financial health to ensure full compliance with aviation regulations.

“The recent incidents have underscored the urgency of this matter, and it is imperative that swift and decisive action be taken to safeguard the interests of all stakeholders involved.

“I trust in your expertise and diligence in carrying out this audit thoroughly and expeditiously. Please keep me informed of the progress and any significant findings throughout this process,” the letter reads in part.

A Dana Air aircraft with 83 passengers had on Tuesday morning skidded off the runway of the Lagos airport on landing.

The aircraft, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82 aircraft with the registration number, 5N BKI, had departed the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, for Lagos before the incident happened. (Daily Independent)

Update news