First Nation Airways Suspends Operations, Barely 24 Hours After Aero

Source: thewillnigeria.com

BEVERLY HILLS, September 01, (THEWILL) – First Nation airlines has suspended its operations barely 24 hours after Aero Contractors, another airline, announced the indefinite suspension of its own operations.

Muhtar Usman, Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), announced the suspension in a statement where he also explained Aero Contractor's absence from the aviation scene saying the airline was in the middle of an engine replacement programme for one of its aircraft.

“The First Nation Airlines on its part is in the middle of an Engine Replacement Programme for one of its aircrafts,” Usman said.

“Another aircraft is due for mandatory maintenance as is allowable by NCAA.

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

Usman revealed that it is against the Nigerian civil aviation regulations for airline operators to carry out schedule commercial operation with only one aircraft as he refuted claims that some of the domestic airlines were winding down their operations regardless of the fact that they had suspended flight services.

Usman insisted that the domestic carriers had not wound down their operations, but were “merely suspending their operations temporarily to enable them undertake certain operational overhaul and strengthen their overall operational outlay.”

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.

THEWILL recalls that Aero, Nigeria's second largest commercial carrier, announced an indefinite suspension of its scheduled flight services and its staff with effect from Thursday, September 1, 2016.

Story by David Oputah