Nigeria - Dana Air Flights Suspended Over Plane Safety Issue

Dana Air flights were suspended after one of its planes had a safety issue with its batteries, according to the Nigerian Aviation Ministry.

“We did it for a safety precaution,” Joe Obi, a spokesman for the ministry, said by phone today from the capital, Abuja. “The flights are suspended, but they still have their license.”

Dana Air operations resumed in January after one of its flights from Abuja carrying 146 passengers and seven crew members crashed last June in a suburb of Lagos, the commercial capital, killing everyone on board and about 10 people on the ground. It was Nigeria’s deadliest airline crash in almost 40 years. Officials are still probing the crash.

The Airline release an official statement saying


"We regret to announce the temporary suspension of our flight operations following a directive from the Ministry of Aviation through the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on Saturday, 16th March, 2013; No specific reason was given for the action.

A meeting is, however, scheduled between the management of Dana Air, the Ministry of Aviation and the NCAA on Monday 18th March and we will update you as we get more information.

We thank you for your patience and understanding, and we look forward to having the pleasure of welcoming you on board again shortly."