Nigeria's troubled airline sends workers on leave

A Dana plane

A Dana plane: can fly again


Simon Ateba/Aviation correspondent

Only weeks after receiving a new Air Operators’ Certificate, AOC, the management of Dana Air has sent all the company’s workers on an indefinite leave, P.M.NEWS has learnt.

“It is a leave with pay. The management decided to send all of us on leave because we are not flying now and we do not know when we will be allowed to fly again,” a staff of the grounded airline said.

Dana Air has remained grounded since one of its aircraft crashed in Lagos, southwest Nigeria, on 3 June, killing everyone on board and others on the ground.

After a preliminary report from the Accident Investigation Bureau, AIB, the airline went through a rigorous process of re-certification, which it completed and was given a new AOC few weeks ago.

But the airline has not been allowed to fly because of the outcry generated by the controversial report of the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation released last week.

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The Committee members, about 20 of them, are however, said to be divided over the recommendations in the report.

The report called among other things for the sack and prosecution of Dr. Harold Demuren, the Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority for negligence.

Demuren, the legislators claimed, was negligent and could have prevented the crash.

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excoriated the lawmakers and described them as ignorant.

According to the International Civil Aviation Organisation, ICAO, the body which regulates aviation in the world, an airline with a valid AOC, should be allowed to fly even after an accident.

Ministry sources said Dana Air is not flying at the moment because the Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah, is still awaiting approval from President Goodluck Jonathan.

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