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Hundreds of passengers have been stranded following the grounding of Azman Air by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, on Tuesday.
Heritage Times had reported that the airline which is the leading carrier in northern Nigeria, was grounded by the NCAA over safety issues of its Boeing 737 fleet.
According to a statement signed by the Director General of NCAA, Capt. Musa Nuhu, the airline’s operations are suspended with immediate effect.
“Following series of incidents involving Azman Air Boeing 737 aircraft, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has pursuant to Section 35 (2) of the Civil Aviation Act, 2006 and Part 1.3.3.3 (A) of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs) 2015, suspended the operations of all the Boeing 737 Aircraft in the Fleet of Azman Air Services Limited, with effect from March 15, 2021.
“The suspension is to enable the Authority conduct an audit of the airline to determine the root cause(s) of the incidents, and recommend corrective actions to forestall re-occurrence.
“The NCAA regrets the inconvenience this action may cause to the public, particularly to Azman Air passengers but the need to ensure the safety of Air Transport and protect the public interest, cannot be compromised.
“The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority will continue to ensure compliance to its regulations in the interest of safety and will viewed any violation(s) seriously,” the statement read.
Azman Air had earlier in the day put out a statement saying it would be undergoing an audit of its safety processes as supervised by the regulators.
- With the suspension of its operation, the airline has hitherto announced the cancellation of all its flights between Tuesday, March 16, and Friday, March 19, leaving many passengers who have bought tickets stranded.
Azman’s routes in the North include Kano, Maiduguri, Kaduna, Gombe and Birnin Kebbi. The airline has also flown passengers to Benin, Owerri and Asaba in Delta State.
