Following the unexplained diversion of an Abuja-bound United Nigeria Airlines (UNA) aircraft to Asaba International Airport on Sunday, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has suspended all the wet-leased aircraft under the airline.
This was announced on Monday by the civil aviation regulatory authority in a letter addressed to the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the airline.
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To this effect, sources have it that all the wet-leased aircraft in the operations of the airline would remain suspended pending the outcome of an investigation into the Sunday incident involving one of the wet-leased aircraft in the fleet of the airline.
Shortly after the news of the embarrassing’mislanding’ broke on Sunday, the Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Capt. Musa Nuhu, called an emergency meeting of the agency, where it was resolved that the excuse given by the airline was not tenable to the authority.
Besides, it was gathered that the report obtained from the Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs) of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) contravened the claim of the airline about the poor weather situation in Abuja at the time of the diversion.
“NCAA has suspended all the wet lease aircraft in the operations of United Nigeria Airlines. The excuse they provided to us that the diversion to Asaba was due to poor weather in Abuja was not acceptable to us.
So, we have to take the big step by suspending all the aircraft that are wet-leased in their fleet. “The aircraft will remain suspended until after the investigation.
The fact is that their crews are foreigners, and they are not familiar with Nigeria, which the airline ought to have done.
So, we are suspending them until after the investigation.” a source said.
Recall that United Nigeria Airlines flight NUA 0504, operating from Murtala Muhammed Airport 2 (MMA2) in Lagos en route to Abuja on Sunday, diverted to the Asaba International Airport.
In a statement by Achilleus-Chud Uchegbu, Head, Corporate Communications, the airline attributed the diversion to poor destination weather. But aviation experts have nullified this claim, saying that weather reports are released to pilots or airlines every 30 minutes.
No fewer than two wet-leased Airbus A320-200 aircraft are in the fleet of United Nigeria Airlines. A wet-leased is a leasing arrangement whereby one airline (the lessor) provides an aircraft, complete crew, maintenance, and insurance (ACMI) to another airline or other type of business acting as a broker of air travel (the lessee), which pays by hours operated.