NCAA suspends Discovery Airways

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on Tuesday suspended the air operator’s certificate (AOC) of Discovery Airways Ltd over what it regarded as safety concerns.

Samuel Adurogboye, the deputy general manager, public relations, NCAA, who said the suspension took effect from January 8, noted that the agency recently carried out its periodic safety audit on some airlines and discovered that Discovery Airways was found wanting in some areas where it was, within one week, asked to correct the anomalies to no avail.

According to him, “In pursuit of its oversight responsibilities as stipulated by law, the NCAA has lately carried out a review of the operations of domestic airlines after which letters of warning or suspension of air operator’s certificate (AOC) were served on defaulters.

“A case in point is an airline that failed to carry out certain corrective actions within one week from the 1st to 7th of January, 2015 as raised in an earlier letter to the operator.

“Consequently, upon the inability to address the issue raised, the authority in its January 8, 2015 letter to the operator declared that pursuant to Section 35(2) and 3(b) of the Civil Aviation

Act 2006 and Part 1.1.3.3.3(a)(1) of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations 2009, it hereby suspends the AOC of Discovery Airways Ltd”, he said.

He explained that the suspension takes effect from January 8, 2015, the date of the letter conveying the notice, adding that “this order would be in force pending the outcome of a comprehensive review of the airlines’ operations to be carried out accordingly”.

Adurogboye noted that it is not in the interest of the NCAA to send out any airline from operations but does not condone any safety violation.

“As much as it is not the desire of NCAA to regulate any airline out of existence, the authority, however, viewed any violation of safety regulations seriously”, he added.

Discovery Air commenced operations about four months ago with two B737 aircraft providing about 250 seats daily to the traveling public.

Observers have, however, described the development as a good one on the part of the NCAA, cautioning it not to restrict the audit to one airline as safety is in the interest of all the traveling public.

“As much as I am not for or against any airline, what the NCAA has done is in the interest of all. The airline should correct the anomalies and return to operations in its own interest. We all know that there is no parking space in the air, therefore, safety should not be toyed with under any guise”, a stakeholder said.