Nigerian airline grounded by deadly crash begins re-certification ahead of flight resumption

Lagos, Nigeria (PANA) - Nigeria's domestic DANA Air, which had the suspension of its operating licence lifted 5 Sept., has begun the process of re-certification by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), as part of efforts to resume flight operations, the airline said in a statement.

PANA reports that the airline's operating licence was suspended following the 3 June crash of its MD-83 plane on the outskirts of Nigeria's commercial city of Lagos, in which at least 159 people died.

Following government's lifting of the suspension, the airline said it was also planning to hold refresher programmes for its staffers, ahead of the commencement of operations.

DANA Air spokesman Tony Usidamen said it was standard industry practice for an airline to undergo re-certification after its operations have been grounded for several weeks.

''This is a standard safety measure taken by the authorities to ensure that all the aircraft in the fleet are fully serviceable, and we are cooperating fully in the exercise,'' he said in the statement.

Mr. Usidamen said three of the airline's five aircraft were currently parked at the domestic wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA2) in Lagos, while two are undergoing the statutory 'C-Checks' Istanbul, Turkey.

The ill-fated DANA Air's MD-83 plane was just about three minutes to landing at MMA2, after about one-hour flight from the inland capital city of Abuja, when it crashed into a densely populated area, shortly after declaring an emergency.

A preliminary report of the accident by the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) said the crash was due to ''a total loss of power in both engines while on approach to Muhammed Murtala Airport (LOS), Lagos.''
-0- PANA SEG 14Sept2012