NCAA suspends Azman Air over security concerns (updated)

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (Authority) has suspended Azman Air over safety concerns.

The aviation regulator said the suspension is necessary because the safety of air transport cannot be compromised.

Aircraft operated by the airline have suffered two tyre mishap incidents within the last one month at the Abuja and Kaduna airports.

“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,” NCAA said.

“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.”

Azman Air announced the suspension on its Twitter handle saying the aim is to undergo a safety audit by regulators.

The carrier did not state the timeframe of the audit or when flight operations would resume.

“Due to our strong stance on safety, @AzmanAir will be undergoing an audit of its safety processes as supervised by the regulators. In this regards, all our operations are hereby suspended. We are on our toes to restore operations within a short period. Kindly accept our apologies, ” the tweet read.

“We understand the impact of these disruptions on your travels and we deeply apologize. These actions are imminent as there is need for reposition to serving you better. We are setting an unrivaled pace to showcase our commitment to your safety and we promise to be back and better!”

Due to our Strong Stance on Safety, @AzmanAir will be undergoing an Audit of its Safety Processes as supervised by the Regulators

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IN THIS REGARDS, ALL OUR OPERATIONS IS HEREBY SUSPENDED

We are on our toes to restore operations within a short period

Kindly accept our apologies pic.twitter.com/9N69CBKIWd

— AzmanAir – #LetsFlyAzmanAir (@AzmanAir) March 16, 2021

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A Boeing 737 aircraft with registration 5N SYS operated by Azman Air recently burst its tyre after landing on a runway at the Murtala Mohammed Airport in Lagos.

The incident led to the temporary closure of the runway.