UPDATED : FG suspends AZMAN AIR over safety issues

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

Solacebase gathered that the decision to suspend the airline was taken at a management meeting of NCAA on Monday after one of the company’s plane recorded another second tyre burst in a month.

NCAA Director-General, Captain MUSA Nuhu who disclosed this said all Boeing 737 aircraft on the fleet of AZMAN Air have also been suspended.

The suspension came on the heels of the recent incident involving an Azman aircraft that had a burst tyre on landing at the Lagos airport on February 16, 2021.

Nuhu said the NCAA acted in 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.

Capt. Nuhu explained that the suspension is to enable the Authority to conduct an audit of the airline to determine the root cause of the incidents and recommend corrective actions to forestall recurrence.

He said: “We 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”.

He added: “We will continue to ensure compliance to its regulations in the interest of safety and will view any violations seriously.”

When contacted, AZMAN Airline General Manager, Malam Muhammad Lawan told Solacebase on Tuesday that he was in a meeting and promised to call back immediately after.

Read Also: Azman Airline Flight With 135 Passengers On Board Aborted Over Cabin Smoke

However, on the Twitter handle of the airline, it posted that it will be suspending its flights for an audit of its safety by the regulators.

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 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