The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on Saturday in Lagos suspended the operations of Associated Aviation Limited, owner of the plane which crashed shortly after take-off in Ikeja on Thursday.
Capt. Fola Akinkuotu, the Director-General of NCAA, who announced the suspension of the airline’s operations at a press briefing at the General Hospital, Ikeja, where he had gone to see the survivors of the crash undergoing treatment.
“The operations of Associated Airlines have been suspended by the NCAA. Let me say for the purpose of clarity; all the operations of Associated Airlines have been suspended by the NCAA. I did not say any certification was cancelled but all the operations of the airline have been suspended,‚Äô‚Äô he said.
Akinkuotu recalled that the ill-fated aircraft was certified airworthy before its last flight, adding that sustained airworthiness certification of an airplane was the responsibility of the airline itself.
He stressed that there was nothing contrary to the information provided by the airline on the state of the aircraft, adding that the insurance company handling the airline’s insurance had provided documents about the state of its insurance.
The NCAA boss vowed that the agency would continue to apply all regulatory rules on all airlines.
Akinkuotu, who noted that the injured victims of the crash were responding positively to treatment, commended the management of the hospital for its state-of-the-art equipment.
It would be recalled that the chartered airplane ferrying the remains of former Gov. Olusegun Agagu of Ondo State and 20 other passengers had crashed in Ikeja shortly after take-off, killing 13 of the 20 passengers aboard.