NCAA Grounds Jet, Suspends Pilots Over Asaba Landing Incident

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has suspended the pilots involved in the recent incident in which a chartered jet landed on a road under construction near Asaba Airport in Delta State.

POLITICS NIGERIA reports that the agency has also grounded the aircraft and suspended its Permit to Fly pending the outcome of an ongoing investigation.

The Director-General of the NCAA, Capt. Chris Najomo, announced the sanctions on Wednesday while speaking on the sidelines of the Airport Business Summit in Lagos.

The unusual landing, which occurred last month, raised serious concerns across Nigeria’s aviation industry and prompted calls for a full investigation into how the aircraft landed on a road instead of the airport runway.

Najomo said the Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) initially handled the safety investigation but has since transferred the regulatory aspect of the case to the NCAA, which has begun its own independent probe.

He also revealed that the Department of State Services (DSS) has joined the investigation.

“The investigation is still ongoing. The NSIB has handed the investigation to us, the NCAA, and we are conducting our own inquiry. As we speak, the aircraft has been grounded, the Permit to Fly has been suspended, and the pilots have also been suspended pending the outcome of our investigation. As a pilot with 45 years of experience, I will not see a road and land on it,” Najomo said.

He added, “We are also looking at other possible motives. The DSS has become involved and is carrying out its own investigation too. Until the report is released, that remains the position.”

Speaking at the summit, Najomo also assured aviation operators that the NCAA would address concerns about monopoly and anti-competitive practices in the sector.

“We will carefully look into complaints relating to monopoly and anti-competitive practices. Our responsibility is to ensure fair competition, keep airlines commercially viable, protect passengers’ interests and ensure that charges within the industry remain reasonable,” he said.