Dana Airlines to Resume Flight Operations Next Month

WILL YOU FLY DANA NEXT MONTH ?

Dana Airlines to Resume Flight Operations Next Month

The Head of Corporate Communications for Dana Airlines, Tony Usidamen, said yesterday that the airline might resume operations in the next four weeks and that all the workers of the domestic carrier, which started operation in 2008, would go for refresher courses.
Dana Air workers returned to work yesterday to begin preparations to resume flight operations amid uncertainty whether passengers will return in the wake of the tragic crash that killed over 153 people on board and on the ground in Iju-Ishaga, a Lagos suburb on June 3, 2012. The operational licence of Dana Airlines was temporarily suspended following the crash of one of its aircraft as a safety precaution. Some of the airlines staff dressed in the resplendent Dana Air red and white uniform were spotted at the domestic terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos (MMA2) but its booking desk remained closed.
Announcing the lifting of the ban last Wednesday, Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah-Ogiemwonyi explained that the lifting of the ban came following government’s satisfaction with “the air-worthiness of the airline after a rigorous technical, operational and financial audit of the airline.”
She disclosed that government would continue to strengthen its oversight regulatory functions to ensure that all airlines operating in the country, including Dana, adhere strictly to safety procedures as required by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Act and all other relevant local and international regulations that ensure sustainable air safety.
The preliminary accident report of the crash released by the Chief Executive Officer, Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), Capt. Muhtar Usman, under whose auspices the investigation was conducted, had absolved the carrier of any culpability, explaining that the ill-fated aircraft had returned from maintenance two days before the accident.
The report revealed that a review of the technical log of the Boeing MD-83 plane manufactured in the United States did not indicate any condition that could result in the crash. The report further revealed that investigative activities carried out on the plane included visual examination of the aircraft wreckage, review maintenance records and other historical information of the aircraft, documentation of the training and experience of the flight crew, determination of the chronology of the flight, review of recorded data, reconstructing the aircraft refuelling, and collection of related fuel samples and interview of related personnel.
Penultimate week, the over 500 workers of the embattled airline appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan to order the reinstatement of the Air Operating Certificate (AOC) of the airline, which was suspended by the Ministry of Aviation, after the accident. In the appeal signed on their behalf by Mr. Usidamen, they noted that though the tragic incident was regrettable, the continued suspension of the certificate would throw them into unemployment.
“We, the over 558 directly-employed Nigerian staff of Dana Air hereby appeal to President Goodluck Jonathan, through the Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah-Ogiemwonyi, to lift the suspension on Dana Air operations, in line with global best practices and international regulations guiding air accidents,” the letter read. The workers said the continued suspension of the AOC of the airline might serve as a deterrent to potential investors in Nigeria’s fledging aviation sector.
In the same vein, Airline Operators of Nigeria, the umbrella body for Nigerian airlines had equally in a letter dated July 24, 2012, signed by its Secretary General, Muhammed Joji, noted that the policy of grounding all the planes of an airline whenever it was involved in a crash should not be carried out on Dana. They said rather than correct the situation; it was hampering operations and bringing loss to the airlines and workers.
The suspension of the AOC by the Ministry of Aviation came into effect on June 4, a day after the management of the airline had announced the temporary suspension of its operations in honour of the 153 passengers and crew, and the unspecified number of persons on the ground, who lost their lives in the accident.
Industry analysts described the coming back of the airline as a mixed bag, noting that many passengers at the beginning would shun its flights, but such action would wear out over time, adding that their coming back in spite of the odds would sharpen competition and drive down the outrageous fares. While some people who spoke to Huhuonline.com said they would not fly the airline again, others said that once the aircraft in the fleet are certified by the regulatory authority, they would fly the airline.