John Ameh, Abuja
Members of the House of Representatives on Wednesday queried the seeming failure of aviation regulatory authorities to enforce safety standards in the industry.
They cited two recent “frightening” incidents involving Dana Air planes in the country, which they said were signs of weakening regulations.
The incidents were a door falling off a Dana aircraft while landing in Abuja and another plane, owned by the same airline, overshooting the runway in Port Harcourt.
The lawmakers stated that the alarm bell must be rung now to avoid a situation “whereby we keep waiting until another aircraft goes down, claiming lives.”
The session, which was presided over by the Speaker, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, summoned the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority; Nigerian Airspace Management Agency; and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria for questioning.
The House also summoned the Nigerian Meteorological Agency and the management of airlines to appear before an ad hoc committee to explain the recent safety concerns.
A member from Abia State, Mr. Prestige Ossy, specifically moved a motion on the ‘Need to Investigate the Recent Mishaps involving Dana Airline’.
Ossy told the House that it was only in Nigeria that a door falling off an aircraft would be explained away by mere statements.
He noted that in order climes, some public officers would immediately resign as a penalty for the grave danger passengers were exposed to by the Abuja incident.
Many lawmakers, contributing to the debate on the motion, raised concerns over the old age of the aircraft in the fleet of the airlines in the country.
“We fly planes that have been rejected in Europe and other places here.
“Some of these aircraft are over 20 years old, some are up to 30 years old,” the Chairman, House Committee on Human Rights, Mr. Edward Pwajok, said.
A member from Edo State, Mr. Sergious Ose-Ogun, told the session that as a regular air traveller in the country, he could confirm that there were serious safety breaches.
“I fly at least twice a week. I can tell you that what we see and hear are not palatable. We have a responsibility to call all these regulatory agencies to come before us and explain what they have been doing. It is difficult to convince me that all is well,” he added.
Ose-Ogun alleged that a number of aircraft no longer went for the mandatory ‘C-Checks’ to ascertain their airworthiness.
He claimed that what airline operators and regulatory agencies did was to “connive” and produce airworthiness certificates to the airlines.
“We are told that the C-checks, some of the papers, they just doctor them and hand them over to the airlines. These things should be investigated urgently,” he stated.
Ossy’s motion partly read, “(The House) notes that Dana Air Limited is a fully privately-owned carrier which commenced flight operations on 10 November, 2008 and has been a troubled airline with unpredictable history of accidents and mishaps.
“Recalls that on June 3, 2012, after passengers had boarded the aircraft at the Lagos airport, its take-off was allegedly delayed as aeronautic engineers discovered some faults and changed the hydraulic fluid under the left side of the under carriage tyre mechanism.
“Also recalls that in the same year, Dana Air Flight 0992 crashed into a two-storey building in Iju-Ishaga, a densely populated area of Lagos State, only four nautical miles from the Murtala Muhammed Airport, killing all 153 passengers on board, and some residents of the building.
“Also notes that the aircraft, McDonnel Douglas MD 83, was manufactured in 1983 and has had history of mechanical problems with its former owners, US based Alaska Airlines before it was sold to Dana Airline in 2009.
“(The House is) aware that on 19 February, 2018, Dana aircraft numbered 9J0363, flying from Abuja to Port Harcourt, crash-landed at the Port Harcourt International Airport, but no casualty was recorded as all passengers on board were evacuated, an incident which occurred due to downpour accompanied with a strong wind and storm in Port Harcourt.
“(The House is) informed that a few weeks earlier, the same Dana aircraft had its door opened while landing at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
“(The House is) concerned that the lives and property of passengers may not be safe as a result of the series of mishaps associated with Dana Airline.”
Only on Tuesday, the Senate had raised similar concerns over aviation safety and summoned the Minister of State for Aviation, Mr. Hadi Sirika, to address senators.
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