Dana Air has commended Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) for releasing the preliminary report on the Port Harcourt runway incident involving its aircraft MD 83 with the registration number 5N-SRI at the Port Harcourt International Airport (PHIA).
The incident occurred on February 23, 2018 at the airport, while the aircraft skidded off the runway.
A statement by Mr. Kingsley Ezenwa said that excerpts of the reports confirmed that the Air Traffic Control, a department under the Nigerian Air Space Management Agency had cleared the pilot in command to land.
The airline insisted that the pilot had over 30 years’ experience in the aviation industry and is one of the very best in his profession, meticulous in his duties, and headhunted from another domestic airline where he also served as the head of safety and quality standards.
“Considering the safety measures that we have put in place and our huge investment in training and retraining of our crew and pilots, we decided not to join issues, but to rather wait on the report of the AIB, the authentic body responsible for such investigations.
“In 2013, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and its foreign partners, the Flight Safety Group, carried out an audit on our operations and in 2016, as a result of our commitment to global safety standards, we applied to become a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), went through their audit and subsequently became a member in 2016”, it said
The airline also said it welcomed recent audit ordered by the Federal Government on its operations, maintaining that its team were willing to work with the government in order to further demonstrate its commitment not just to flying, but to flying safe.
On its route and fleet expansion programme, the airline said: “this was still very much on course and it remained dedicated to the recent interline and aircraft partnership with Asky airline, another formidable airline in Africa”.
