The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has said that Dana Airline had been flying with an unhealthy status for a while now.
Keyamo made this revelation while speaking in an interview on Channels television on Thursday, monitored by Arogidigba Global Journal.
The minister also stated that an audit report carried out under his predecessor confirmed the airline’s unhealthy status.
According to him, the internal reports, which were done two years ago, showed that Dana Air was unfit to fly, adding that the consistent incidents experienced by the airline made him call for a suspension.
Replying to the criticisms that trailed the suspension, Keyamo said he never wrote to the airline but instructed the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, to do so.
“Before I came into office, I am sure you have heard consistent incidents involving perhaps Dana Airline, to mention a few of them. I am sure you heard that, at a point, on approach to the runway, the door flew open.
“I am sure you know that popular incident. Who are the engineers that are supposed to look at this? Who are the engineers that are supposed to check for the safety of the aircraft and its parts?
“There are also incidents involving one or two of its aircraft at different times, consistent. Of course, after the fatal crash of Dana, the other time that killed Nigerians,” he said.