NCAA slams suspension order on Azman Air with immediate effect

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has suspended the operations of all the Boeing 737 aircraft in the fleet of Azman Air Services Limited, with effect from Monday, March 15, 2021.

This was consequent upon a series of incidents involving Azman Air Boeing 737 aircraft fleet.

The suspension was contained in a statement signed by the Director-General of NCAA, Capt. Musa Nuhu.

In the statement released to the press on Tuesday, March 16, 2021, in Lagos
Nuhu was reported to have said that the suspension was pursuant to Section 35 (2) of the Civil Aviation Act, 2006 and Part 1.3.3.3 (A) of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs) 2015.

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He said that  the suspension was to enable the authority conduct an audit of the airline to determine the root cause(s) of the incidents, and to recommend corrective actions to forestall reccurrence.

Read him: “NCAA regrets the inconvenience this action may cause the public, particularly to Azman air passengers, but the need to ensure the safety of air
transport and protect the public interest, cannot be compromised.

“The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority will continue to ensure  airlines’ compliance to its regulations in the interest of safety and will view any violation(s) seriously.”

Azman Air was established in 2010, and began operations in 2014 with its first commercial flight to Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, on 15 May 2014 from Kano.

The airline began operations in Nigeria with 2 Boeing 737-500 aircraft for its domestic services.

In October 2017, Azman Air leased a used Airbus A330 from an Egyptian charter airline (the now defunct Air Leisure), which would be used to fly to international routes to both the Middle East and Asia.

The airline has since discontinued leasing the A330, and, as of 8 February 2020, was only flying domestic routes within Nigeria.