Stakeholders raise safety concerns over Nigeria’s airspace

The aviation industry in Nigeria is undergoing a mild turbulence over recent incidents involving domestic airlines. Daily Trust Saturday observed the issues of contention amidst concerns from members of the flying public.

The social media space was awash with the runway incident involving a Dana flight from Abuja to Lagos on April 23, 2024, raising concerns about the safety of the industry. 

The airline’s flight 9J0352 with registration number 5N-BKI, carrying 83 passengers and six crew members, departed the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja at 8:20am local time and arrived in Lagos around 9:20am, overshooting the runway at the Murtala Muhammad International Airport (MMIA).

The passengers were also safely disembarked, using the emergency exit gate as the aircraft tyre was stuck on the ground.

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The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), the body empowered by the federal government to investigate accidents and incidents in all modes of transportation, had taken up the investigation to ascertain the immediate and remote causes of the incident. 

In its statement on the incident signed by its Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Mrs Bimbo Oladeji noted that it had been raining in Lagos when the incident happened while the runway 18L surface was wet. 

“The aircraft had a technical problem with its landing gear and experienced directional control problems after landing, which made it veer off the runway to the left and travel onto the grassy area near the Runway 18L, link 6 turn-off point.

“Thankfully, there are no reported fatalities or injuries.  As a precautionary measure, Runway 18L at the MMA was temporarily closed following the incident,” the statement noted. 

The director-general of the NSIB, Captain Alex Badeh Jr said, “We have commenced an investigation to determine the full circumstances surrounding the runway excursion event involving Dana Airline MD-82 aircraft with registration marking 5N-BKI.

“A go-team has been dispatched to the incident scene and has begun inquiries. We will leave no stone unturned in examining all aspects surrounding the incident.”

The bureau added that the investigation team had retrieved the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder, which will be taken to its lab for data download. 

The transcript from Air Traffic Control and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria will also be included for forensic analysis and further investigation. The NSIB team has also measured the aircraft’s veering point from the runway to its final stop on the grass. 

Crew members have been interviewed and undergone toxicology tests. As at today, all stakeholders involved in the operation of this aircraft, including the manufacturer, are being notified for their comments to be included in our report.”

While investigation of the incident has commenced with stakeholders awaiting the preliminary report in the next 30 days, Nigerians have expressed concerns over the state and health of the domestic airlines operating in Nigeria following recent incidents. 

Apart from the Dana Air incident, there had been other recent incidents in the past, which triggered tension and anxiety about the safety of the country’s aviation sector. 

While the Dana incident was described as an isolated case, there have been incidents in the past involving fuel contamination, aircraft door ‘falling off’; the persistent being aircraft skidding off the runway. The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had to even suspend some airlines temporarily over some safety breaches to enable them make corrections. 

In September 2023, a United Nigeria Airlines Embraer ERJ145, with nationality and registration marks, 5N-BWY, overshot the runway at the Murtala Muhammad International Airport, Lagos while all the 51 passengers and four crew members were safely evacuated. The incident is being probed by the NSIB.

In November 2023, a ValueJet aircraft slipped on taxi turn after landing safely and cleared off the runway at Port Harcourt airport. There was no damage to the aircraft. The incident happened at 3:30 local time. 

The CRJ 900 Bombardier aircraft with registration 5N-BXR landed safely, with passengers wondering what could have happened because the airplane landed without difficulty.

Shortly after Tuesday’s incident involving Dana, there were two other minor incidents involving Ibom Airlines and Air Peace. 

On Thursday night, there were reports about an Air Peace flight from Port Harcourt to Lagos making an emergency landing at the airport. 

The airline later dismissed the report, saying what happened was that some minutes before landing, its captain noticed a fire warning indicator in the cockpit. 

It said, “The pilots performed all safety precautionary measures and the fire indicator went off. The captain immediately notified our Operations Control Centre in Lagos at 17:37hrs. 

“It was determined upon landing that the alarm was falsely triggered as there was no fire event. The aircraft landed safely and all passengers disembarked normally.”

Also, on April 25, 2024, there was another incident on an Ibom Air flight from Lagos to Abuja. Dr Joe Abbah, a former director, Bureau of Public Service Reforms, narrated his experience on the morning flight on his X (formerly Twitter) handle. 

He stated, “As we were about to start taxiing, there was a loud knock on the aircraft door from outside. We all wondered what it could be. The knocking got more persistent and the flight attendant had to open the door again. 

“As she did, a ground engineer came in and those of us in front clearly heard him say, “You can’t go. Your landing gear is bad.”

The pilot made a ‘political’ announcement that they needed to perform some additional checks before takeoff, and apologised for the delay. He spoke with the engineer, and a few seconds later, announced that we were to disembark.

The airline, while explaining technical glitch said, “The engineer, who wore a headset to communicate with the pilots, promptly drew the attention of the pilot in command of his observation. The decision was made to inspect the nose and passengers had to be disembarked. This is a routine practice in the industry. The supervising engineers remain vigilant in inspecting an aircraft until it departs. 

“While the aircraft has since been taken to the hangar to have the problem fixed, we regret the delay in delivering our usual service to our valued passengers. We will always take precaution and prioritise the safety of our passengers.”

Daily Trust Saturday reports that the Dana Air incident has generated an avalanche of discussions following the directive of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), which led to the suspension of the airline by the NCAA. 

The directive was largely seen as an interference on the regulatory function of the NCAA as the apex regulator of the industry recognised by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). 

Our correspondent learnt that a comprehensive audit of all airlines, apart from Dana, is said to be underway, with a view to boosting the confidence of members of the flying public in the industry.

Speaking with our correspondent, the chief executive officer of Aero Contractors, Capt Ado Sanusi, insisted that the aviation industry had a robust safety record that remains intact, irrespective of recent incidents. 

He said, “I think that based on our records, any concern regarding the safety operation of Nigerian airlines should be put to rest. Yes, there had been incidents in the past, but if you look at the number of flight operations since the incidents that happened, the context in which they happened, be it weather-related or maintenance, you would see that our safety index is at an acceptable level. 

“Of course there will be room for improvement. Safety is not a destination; it is a journey, so we will continue to improve on our records. That is what we call safety management system, and that is what most of the airlines in the world have imbibed.

“I don’t think there is a systemic problem regarding the safety operations of the airlines in the country. Yes, there are some bad eggs making bad decisions for some airlines and regulators, but these are isolated cases, which I think should be addressed and dealt with decisively.”

The general secretary of the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), Comrade Olayinka Abioye, said the Dana Air incident was a normal occurrence anywhere in the world. 

He said that in aviation, there would always be safety issues, adding, “As at today, I am bold to say that although it is not yet Uhuru, Nigeria has a safe and secure aviation environment, so there is absolutely no need for false alarms.”

He said that appropriate agencies must continue to work round the clock “to ensure that things that require attention are given attention, notwithstanding the fact that some of those things being done may not be known or openly seen by many of us. 

“We have just been told that the 18L runway is de-rubberised every month and a friction test on the runways was recently completed. Many of us had actually accused the FAAN, albeit worthy.

“I have often told our friends in the AON who are partners to seek time out for regular discussions with the airport operators (FAAN), the regulator (CAA) and Air Navigation Service provider (NAMA). Such synergy will help the industry grow and any issues can be sorted out amicably. 

“The recent Dana incident occurs all over the world and Nigeria cannot be an exception, except we are trying to give a dog a bad name in order to hang her.”

The Civil Aviation Authority under the acting director-general, Capt Chris Najomo, however, insisted that it was alive to its responsibility as a regulator of the industry, assuring the public of continued safe operations by airlines operating within the country’s airspace.