By; AMOS TAUNA, Kaduna
The licence of Mattini Airline Services Limited, the private jet operator whose aircraft overshot the runway on Friday at Ibadan Airport, has been suspended by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
The private jet overshot the runway with 10 persons onboard, while firefighters and rescue officials from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) were immediately deployed to the scene.
In a statement, the NCAA declared that the licence suspension was with immediate effect, pending the outcome of investigations into the incident.
Before the incident at 11am, the Challenger CL 601 aircraft, registered as N580KR and operated by Mattini Airline Services Limited, departed from Abuja to Samuel Ladoke Akintola Airport in Ibadan.
While emphasising its commitment to ensuring the highest standards in the aviation sector, the regulatory body announced its intention to conduct a comprehensive safety and economic audit of all private jet operations in Nigeria.
Michael Achimugu, the Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, NCAA, issued a statement saying it enlisted the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau to conduct a thorough investigation into the Ibadan Airport incident.
The NCAA has initiated an economic inquiry into the aircraft’s operation, specifically concerning the terms and conditions of the PNCF as detailed in its documents, while the NSIB is conducting the safety investigation.
The statement said, “In the meantime, and in accordance with Sec 32 (4) of the Civil Aviation Act 2022, the NCAA has also suspended the PNCF of Mattini Airline Services Limited with immediate effect.”
NCAA said it would subsist until a determination is made that the conditions of the PNCF have been adhered to, saying that NCAA has further initiated a safety and economic audit of all private jet operations in Nigeria.
NCAA, however, assured the traveling public of its utmost commitment to safety and the entrenchment of global best practices.
