NCAA to Lift Discovery Airlines’ Suspension

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority NCAA may soon lift the suspension of Air Operators Certificate AOC following the gradual rectification of all the problems associated with the suspension.

Discovery Airlines’ AOC was suspended from operations four months ago following what NCAA called technical and safety issues associated with the airline but it was gathered that the airline was suspended as a result of its inability to pay salaries months after starting operations.

However, the workers representatives confirmed that all workers have been paid according to their arrears, while others were given post-dated cheques payable April 30 saying they were comfortable with the arrangements by the management of the airline.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of Discovery Air, Engr. Babatunde Babalola said the airline has lost at least one billion since its operations were grounded four months ago.

The loss of the N1billion according to Engr Babalola, included charters, scheduled operations and other relationships that would have been on-board if the airline’s AOC was still intact.

He said what NCAA ought to have done was to ground its operations pending when the issues were resolved and lamented that the suspension of its AOC had led to massive business loss for the airline.

Babalola insisted that the offence of the airline did not warrant the suspended of its AOC and stressed that since the airline did not involve in an accident, its AOC ought not to be revoked by NCAA. He called for consistency in the regulations of the agency.

He emphasised that the letter written to the management of the airline on its suspension ordered it to address three issues before it would be allowed to return to operations.

The issues according to him are refunding of airfares to its passengers who were not satisfied with the way and manner they were treated by the airline, refund of compensation to the passengers and welfares of staff, which he said had been resolved by the airline.

He agreed that the airline had some little financial issues before it was suspended, but required bridging loan to sustain its operations from financial institutions.

In order to boost its investment, he displayed a letter, which indicated that the company had secured N4bn of letter of offer from a foreign company, but with a proviso that restriction on its AOC must be lifted before it could access the funds.

Besides, he explained the airline was working with the audit team of NCAA in a bid for its AOC to be returned and its recommences flight operations almost immediately.