Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) Suspends All Operations Of Associated Airline

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has suspended the operations of Associated Airlines, following the crash of its aircraft in Lagos on Thursday, which killed 13 people.

The Director General of the NCAA, Mr Fola Akinkuotu, announced this during a visit to the survivors of the air mishap at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja.

This is coming barely a day after the aviation regulatory body said The Embraer 120 plane which crashed in Lagos was certified fit to fly, and had a current certificate of air worthiness valid till October the 22nd, 2013.

The Director, Consumer Protection, NCAA, Mr. Adamu Abdullahi, yesterday said from its records, the airline was certified fit to fly by its flight maintenance engineer, who was also aboard the flight, when it took off.

He did point out also that the airline possesses an air operators’ certificate, an air worthiness certificate, valid till October 22nd this year, and an insurance policy valid until June next year.

An Associated Airlines plane conveying the remains of the former governor of Ondo state, Olusegun Agagu to Akure for his official lying-in-state crashed at about 9:30 am on Thursday, with 20 passengers on board the chartered flight a few minutes after take-off, at the Lagos Airport cargo shed.