Azman Air 1
Azman Air 1

Azman Airways has failed the renewal audits of its Air Operator Certificates (AOC) from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

With this, the regulatory company has suspended indefinitely the working license of the airline.

AOC is an aviation security instrument that authorises an airline operator to hold out specified business air transport operations.

The doc issued to Azman Air allowed it to function as a passenger, cargo, scheduled and constitution flight operator. The certificates is renewed each two years in Nigeria by the NCAA.

This improvement has nevertheless led to huge chaos on the nation’s airports as passengers who had hitherto booked with the airline to journey to varied locations are at the moment stranded.

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A supply near NCAA confided in our correspondent on Thursday morning that the AOC of the airline had expired within the first quarter of this 12 months and the regulatory company by way of its inspectors had been working with the airline for the renewal course of, which the airline persistently failed.

It was additionally gathered that earlier than the regulatory company suspended the working license of the airline, the Directorate of Air Transport Regulation (DATR), a division in NCAA, had written a reminder letter to the administration of the airline and issued it 30 days ultimatum to adjust to the trade requirements, however failed.

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When our correspondent contacted the Chairman of the airline, Alhaji Abdulmunaf Sarina for feedback, he refused to reply the decision and likewise didn’t reply to a textual content message despatched to his cell phone.

What passengers are saying

On the Murtala Muhammed Airport Two (MMA2), Lagos Airport, passengers of the airline have been stranded as they might not fly to their locations with the airline as deliberate.

Principally affected have been 6:30a.m passengers of the airline from Lagos to Abuja, whereas its Lagos-Kano air travellers have been additionally caught within the internet of disaster.

A number of the passengers have been seen on the MMA2 making frantic efforts to buy air tickets of one other airline with a view to proceed with their journey as deliberate, whereas others insisted on getting a refund from the airline’s counter employees, however failed.

Other than Lagos, it was additionally gathered that lots of of passengers of the airline have been stranded in Abuja, Kano and Kaduna airports.

One of many affected passengers, Mr. Idris Aliyu, lamented to our correspondent that the airline by no means knowledgeable them of the suspension of operations.

In response to him, he had arrived on the airport at 5:20a.m for a 6:30am flight to Abuja, however was shocked when the counter employees of the airline instructed him and others that the flight had been cancelled with none cogent cause.

He mentioned: “I got here as early as doable to the airport to catch a flight to Abuja for an early morning assembly I’ve within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), however I used to be shocked after I was instructed I can’t journey. There’s a lot chaos at this airport proper now.

“Nobody was knowledgeable of this improvement by the airline. I believe in a sane society, passengers would have been knowledgeable earlier in order that they will make various preparations, however that’s not the case right here.

“Actually, I needed to purchase one other ticket to Abuja now in order that I might meet up with my scheduled appointment, however the fare is outrageous. A few of them now promote their tickets at N100,000 and above and that is only a one-way ticket.”

What it is best to know

  • Azman Air was granted AOC in Might 2014 by the NCAA following a two-year-long certification course of.
  • The airline commenced flight companies instantly with its inaugural flight to Kano from Lagos, however misplaced the certificates in March 2021 following its non-compliance to questions of safety.
  • The NCAA in March 2021 suspended the working license of the airline after a sequence of significant incidents inside six weeks.
  • Capt. Musa Nuhu, the Director-Common of NCAA had mentioned then that the airline was an accident ready to occur as a result of sequence of significant incidents and quite a few unprofessional conducts of the airline at the moment.
  • Nuhu had mentioned that the alarming pattern of tyre failures, together with improper tyre upkeep procedures by the airline, have been a transparent and powerful indication of an accident chain formation in its remaining phases at Azman Air.
  • Nuhu insisted that there was an pressing want to interrupt the accident chain earlier than a very avoidable nationwide tragedy occurred, stressing that the company wouldn’t permit avoidable accidents to occur within the sector as a result of a number of unprofessional conducts by the airline.
  • Nevertheless, after compliance with the protection procedures, the NCAA in Might launched its license and allowed it to return to scheduled flight companies.
  • The airline can be infamous for abandoning passengers at airports.