Senator Hadi Sirika, Minister of State for Transport (Aviation), has directed an immediate investigation into the use of an unauthorised equipment by Aero Contractors Airlines to disembark passengers at the Bauchi Airport at the weekend.
A statement from the ministry indicated that the minister had received several reports indicating that the airline used a ladder to disembark passengers from a Boeing 737 aircraft at the Bauchi airport on Saturday.
According to the minister, the act was inconsistent with Nigeria’s Civil Aviation Regulations (NCARs) and International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPS).
Sirika, in the statement by Deputy Director, Press and Public Affairs, Mr James Odaudu, said that the investigation would determine the immediate and remote causes of the incident with a view to developing and implementing measures that would prevent a recurrence of the unsafe and unacceptable procedure that exposed passengers to high risk of serious injury.
He reiterated that if the airline was found culpable, the full weight of sanctions within extant laws and regulations would be applied to it.
The minister assured the flying public that the Ministry of Transportation in collaboration with Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) would ensure strict adherence to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations as well as ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices by all operators.
-Leadership