Dana Air Apologises To Passengers Over Take-Off Hiccups

Following the flight glitch observed last Monday, Dana Airline has apologised to passengers over take-off hiccups of an aircraft with registration number 5N JOY operating flight 9J 344 from Port Harcourt International Airport to Lagos on Monday, May 2, 2022.
The airline, in a statement issued, yesterday, said the affected aircraft was set to take off when the pilot in command noticed an anomaly which he queried with the Air Traffic Control (ATC) before embarking on a ramp return in line with our strict safety operating procedures.
The statement by Dana Air spokesman, Kingsley Ezenwa, titled, ‘Press statement on Port Harcourt Incident of 2/5/22’, said the aircraft had been grounded pending the conclusion of their investigations.
It statement partly read, “Our aircraft with registration number 5N JOY operating flight 9J 344 from Port Harcourt to Lagos on 2nd of May, 2022, was set to take off when the pilot in command noticed an anomaly which he queried with the Air Traffic Control before embarking on a ramp return in line with our strict safety operating procedures.
“However, the impact on the brakes as a result of the aborted take-off affected the aircraft tyres which sparked off while the aircraft was taxiing to re-park.
“All 50 passengers onboard the aircraft disembarked safely and our maintenance team have immediately grounded the aircraft pending the conclusion of their investigations.
“Once again, we sincerely apologise to all the passengers on the flight for the inconveniences caused due to the eventual cancellation of the flight.”
“At Dana Air, the safety of our passengers and crew will remain a top priority in all aspect of our operations and we will continue to operate in accordance with the civil aviation regulations and global best practices”.
Earlier, no fewer than 50 passengers were rescued when fire gutted the tyres of an aircraft operated by Dana Airlines Limited in Port Harcourt.
The incident occurred, last Monday evening at the Port Harcourt Airport, in Omagwa, Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State.
It was also gathered that no life was lost and no passenger was injured as first responders, including operatives of the fire service at the airport moved in to control the situation.
The Nigerian civil airspace has maintained a relatively safe record in about a decade now which has increased passengers’ confidence in air travel.
The last air crash in the country involving a commercial airplane was in June, 2012, when a Dana Air MD-83 aircraft from Abuja crashed near the Lagos airport while attempting an emergency landing, killing all 153 souls on board and six on the ground.