Bauchi airport incident a national embarrassment —FG
THE Federal Government has condemned the incident that occurred at the Bauchi Airport Saturday, describing the incident as unacceptable.
The incident, which went viral on many social media networks, involved a Bauchi bound chartered Aero contractor flight which took off from Abuja.
According to information gathered, passengers on board the flight disembarked on landing at Bauchi airport with the help of a ladder as against the accepted use of gangway. The development has generated condemnation and affront to safety.
Feelers from the Ministry of Transportation have indicated that the incident has caused a national embarrassment.
“The Federal Government is frowning at the incident. Even though the airport is
a state one, it is still the responsibility of the government to see to it that all goes well and things are done in line with global acceptable recommended standard practices which the country is signatory to. The Minister of State for Aviation is not happy at all.”
Meantime, the Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, has ordered investigation into the incident.
A statement from the office of the Minister of State for Aviation declared: “Honourable Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, has directed an immediate investigation into the use of unauthorised equipment by Aero Contractors Airlines at the conclusion of a charter flight to Bauchi over the weekend.
“Several reports received by the Honourable Minister have indicated the airline used a ladder to disembark passengers from a Boeing 737 aircraft at the Bauchi Airport on Saturday, December 19, 2015. According to the Minister, the act is inconsistent with Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (NCARs) and International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPS).”
The Minister gave the assurance 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 reoccurrence of the unsafe and unacceptable procedure that exposed passengers to high risk of serious injury.
He vowed that if the airline was found culpable, that the full weight of sanctions within extant laws and regulations would be applied on it.
The Minister however assured the travelling public that the Ministry of Transport, 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.
The development came even as the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO Aviance) has said it was not responsible for the incident that took place at the Bauchi Airport.
A statement issued by the handling company declared: “The attention of the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc (NAHCOnahco Aviance) has been drawn to reports making rounds on the social media to the effect that it was its failure to provide handling service to one of its esteemed clients, Aero Contractors, that caused passengers of the airline to disembark with ladder at the Bauchi Airport.
“Nothing can be further from the truth. NAHCO does not have operations in Bauchi. This fact is well known to Aero and all our client airlines. So, for Aero to embark on that chartered flight to Bauchi, it definitely would have made its own private arrangements. Aero’s statement in this regard is particularly clear. It never mentioned NAHCO, nor for that matter, any ground handler as the reason it had to innovate.”
The incident, which went viral on many social media networks, involved a Bauchi bound chartered Aero contractor flight which took off from Abuja.
According to information gathered, passengers on board the flight disembarked on landing at Bauchi airport with the help of a ladder as against the accepted use of gangway. The development has generated condemnation and affront to safety.
Feelers from the Ministry of Transportation have indicated that the incident has caused a national embarrassment.
“The Federal Government is frowning at the incident. Even though the airport is
a state one, it is still the responsibility of the government to see to it that all goes well and things are done in line with global acceptable recommended standard practices which the country is signatory to. The Minister of State for Aviation is not happy at all.”
Meantime, the Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, has ordered investigation into the incident.
A statement from the office of the Minister of State for Aviation declared: “Honourable Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, has directed an immediate investigation into the use of unauthorised equipment by Aero Contractors Airlines at the conclusion of a charter flight to Bauchi over the weekend.
“Several reports received by the Honourable Minister have indicated the airline used a ladder to disembark passengers from a Boeing 737 aircraft at the Bauchi Airport on Saturday, December 19, 2015. According to the Minister, the act is inconsistent with Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (NCARs) and International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPS).”
The Minister gave the assurance 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 reoccurrence of the unsafe and unacceptable procedure that exposed passengers to high risk of serious injury.
He vowed that if the airline was found culpable, that the full weight of sanctions within extant laws and regulations would be applied on it.
The Minister however assured the travelling public that the Ministry of Transport, 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.
The development came even as the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO Aviance) has said it was not responsible for the incident that took place at the Bauchi Airport.
A statement issued by the handling company declared: “The attention of the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc (NAHCOnahco Aviance) has been drawn to reports making rounds on the social media to the effect that it was its failure to provide handling service to one of its esteemed clients, Aero Contractors, that caused passengers of the airline to disembark with ladder at the Bauchi Airport.
“Nothing can be further from the truth. NAHCO does not have operations in Bauchi. This fact is well known to Aero and all our client airlines. So, for Aero to embark on that chartered flight to Bauchi, it definitely would have made its own private arrangements. Aero’s statement in this regard is particularly clear. It never mentioned NAHCO, nor for that matter, any ground handler as the reason it had to innovate.”
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