The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has lifted the suspension of a wet leased Airbus aircraft operated by United Nigeria Airlines’ Part G operations standards.
Last Sunday, the agency suspended the airline’s Airbus after it temporarily diverted its aircraft NUA 0504 from Abuja to Asaba.
In a letter signed by the NCAA’s Director of Licensing and training, Captain I.B Danbazzau and addressed to the Managing Director of the airline, the agency outlined the outcome of its investigation and made recommendations. It then stated that the suspension has been lifted and the airline is required to comply with the Nigeria Civil Aviation All Operators letter (DG 15/2023) referenced NCAA/DGCA/AIR/11/16/347.
The agency said the investigation revealed the lack of adequate liaison between the lessor’s OCC and lessee’s OCC which has also omitted appropriate flight briefing from the point of departure. It also stated that the cockpit crew and the cabin crew did not hold preflight briefing before embarking on flight.
It said the OCC flight monitoring of the airline does not monitor the aircraft in the company’s Operations Specifications Part G (Wet Lease Aircraft) and that there was non adherence to approved filed ATC flight plan.
It then recommended that approved flight programs sent to the lessor and the necessary briefings should be conducted with a dispatcher of lessee in attendance. Both cockpit and cabin crew should hold appropriate briefings before flight and all copies of filed flight plans should be handed to the cockpit crew via the lessee’s OCC.