There was pandemonium at the ticketing lounge of the domestic wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on Thursday, as intending passengers of the Dana Airline protested the impromptu suspension of the service.
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on Wednesday night announced the immediate and indefinite suspension of Dana Airlines’ Air Transport Licence (ATL) and Air Operator Certificate (AOC), citing the outcome of a financial and economic health audit carried out on the Airline by the NCAA and the findings of an investigation conducted on the Airline’s flight operations recently.
The NCAA had said the audit showed that Dana Airlines was no longer in a position to meet its financial obligations and to conduct safe flight operations.
Passengers who had already bought tickets to travel with the airline were at the airport on Thursday morning to travel to their destinations but were surprised to find that the flights will not be operating.
A traveller, James Jimin, who witnessed the incident, said some of the passengers got violent after airline officials could neither make alternative travel arrangements for them nor refund their money.
“They broke one of the ticketing cubicles and threatened to beat the staff on ground while the melee ensued,” narrated.
He further stated that the situation was further compounded by the fact that all other airlines were fully booked and those who had a few tickets to sell charged as high as N90,000 making it impossible for those who could not afford it to make their trips.
