By Kamsi Anayo
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has suspended the licence of Mattini Airline Services Lted., the private jet operator whose aircraft crash-landed on Friday at Samuel Ladoke Akintola Airport in Ibadan, Oyo state capital.
The aircraft overshot the runway and crash-landed at a nearby bush with 10 persons onboard.
The Challenger CL 601 aircraft, registered as N580KR, departed from Abuja to the Ibadan airport before the incident at 11 a.m.
The NCAA declared in a statement that the licence suspension was with immediate effect pending the outcome of investigations into the incident.
The regulatory body announced its intention to conduct a comprehensive safety and economic audit of all private jet operations in Nigeria, emphasising its commitment to ensuring the highest standards in the aviation sector.
Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at NCAA, Michael Achimugu, said in the statement that it enlisted the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) to conduct a thorough investigation into the Ibadan airport incident.
While the NSIB is conducting the safety investigation, the NCAA has initiated an economic inquiry into the aircraft’s operation, specifically concerning the terms and conditions of the PNCF as detailed in its documents.
“In the meantime, and in accordance with Sec 32 (4) of the Civil Aviation Act 2022, the NCAA has also suspended the PNCF of Mattini Airline Services Limited with immediate effect,” the statement said.
The suspension, NCAA said will subsist until a determination is made that the conditions of the PNCF have been adhered to.
“NCAA has further initiated a safety and economic audit of all private jet operations in Nigeria.
“NCAA however assured the traveling public of its utmost commitment to safety and the entrenchment of global best practices,” the statement added.