Aviation
One disaster too many for Dana Air
What could have been a major airline disaster was averted on Tuesday night when a Dana aircraft overshot the runway while landing at Port Harcourt international airport.
This comes barely two weeks after the emergency door of another Dana aircraft reportedly fell off upon arrival at the Abuja airport. Also in January, a commercial aircraft belonging to Dana Air nearly crashed after hitting the fence of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
The Dana plane with registration number 5 N-DEV from Port Harcourt used its left wing to hit a fence while trying to park. The incident was blamed on bad weather.
The incidents happening weeks apart has caused a public storm on social media, with many Nigerians calling for the revocation of Dana’s license. The airline has however blamed the latest incident on bad weather.
According to a tweet, Dana is recording terrific experiences in a short span, and should be checked for quality assurance.
In the latest incident, the aircraft, which reportedly flew in from Nnamdi Azikiwe international airport, Abuja, ended up in the bush. Passengers were reportedly evacuated from the bush.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) confirmed the development, saying no one sustained injury in the incident.
“A Dana aircraft numbered 9J0363, flying from Abuja to Port Harcourt airport has overshot the Port Harcourt runway,” Henrietta Yakubu, spokeswoman of the agency, said in a statement.
“The incident was suspected to have been caused by a heavy rain, which was accompanied by strong wind and storm in Port Harcourt.
“No casualty was recorded, as all passengers on board were safely evacuated.
Recall that another Dana aircraft was involved in a deadly accident in Iju Ishaga area of Lagos in 2012, killing 153 passengers.
