The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has directed the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) to, within 10 days, release investigative reports on the United Nigeria flight which landed in Asaba, Delta State, instead of Abuja.

Keyamo gave the directive during a meeting with the leadership of the ministry in Abuja on Monday, November 27, 2023.

The Head Corporate Communications of United Nigeria Airlines, Achilleus-Chud Uchegbu, had said the flight which took off in Lagos en route Abuja on Sunday was temporarily diverted to the Asaba International Airport in Delta State.

Uchegbu, in a statement, said the diversion was due to poor destination weather.

Keyamo, however, told the NSIB to deepen efforts to produce its investigative reports on other incidents that happened within the last two weeks.

He said the ministry has been taking every step to ensure the safety of the lives of Nigerians who decide to travel by air.

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Keyamo said: “For the incidents that happened recently in the country, some are classified as minor, and some serious incidents. But we didn’t have any fatality.

“However, we have some preliminary steps and precautions steps that we are taking as a ministry and the regulators.

“Because of the incident that happened yesterday, where a flight to Abuja ended up in Asaba, they must have their reports within ten days of what really transpired.”

According to him, the transcript from the tower of Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) indicated that the pilot took off from Lagos and headed to Asaba, not Abuja.

The minister added: “There was no weather problem yesterday, NiMet’s DG is here. It was a question of wet lease plane. Pilots and the Cabin crew were foreigners.

“They were not familiar with the Nigerian terrain. So, it was purely an issue of in-house administrative issues.

“We have agreed, from now, any wet lease coming into Nigeria must have a Nigerian pilot and Nigerians as its Cabin crew.”

Keyamo further directed the Director-General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority of Nigeria (NCAA) to hold a crucial briefing with all Pilots and Cabin crew of wet lease in Nigeria within 72 hours.

He said he had also ordered NCAA boss to see how law could be enforced whereby passengers get some benefits from the airlines when there was flight delays or cancellations.

The Star