Dana Air Back In The Skies Friday

Six months after it was grounded by the Nigerian government following the 3 June plane crash in Lagos, Dana Air will be back in the skies on Friday, the airline said today.


The initial flight will take off at about 9.45 a.m. from the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos, Southwest Nigeria, for Abuja, the Nigerian capital.

Dana Air Corporate Communications Manager, Mr. Tony Usidamen, told our correspondent on Wednesday that VIPs, journalists, celebrities and political figures will be among the first set of travellers.

The airline, which was adjudged the best in the country before the ill-fated plane crash, will have to rebuild confidence among weary Nigerian travellers.

Dana currently has five planes in its fleet and virtually all of them have undergone C-check in Turkey.

Already, the airline said, it has opened its online booking platform for the purchase of tickets.

Dana Air was re-awarded its Air Operators’ Certificate few weeks ago after a thorough recertification process that lasted for months.

In re-awarding Dana its licence, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, said the airline was safe for flights.

The June 3 crash on the outskirts of Lagos killed close to 160 people, including people on the ground, whose homes were hit by the MD 83 Flight 992