Minister of state for Transport (Aviation), Senator Hadi Sirika, has directed an immediate investigation into the use of an unauthorised equipment by Aero Contractors Airlines to disembark passengers at the Bauchi airport at the weekend.
There are indications that the minister had received several reports suggesting that the airline used a ladder to disembark passengers from a Boeing 737 aircraft at the Bauchi airport yesterday on Saturday December 19, 2015.
As stated by a statement by the ministry, the act was inconsistent with Nigeria’s Civil Aviation Regulations (NCARs) and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPS).
Sirika in the statement signed by deputy director, Press and Public Affairs, Mr James Odaudu, stated that the investigation would determine the immediate and remote causes of the incident with a view to developing and implementing measures that would prevent a re-occurrence of the unsafe and unacceptable procedure that exposed passengers to high risk of serious injury.
He reiterated that if the airline was found culpable, the full weight of sanctions within extant laws and regulations would be applied on it.
The minister, however, assured the flying public that the ministry of transportation in collaboration with Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) would ensure strict adherence to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations as well as ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices by all operators.