Aero, Dana suspend Lagos – Accra operations for want of aircraft

Aerocontractors and Dana Air have suspended their Lagos-Accra operations over non-availability of aircraft, it was learnt yesterday.

Aero is the oldest airline in the country that has been servicing the route for a long time while Dana began flying the route in December last year.

Both airlines, it was gathered, had sent their aircraft abroad for maintenance (C-check) but the aircraft are currently lying down at maintenance facilities because of foreign exchange constraint.

A source privy to the development said, “The suspension of Accra operations by the two airlines is a fall out of the seemingly unending challenge over forex which the local airlines have been crying about. Most of their aircraft are due for check and it would be risky to continue to use them without taking them for the due check”.

When contacted, the media consultant to Aero, Simon Tumba, confirmed the suspension of the flight recently though he attributed it to some “restructuring” being carried out by the company.

A spokesman of Dana, Kingsley Okwudili, also confirmed the suspension, adding simply that their aircraft had been sent abroad for maintenance.

Meanwhile, Dana Air has continued to strengthen its domestic operation as it announced that it would re-launch scheduled operations from Lagos to the Sam Mbakwe International Airport, Owerri, from 11th of July, 2016.