Azman Airlines has failed the renewal audits of its Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
As a result, the airline’s operating license has been suspended indefinitely by the regulatory agency.
An AOC is a piece of aviation safety equipment that authorizes an airline operator to conduct specific commercial air transport operations.
Azman Air was granted permission to operate as a passenger, cargo, scheduled, and charter flight operator under the terms of the document. The NCAA in Nigeria renews the certificate every two years.
This development, however, has caused massive chaos at the country’s airports, as passengers who had previously booked with the airline to travel to various destinations are now stranded.
According to a source close to NCAA, the airline’s AOC expired in the first quarter of this year, and the regulatory agency, through its inspectors, had been working with the airline on the renewal process, which the airline had consistently failed.
It was also learnt that before the regulatory agency suspended the airline’s operating license, the NCAA’s Directorate of Air Transport Regulation (DATR) wrote a reminder letter to the airline’s management and gave it a 30-day deadline to comply with industry standards, but it failed.
When contacted, the airline’s Chairman, Alhaji Abdulmunaf Sarina, could not make any comment, as he refused to answer or return phone calls.
Passengers from the airline were stranded at Murtala Muhammed Airport Two (MMA2) in Lagos because they were unable to fly to their destinations on time.
The airline’s 6:30 a.m. passengers from Lagos to Abuja were the most affected, but passengers flying from Lagos to Kano were also caught in the web of crisis.
Some passengers were seen at the MMA2 frantically attempting to purchase air tickets from another airline in order to continue their journey as planned, while others insisted on obtaining a refund from the airline’s counter staff, but were unsuccessful.
Aside from Lagos, it was reported that hundreds of passengers were stranded at airports in Abuja, Kano, and Kaduna.
Mr. Idris Aliyu, one of the affected passengers, told journalists that the airline never informed them of the suspension of operations.
According to him, he arrived at the airport at 5:20 a.m. for a 6:30 a.m. flight to Abuja, but was surprised when the airline’s counter staff informed him and others that the flight had been canceled for no apparent reason.
“I arrived at the airport as early as possible to catch a flight to Abuja for an early morning meeting I have in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), but I was surprised when I was told I could not travel,” he said. This airport is currently in complete disarray.
“No one was informed of this development by the airline. I think in a sane society, passengers would have been informed earlier so that they can make alternative arrangements, but that is not the case here.
“In fact, I wanted to buy another ticket to Abuja now so that I could catch up with my scheduled appointment, but the fare is outrageous. Some of them now sell their tickets at N100,000 and above and this is just a one-way ticket.”
