The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has ordered the suspension of all the wet-leased aircraft operated by United Nigeria Airlines (UNA) following an incident on Sunday when one of its planes diverted to Asaba International Airport instead of landing at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) in Abuja.
The NCAA announced its decision on Monday in a letter addressed to the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the airline, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The source said that the suspension would last until the NCAA completes its investigation into the incident, which involved one of the two wet-leased Airbus A320-200 aircraft in the airline’s fleet.
The incident sparked controversy on social media on Sunday, prompting the Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Capt. Musa Nuhu, to convene an emergency meeting of the agency.
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The meeting concluded that the airline’s explanation of poor weather conditions in Abuja was not acceptable to the authority, as it contradicted the report from the Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs) of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).
Wet-leasing is a practice where an airline leases an aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance from another airline or company. United Nigeria Airlines, which commenced operations in February 2021, has four Embraer ERJ-145 aircraft and two wet-leased Airbus A320-200 aircraft in its fleet.