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Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has condemned the unauthorised landing and departure of a private aircraft on a roadway near Asaba, Delta State, describing it as a serious breach of aviation regulations and a national security concern.
According to a statement released by the Minister on Wednesday, the aircraft, which reportedly failed to land at the Asaba Airport on Wednesday morning, instead touched down on a concrete road under construction in the Ogwashi-Uku area. The incident occurred at approximately 7:43 a.m. local time, after the aircraft was unable to access the airport runway.
Keyamo noted that Air Traffic Control was only notified after the aircraft had already taken off, indicating the flight departed without proper operational clearance.
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has grounded the aircraft in Lagos pending investigation, suspended the operator’s Permit for Non-Commercial Flight, and launched a comprehensive review of the incident.
Keyamo stressed that the actions of the flight crew were unacceptable and constituted a breach of aviation and security protocols.
“The NCAA will undertake a thorough review of all operational, airworthiness, maintenance, and flight-related records associated with the aircraft and operator, and will not hesitate to impose further enforcement actions as may be warranted,” he added.
Keyamo also confirmed that security agencies have taken custody of the flight crew, who are cooperating with ongoing investigations. He assured the public that the investigation would be transparent and that no operator would be allowed to bypass established aviation procedures designed to safeguard lives and maintain the integrity of Nigeria’s airspace system.
