The fallout from the spate of air crashes that has bedeviled the Nigerian aviation industry in the last few years continues. The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has announced the suspension of the operating certificates for five domestic airlines.

The airlines suspended are Dasab, Fresh Air, IRS, Sosoliso and Space World. These suspensions are in addition to that of ADC airlines whose operating certificate was withdrawn following the fatal crash of its Boeing 737 en route from Abuja to Sokoto in October this year.

Director-General of the NCAA, Dr. Harold Demuren, confirmed the suspension of the airlines’ certificates, stating that the agency would insist on the highest standards. He confirmed that one of Sosoliso’s aircraft had some safety concerns, adding that recent developments in the aviation industry, such as the ADC airliner’s crash, had made it necessary for the entire operations of affected airlines to be grounded.

In the last two years Nigeria has suffered several air disasters. In October 2005 a Bellview Airlines Boeing 737 airliner crashed shortly after take-off from Lagos. All 111 passengers and six crew were killed. Later that year in December a Sosoliso Airlines DC9 from Abuja crashed on landing in Port Harcourt, killing 106 people.