The Federal Government is considering seizing the assets of Dana Air to recover funds owed to passengers and travel agents, following months of unresolved refund claims linked to the airline’s suspended operations.
The disclosure was made on Tuesday by Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, during the fourth-quarter aviation stakeholder engagement in Abuja, themed “Leveraging public feedback to drive excellence in aviation services.”
Okay News reports that Dana Air, grounded since April 2024, has been at the centre of mounting complaints from travellers and agents who say their ticket refunds remain unpaid.
Keyamo said he has directed the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to investigate why the trapped funds have not been returned, insisting that the airline cannot evade accountability.
“For Dana, the problem is that it was a choice between safety and disaster. So we didn’t take the commercial thing as a priority. The priority was safety,” Keyamo said.
“I have asked Najomo to dig deep to find out how those passengers and agents will be refunded. One solution will also be that if these individuals or entities try to return to aviation under any guise, they must settle their debts first. We should look at their assets. Let them sell their assets. Let’s cannibalise their revenue and pay people. NCAA should do that because they can’t get away with it.”
Dana Air’s operations were suspended on April 24, 2024, after an MD-82 aircraft (5N-BKI) suffered a runway excursion at Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport. The NCAA subsequently halted the airline’s Air Operator Certificate to enable a full safety and economic audit.
Representing the NCAA Director-General, Capt. Chris Najomo, the Director of Aviation Security Regulations, Dr. Ben Omogo, provided an update on refund progress.
“9,529 passengers received refunds or compensation from January to September, with additional claims still under review and being processed according to regulatory timelines,” he said.
Keyamo stressed that passenger safety would continue to take precedence over financial considerations, noting that allowing the airline to operate despite identified safety gaps could have led to a national tragedy.
“The NCAA decided to suspend them, but I pushed them to review the reports on safety records and lack of standards that put the lives of Nigerians at risk. If they continued flying, many of us could have been victims. God forbid,” he said.
