Nigeria is to review the safety of the ageing fleet of passenger jets operated by its small private airlines following a crash which killed 117 people, President Olusegun Obasanjo said on Tuesday.
An investigation has been launched to find out why a Bellview Airlines Boeing 737 plunged to the ground and disintegrated shortly after taking off from Lagos on Saturday, but the president said that checks must also be carried out on the maintenance standard of other planes.
”I have already ordered a full and thorough investigation into the cause of the air crash with a view to ensuring that this sort of calamity does not repeat itself,” Obasanjo said, in a televised address to the nation.
”In addition, I have directed the aviation ministry to ensure strict compliance with maintenance and operations requirements and standards for all aircraft in order to plug loopholes and ensure passenger safety,” he said.
Domestic routes between Nigeria’s larger cities are connected by a network of passenger flights run by almost a dozen private airlines operating second-hand jets, mostly Boeing 727 and 737 airliners.
Most of the airlines are not licensed to fly internationally but some, including Bellview and the country’s new British-owned flag-carrier Virgin Nigeria, serve West African capitals and fly to London. Several major international airlines operate flights to Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt.
The Nigerian aviation industry has a bad safety record and minor accidents are relatively common. In July alone three airliners were damaged on landing on Lagos’ poorly surfaced runway while an Air France jet ploughed into a herd of cows as it touched down in Port Harcourt.
In May 2002 a Nigerian passenger jet crashed into a crowded suburb shortly after taking off from Kano airport in the north of the country, killing 115 on board and scores more on the ground. – Sapa-AFP