Boeing 737 banned
The federal government has banned Boeing 737 Max airplanes from
flying into Nigeria’s airspace following a fatal crash in Ethiopia over
the weekend, according to a report by TheCable.
Hadi Sirika, minister of state, aviation, disclosed this to state
house correspondents at the end of the federal executive council (FEC)
meeting, presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Regarding Boeing 737 Max 8 and Max 9, that has been in the
news recently, there is no cause for alarm as there is no operator in
Nigeria that is using that type of airplane,” he said.
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, whose mandate it is to issue
advisory, has already issued advisory that nobody should fly into
Nigeria or out of Nigeria using Boeing 737 Max 8 and Max 9, pending the
determination of the actual cause of the crash in Ethiopia and also
pending the outcome of the response of the manufacturer, which is
Messers Boeing.
“Regardless of the enormous safety records of this plane 737,
it has caused concern in the world of aviation and you know aviation is
universal, whatever affects one affects the other because aircraft will
be flying in and out. So, we have issued directive that no operator with
Boeing 737 Max 8 or Max 9 should operate into and outside our airports
and this is being carried out.”
The 157 persons on board the ill-fated aircraft were killed. Two
Nigerians: Pius Adesanmi, a professor, and Abiodun Bashua, an
ex-diplomat, lost their lives in the incident.
