JUST IN: United Nigeria Airlines suspends flight dispatcher days after Abuja-bound plane landed in Asaba
A flight dispatcher for United Nigeria Airlines (UNA) has been suspended due to incorrectly entering a code into the dispatch document for a flight that was intended for Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja.
The Daily Independent reports that the airline’s management sent a letter of suspension to the unidentified flight dispatcher on Tuesday, after the incident that put the carrier in a humiliating situation.
The suspension will remain in place until the ongoing inquiry into the situation is concluded.
Achilleus-Chud Uchegbu, Head of Corporate Communications at United Nigeria Airlines, confirmed the suspension while refraining from providing further details.
Uchegbu clarified that the suspension was a procedural action taken to facilitate an investigation and should not be considered an indictment.
The incident occurred when the dispatcher mistakenly entered the code “ABB” into the dispatch document, intended for Asaba International Airport, Delta, instead of “ABV,” the code for Abuja Airport.
This mistake prompted the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to issue new guidelines concerning wet-leased aircraft.
The investigation remains ongoing as various organizations, including the Flight Dispatcher Association of Nigeria (FLIDAN), have weighed in on the incident.
FLIDAN, represented by Victoria Adegbe, its Secretary-General, asserted that the flight dispatcher adhered to Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations, specifically Part 8-Operations, by submitting a flight plan to the Aeronautical Information Service (AIS).
The plan indicated Lagos as the departure point and Abuja as the destination, with Enugu and Port Harcourt Airports listed as first and second alternates, respectively.