A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has stopped the Director General of Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, (NCAA) from issuing Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) to Nigeria Air.
Granting orders of interim and interlocutory injunctions in the terms order, Honourable Justice A. Lewis Allagoa has restrained all relevant parties from taking of any step in relation to the Nigeria Air project.
Notifying NCAA of the restraining order, the plaintiff’s lawyer Abubakar Nuhu Ahmed, Esq. in a letter dated 19th April 2023 stated that the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, (NCAA) is to desist from dealing with the Minister/the Ministry of Aviation and/ or their agents, privies or representatives, pertaining the Air Operator Certificate (AOC), subject matter of the suit, to avoid consequences of disobedience of court orders.
It would be recalled that Air Peace, Azman, Max Air, United Nigeria Airlines, and Top Brass Aviation Limited had taken the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, Attorney General of the Federation, Nigeria Air, and Ethiopian Airlines to court to stop the airline from flying.
With this development, the hopes of the proposed national airline commencing operations by May 29 seem to have been thwarted. Nigeria Air had earlier received its Air Transport Licence (ATL) from the NCAA some months back.
