November 29, (THEWILL) – The flight dispatcher of United Nigeria Airlines (UNA) who erroneously entered the wrong code into the dispatch document on Sunday, for a flight to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja has been suspended indefinitely.
The flight dispatcher (names withheld), THEWILL gathered, was issued a suspension letter on Tuesday, by the management of the airline following an outcry from the public, which caused the carrier an avoidable embarrassment.
Although the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is already investigating the incident, the suspension of the Dispatcher will remain in place until after the conclusion of the ongoing probe.
Mr. Achilleus-Chud Uchegbu, Head, Corporate Communications, United Nigeria Airlines, confirmed the suspension.
Uchegbu, however, said the suspension was not a sack “but an action to enable investigation.”
Recalled that the flight dispatcher had on Sunday entered into the dispatch document ABB, which is the code for Asaba International Airport, Delta, instead of ABV, which is the code for Abuja Airport.
Meanwhile, commenting on the incident, President of the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), Comrade Galadima Abednego, described the situation as worrisome.
Speaking in Kano at the ongoing National Air Traffic Communicators’ Association of Nigeria (NACAN) 10th Annual General Meeting/Conference, Galadima said: “I would not like to call it a diversion. It is quite a worrisome situation, where an aircraft that is Abuja bound found itself in Asaba. It has serious safety and security breaches.”
About the Author
Anthony Awunor, is a business correspondent who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Linguistics (UNILAG). He is also an alumnus of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria Kaduna State. He lives in Lagos.
