Distinguished and Honourable Chairmen of the Senate and
House Joint Committee on Aviation
Distinguished and Honourable members of the committee on
aviation
Members of the press
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen
1. As operators of the aircraft, we have been in shock
since the tragic events of 3rd June. We would like to first of all extend our
deepest condolences and sympathies to the families and friends of those who
lost their lives. It is so painful and we are also still hurting like all
households across Nigeria. We too lost some friends on board as well as some of
our best crew on that I'll fated flight. We wish to re-iterate our commitment
to the families and to all Nigerians to do everything within our power to
ensure that the facts are thoroughly investigated and appropriate action taken
to ensure such a tragedy can never happen again.
2. We are cooperating fully with the AIB and have
provided them with all aircraft technical maintenance logs and records, as well
as crew licences and other relevant training details. These remain in the
custody and control of the AIB.
3. The AIB has not shared any of the information that it
has with us yet about their investigation and as a result we are limited in the
facts that we can provide. However, we have provided a summary of the
information that we are able to give you at this point.
4. The aircraft had operated earlier in the day as flight
9J 999, departing Lagos at 0831 am local time with 135 passengers to Abuja;
5. The Aircraft then returned from Abuja to Lagos as
flight 9J 998 at 1024 am with 141 passengers on board;
6. The aircraft operated as Flight 9J 993 from Lagos to
Abuja with 141 passengers at 1251 hours;
7. The aircraft was returning from Abuja to Lagos as
Flight 9J 992 at 1458 hours with 153 passengers and crew when the tragic
incident occurred.
8. The make and type of the aircraft involved in the
accident was a Boeing MD 83;
9. The aircraft involved had no reported defects
throughout the period of operation before the tragic incident;
10. The aircraft had even operated five flights in the
previous day (June 2, 2012);
11. The pilots of the flight held current Licenses and
Class 1 medicals. The cabin crew were well trained on handling emergency
situations in the cabin. Everything was as per regulations and in accordance
with the law.
12. Following the incident, Standard Airline Emergency
Response Procedures were initiated and an information hotline and family
support centres were immediately established. Crisis Management Centres have
been since set up by us in Lagos and Abuja to offer support to all affected and
to offer counselling, plus toll free numbers and other contacts have been circulated and
announced for families to contact for information and assistance. We are
working closely with the LASUTH CMD and the Honourable Commissioner of Special
Duties for Lagos State, and the LASEMA team to coordinate with family members
to console with them.
13. Since the incident took place we have focused on two
key priorities. The first is to ensure that we adhere to and where possible
exceed all regulatory requirements, co-operating fully with the authorities to
provide all necessary information that could provide any insight into the cause
of the accident. The second is to provide as much support for the families of
the victims as we can. We will continue to do so for as long as is necessary.
14. Alongside our commitment to providing all necessary
information and support to the AIB, we are, and will continue to be fully
committed to ensuring that the process required to ensure payment of just and
fair compensation to the families of the victims will be implemented. We are
working closely with the authorities to ensure that this process runs as
smoothly as possible. Advance payments will be made to those relatives who come
forward within 30 days of the accident and thereafter.
15. Once again, full cooperation with the investigative
authorities will continue to be maintained throughout the process.
16. We would like to extend our thanks to the AIB and
especially commend the Ministry of Aviation for their support and
professionalism during this exceptionally difficult time. We also thank this
joint committee for their efforts in getting to root issues on the aviation
industry.
17. Finally, allow us to once again extend, on behalf of
everyone at Dana Air, our deepest condolences to the families and friends of
the victims of this tragic accident. Our prayers and thoughts are with them
forever.
18. Thank you.
