Minister orders probe of Aero Airline’s use of ladder in evacuating passengers

The Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika has ordered an immediate probe into the use of a ladder by Aero Contractors Airlines in evacuating passengers from its aircraft at the conclusion of a chartered flight from Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA, Abuja, to Bauchi,on Saturday.

Sirika, in a statement by the Deputy Director in charge of Press and Public Affairs in the ministry, James Odaudu, on Sunday in Abuja, said several reports indicated the airline used a ladder in evacuating passengers from its Boeing 737 aircraft at the Bauchi airport.

The Minister noted that the act of the airline contravenes the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations, NCARs, and International Civil Aviation Organization, ICAO, Standards and Recommended Practices, SARPS.

The statement reads, “The investigation will determine the immediate and remote causes of the incident with a view to developing and implementing measures that will prevent a reoccurrence of the unsafe and unacceptable procedure that exposed passengers to high risk of serious injury.”