Dana pilots ground operations over unpaid allowances

*Airline apologise to stranded passengers

Flight operations of Dana were today grounded as the airline pilots withdrew their services over unpaid allowances.

Consequently, already booked passengers were left stranded at airports across the country.

Hundreds of passengers of the airlines were stranded in major airports operate to by the carrier as they were caught unaware by the action of the pilots.

For instance, at the Murtala Muhammed Airport Two, MMA2, Lagos where the airline operates its domestic flight operations, its early morning passengers could not depart Lagos to Abuja as scheduled due to service withdrawal.

The management of the airline in a statement, apologised to all its passengers on the delayed early morning flights to Abuja and Port-Harcourt.

It said the delay, which was due to operational reasons had been resolved, with the commencement of scheduled flights.

According to the airline, “Dana places a high premium on safety and we would always strive to deliver high quality air transport services to our esteemed guests.”

Affected passengers were seen making new bookings with other available airlines like Med-View, FirstNation and Aero Contractors when it became obvious that their flights out of the terminal would not go on as planned. Most of them were disappointed at the early morning cancellation.

Also, its passengers at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja were aground at the airport and had to look for another alternative to travel out of the airport to their destinations.

A source close to the airline confided in our correspondent that the story was the same at Port Harcourt Airport and other major airports the airline operate scheduled flight operations to in the country and the region.

A source close to the airline stated that the monetary compensation was ought to have been paid to the pilots some few weeks back, but the management kept on promising them without fulfilling the the pronise.

Spokesman for the airline, Mr. Kingsley Ezenwa earlier said that the pilots withdrew their services because the management was not quick to deliver its compensation promise to them.

Ezenwa insisted that their temporary strike was not connected to salaries, rather that the management some few weeks back promised to compensate them for the flight cancellations and delays caused by the perennial aviation fuel scarcity.

Ezenwa however said that the issue had been resolved by both parties and assured that normal flight operations would resume immediately.

He said, “The strike was a bout a largesse the management promised the pilots during the recent flight delays and cancellations occasioned by the scarcity of aviation fuel in the industry.

“The management just wanted to compensate them for their understanding during the period. It is not that the company owes them any salary arrears.