Nigeria Releases Grounded British Aircraft After Payment of Fine

Nigeria on Tuesday said it had released one of the two grounded foreign registered aircrafts after its owners paid a 7 million naira (US$35,131) fine to the country.

Spokesperson for the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) Sam Adurogboye made the disclosure while briefing the media in Lagos, the nation's commercial hub.

The aircraft, a Bombardier 700-100 with registration marks G-RBEN Global Express S/N 9083, operated by Gama Aviation, Britian, was grounded recently for violating Nigeria's airspace.

It was grounded alongside a Mexican aircraft, an Embraer 135 J with registration marks XA-MHA.

Adurogboye said Gama Aviation also paid a US$20,000 fine to the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) for operating illegal flights within the country.

He told reporters that the operators of the second aircraft had yet to comply with the sanction of the regulatory body.

The operators of G-RBEN aircraft were found operating in Nigeria's airspace with falsified flight clearance information and conducting illegal domestic flight operations in Nigeria.

The aviation spokesperson added that the aircraft which holds a British Air Operators Certificate (AOC) had been carrying out several domestic operations between Abuja and Lagos without the NCAA's permit.

Adurogboye said the crew had told Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) that the aircraft possessed a ministerial approval for the flight but that upon landing the said approval could not be produced.

He said the aircraft was therefore grounded at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport (NAA), Abuja, and the fine was imposed on the operators in accordance with the NCARs.