Abuja, Nigeria: The Flight Dispatcher Association of Nigeria (FLIDAN) has shed light on a recent incident involving United Nigeria Flight NUA 0504.
The flight, operating from Murtala Mohammed Airport, MMA2 in Lagos en route to Abuja, temporarily diverted to the Asaba International Airport in Delta State on December 26, 2023.
FLIDAN now reveals that the Control Tower at MMA2 granted the diversion request against the legal flight plan submitted by the Flight Dispatcher.
In a statement issued by FLIDAN’s Secretary General, Victoria Adegbe, the association clarified that the Flight Dispatcher had adhered to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations Part 8-Operations.
The dispatcher filed a flight plan with the Aeronautical Information Service (AIS), which was duly transmitted to the Control Tower. However, the Tower approved the diversion request, deviating from the filed flight plan.
Details of the flight plan submitted by the Flight Dispatcher, as outlined by FLIDAN, indicated the departure from Lagos with Abuja as the destination.
The first alternate was Enugu; the second was Port Harcourt, with a scheduled departure time of 13:00, a flight duration of 55 minutes, and an endurance of 6 hours.
The weather folder provided reportedly confirmed that the weather conditions in Abuja were suitable for the flight.
FLIDAN emphasized that both the Pilot and the Air Traffic Control (ATC) appeared to deviate from the filed flight plan, undermining the “Operational Control” of the Flight Dispatcher.
The association stressed that operational control assigns 50% joint and equal responsibility for the safety of the flight to the Flight Dispatcher.
Furthermore, FLIDAN raised concerns about the airline’s operational control practices, accusing it of allowing pilots to generate their own Operational Flight Plans (OFP) and taking full responsibility for the Dispatch Release.
This, according to FLIDAN, constitutes a breach of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (NCAR) Part 8.
The revelation by FLIDAN has ignited a controversy surrounding the incident, raising questions about the adherence to established flight procedures and the responsibilities of key personnel involved.
As the aviation community awaits further investigations into this deviation, the incident underscores the critical role of coordination and compliance with flight plans to ensure the safety and integrity of air travel operations.
In a surprising turn of events, the Flight Dispatcher Association of Nigeria (FLIDAN) has shed light on a recent incident involving United Nigeria Flight NUA 0504.
The flight, operating from Murtala Mohammed Airport, MMA2 in Lagos en route to Abuja, temporarily diverted to the Asaba International Airport in Delta State on December 26, 2023.
FLIDAN now reveals that the Control Tower at MMA2 granted the diversion request against the legal flight plan submitted by the Flight Dispatcher.
In a statement issued by FLIDAN’s Secretary General, Victoria Adegbe, the association clarified that the Flight Dispatcher had adhered to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations Part 8-Operations.
The dispatcher filed a flight plan with the Aeronautical Information Service (AIS), which was duly transmitted to the Control Tower. However, the Tower approved the diversion request, deviating from the filed flight plan.
Details of the flight plan submitted by the Flight Dispatcher, as outlined by FLIDAN, indicated the departure from Lagos with Abuja as the destination.
The first alternate was Enugu, the second alternate was Port Harcourt, with a scheduled departure time of 13:00, a flight duration of 55 minutes, and an endurance of 6 hours.
The weather folder provided reportedly confirmed that the weather conditions in Abuja were suitable for the flight.
FLIDAN emphasized that both the Pilot and the Air Traffic Control (ATC) appeared to deviate from the filed flight plan, undermining the “Operational Control” of the Flight Dispatcher.
The association stressed that operational control assigns 50% joint and equal responsibility for the safety of the flight to the Flight Dispatcher.
Furthermore, FLIDAN raised concerns about the airline’s operational control practices, accusing it of allowing pilots to generate their own Operational Flight Plans (OFP) and taking full responsibility for the Dispatch Release.
This, according to FLIDAN, constitutes a breach of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (NCAR) Part 8.
The revelation by FLIDAN has ignited a controversy surrounding the incident, raising questions about the adherence to established flight procedures and the responsibilities of key personnel involved.
As the aviation community awaits further investigations into this deviation, the incident underscores the critical role of coordination and compliance with flight plans to ensure the safety and integrity of air travel operations.
This article was created using automation technology and was thoroughly edited and fact-checked by one of our editorial staff members
