The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has suspended the operating permit of a private flight operator following an unusual incident in which a private jet reportedly made an emergency landing on a roadway near Asaba, Delta State, before taking off again without regulatory clearance.
The development was confirmed in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the NCAA, Michael Achimugu, who said preliminary findings indicated that the aircraft had earlier experienced difficulty while attempting to land at Asaba Airport.
According to the Authority, the situation began when the aircraft conducted a missed approach at about 07:43 local time during its landing attempt. It was later forced to divert and touched down on a road in the Ogwashi-Uku axis near Asaba, an incident that drew immediate attention from aviation officials and residents.
The NCAA noted that all four crew members on board were safely evacuated from the scene and transported to Asaba by road, with no injuries recorded.
“Available information indicates that the aircraft conducted a missed approach… subsequently, the aircraft landed on a roadway in the Ogwashi-Uku area near Asaba,” the statement read.
Following the emergency landing, the regulator disclosed that the aircraft later departed the scene at about 11:02 GMT and returned to Lagos without obtaining the required approval from aviation authorities. It added that air traffic control was only informed after the aircraft had already taken off.
Describing the action as a breach of aviation rules, the NCAA confirmed that the aircraft was immediately grounded upon arrival in Lagos while investigations commenced. The crew has also been placed under regulatory review.
The Authority said the operator’s permit for non-commercial flight has been suspended pending the outcome of the probe.
It further revealed that the incident has been reported to the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau and that it is working alongside the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency and other stakeholders to determine the full circumstances surrounding the occurrence.
The NCAA added that all operational, maintenance, and flight records related to the aircraft and operator will be thoroughly examined, with further enforcement actions to follow based on findings.