The Federal Government of Nigeria says there is no cause for worry by air travelers in the country regarding the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft which, according to it, is not in Nigeria’s aviation register.
Hadi Sirika, the minister of state for aviation gave the assurance in a statement on Tuesday, March 12, 2019, against the backdrop of the unfortunate crash of the Ethiopian airline on Sunday, which killed the 157 people on board.
While acknowledging that any accident anywhere is a tragedy to the global aviation industry, the minister said the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, has issued the necessary advisory as it relates to the country.
He added, “As we continue to mourn the ET crash in Addis, and pray for the victims, we wish to reassure Nigerians that we do not have any Boeing 737 Max on Nigeria’s register to worry about.”
He asked the Nigerian flying public not to entertain any fears, assuring them “of the unalloyed commitment of the Buhari Administration to the creation of an environment that guarantees their safety and security in air transportation”.
Two Nigerians, an academic and popular columnist, Pius Adesanmi, and a retired ambassador on contract with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, UNECA, Abiodun Bashua, were among the 149 passengers on board the plane.
The Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft crashed about six minutes after take-off from the airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, en route the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.
At least nationals of about 35 countries were involved in the disaster.
