Nigeria has grounded Bellview Airlines as the country continues a high-profile review of its aviation industry, which has seen precautionary airworthiness checks carried out on Boeing 737-100s and -200s operated by local carriers.
The country’s newly created presidential task force issued a directive on 18 December requiring 737-100/200 series aircraft to be immediately grounded and inspected for compliance with a 2000 US Federal Aviation Administration directive relating to possible stress corrosion cracks in the front spar of the centre section of the horizontal stabiliser. The directive is believed to affect 16 aircraft owned by six domestic airlines.
The presidential airworthiness task force was established as Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo took steps to tackle aviation safety in the country following two fatal air crashes in the space of seven weeks.
A Sosoliso Airlines McDonnell Douglas DC-9 crashed on 10 December in Port Harcourt, killing more than 100 people, while Bellview Airlines suffered a fatal 737-200 crash on 22 October in Lagos, killing 117 people. It is not clear if Bellview’s grounding is related to the latter incident, although local reports cite the airline as saying the grounding is probably to allow time for a safety audit.
Before the directive, two other carriers – Sosoliso and Chanchangi Airlines – were reported to have been grounded by the Nigerian authorities pending safety checks.
AIMEE TURNER/LONDON
Source: Flight International
