6 Jun 2012

Crashed plane operator's licence suspended

11:15 am on 6 June 2012

The Civil Aviation Authority in Nigeria has indefinitely suspended the licence of the commercial airline that operated a plane which crashed in Lagos on Sunday, killing 153 people.

The NCAA says Dana Air will not fly again until it has been thoroughly investigated.

The aircraft was flying from the Nigerian capital, Abuja, to Lagos when it crashed and burst into flames.

All 153 people on board, and an unknown number on the ground, were killed.

Both the flight data and the voice recorder have been recovered.

Aviation Minister Stella Oduah said the pilot contacted the Lagos control tower just before crashing to say the plane was experiencing trouble.

A BBC correspondent says there have been reports that the pilot had reported in that mayday call that there were problems with both engines.

President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday declared three days of national mourning.

The BBC reports Nigeria has a history of major passenger plane crashes - this is the fourth crash in the last decade in which more than 100 people were killed.