NCAA fines Aero Contractors for Bauchi ladder incident

Aero Contractors has been fined "millions of naira" by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) for violating local Civil Aviation Regulations (CAR) following last week's incident in which passengers on flight NG-136 from Abuja to Bauchi were forced to disembark from the aircraft using a step-ladder, reports ch-aviation.

There were thirty-four people on-board the flight, which was ferrying attendees to a wedding in the northeast Nigerian town.

The NCAA report said the pilot resorted to using the ladder after no ground-handling service was available to deplane the passengers.

The NCAA's director-general, Captain Muhtar Usman, said: “This is a violation which part attracts a civil penalty. All relevant agencies made useful submissions during the course of the investigation.”