Why NCAA grounded Rano aircraft 5N-BZY – Achimugu

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has explained why it grounded aircraft 5N-BZY belonging to Rano Airlines.

The Engine 1 of the aircraft suffered failure while flying from the Kano Airport to Sokoto on Sunday 29 June, 2025 at about 1525hrs local time.

Mr. Michael Achimugu, Director of Public Relations and Consumer Protection, NCAA, said smoke was noticed in the cabin and flightdeck. Oxygen masks were donned. The appropriate safety protocols were initiated on the ground for landing. Smoke dissipated. Pilot safely landed the aircraft without incident.

Achimugu noted that the NCAA Directorate of Airworthiness instructed that the aircraft 5N-BZY remain grounded until the conclusion of investigations.

According to him, “the rescue aircraft that was to then airlift passengers out of Sokoto had already boarded Abuja-Katsina passengers. It would have created problems to deboard those passengers. The flight out of Sokoto was, therefore, cancelled.

“5N-BYZ is still on the ground with engineers working on it.

“The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, prioritizes safety. The records are clear. More advanced countries have worse air incidents than Nigeria because, here, flights will get cancelled if there is the slightest concern about safety.”