Nigeria's Dana airline resumes operations

Nigeria's Dana Airlines on Thursday resumed operation with its first flight taking off from Lagos to Abuja, seven months after its suspension following an air-crash. The flight with Registration No. 9J0359 took off from Lagos at about 4.15 p.m, local time ahead of its inaugural flight scheduled for Friday. The airline's operation was suspended after the June 3, 2012 crash involving its MD-83 aircraft traveling from Abuja to Lagos. Sequel to this development, the number of domestic airlines operating in the country has increase to five. The airlines are Arik, Aero, IRS, Med-View and Dana. Dana Airline had completed its re-certification conducted by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). The NCAA had also issued the airline a new Aircraft Operators' Certificate (AOC) to give it the right to fly. The airline had also paid 100,000 U.S. dollars as compensation to families of the June 3 crash victims.