The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has barred the American pilot involved in the recent aviation incident at Asaba Airport from operating in Nigeria’s airspace.

The agency also suspended the aircraft’s First Officer pending the outcome of ongoing investigations.

The aircraft, a Bombardier Challenger 601-3A operated by VMO Aero Limited with America registration number: N989BC, had on June 10, 2026, landed on an uncompleted roadway in Asaba, instead of Asaba airport.

The Director-General Civil Aviation, Chris Najomo, disclosed yesterday on the sidelines of the ongoing Airport Business Summit in Lagos.

Najomo said the regulatory authority had taken immediate enforcement actions after taking over the regulatory aspect of the investigation from the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB).

According to him, the pilot-in-command has been removed from flight operations in Nigeria and prohibited from flying within the country’s airspace, while the aircraft involved had remained grounded with its Permit for Non-Commercial Flight (PNCF) suspended.

He said: “About the Asaba incident, well, the investigation is still ongoing. NSIB has handed the investigation to us, the CAA, and we are doing our own investigation.

Najomo explained that although the NSIB carried out the initial safety investigation into the occurrence, the matter had now entered the regulatory phase, which falls under the jurisdiction of the NCAA.

He added that the Department of State Services (DSS) had also joined the investigation, showing the seriousness attached to the incident by the authorities.

“As we speak, the aircraft is grounded, the PNCF is suspended, and the pilots are suspended from flying in this airspace until we come up with our own investigation. Me as a pilot for 45 years, I will not see a road and land on the road. So, we will look at the other motives too.

“So the DSS got involved and they are investigating until those investigations come out, it remains like that.”

He assured the aviation industry and the travelling public that the NCAA would conduct a thorough and transparent investigation to determine the factors that led to the incident and ensure that appropriate sanctions are imposed where necessary.

On the Airport Business Summit, Najomo described the event as a strategic platform for industry stakeholders to discuss critical issues affecting Nigeria’s aviation industry.

He said the NCAA would also look into concerns raised by operators regarding monopoly and anti-competitive practices within the sector.

According to him, the authority was committed to ensuring a level playing field for all operators, safeguarding passengers’ interests, promoting the commercial sustainability of airlines and preventing excessive charges across the aviation value chain.

The sanctions follow the recent incident involving a foreign-registered aircraft at Asaba Airport, which led to widespread security and safety concerns within the aviation industry after reports indicated that the crew mistook a road for the airport runway during landing operations.

The occurrence prompted the NSIB to commence a safety investigation to determine the probable causes of the incident in line with international aviation standards.