Is Dana Air Flying (2026)? Operating Status, Refunds and Alternative Airlines

A booking button on a website does not mean an airline is flying, and Dana Air shows why. Its home page has kept Book Flight, Manage Booking, flight status and online check-in links, yet the airline’s operating certificate was suspended in April 2024. Add comparison sites that still list the airline’s name and tickets, and the signals contradict each other.

Below you will find what the regulator has said, a short check to run before you pay anyone, the airline’s history in fixed dates, the routes it flew, how passengers with unused tickets can claim, and which airlines cover the same routes.

Is Dana Air Flying? What the Regulator Has Said

Do not assume any scheduled flight exists. The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) suspended the Air Operator’s Certificate of Dana Air from 23:59 on 24 April 2024. Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo directed the suspension, pending a safety and economic audit, a day after an MD-82 ran off the runway at Lagos.

The public record since then points one way. In November 2025, Keyamo said the government might sell the airline’s assets to repay passengers and travel agents, and that people linked to it must clear their debts before returning to aviation. In April 2026, the NCAA’s director of public affairs and consumer protection, Michael Achimugu, restated that the airline was suspended and not liquid enough to pay refunds, and that a solution would take a while.

The NCAA has described the certificate as suspended, not revoked. That is not the same as permanently closed, but the Dana Air suspension would have to be lifted by the NCAA before any restart, and the lifting would be announced by the NCAA and the Ministry of Aviation and reported across the national press.

Why the Dana Airline Website Misleads

The Dana Airline website, flydanaair.com, has kept its booking tools and an undated notice about delays caused by scarce jet fuel. That notice belongs to an earlier crisis, and nothing on the page announces the suspension. A page that loads proves nothing. Only a flight that departs does.

How to Check Dana Air Status Before You Pay

Run these checks in order and stop at the first one that fails.

1. Search your exact route and date on the official site. If no dated itinerary with a fare appears, stop there. If one does appear, carry on, because a search result is not a ticket.
2. Look for an NCAA or Ministry of Aviation announcement lifting the suspension. The NCAA posts news on its website and on X as @nigeriaCaa.
3. Look the airline up on a flight tracker under its code, 9J. An airline that is flying shows departures on recent dates, and a grounded one shows none.
4. Ask the regulator. The NCAA publishes info@ncaa.gov.ng for general enquiries, and it is the body that decides whether the certificate is active.
5. Never pay by transfer to a person, an agent’s personal account or a “special fare” posted on social media. Pay on the airline’s own checkout and confirm the e-ticket through its Manage Booking page.

The same logic applies to any airline with a quiet website, and our guide to whether Azman Air is flying runs the checks on a second case.

The Airline’s History in Fixed Dates

Dates matter here, because older articles describe the airline as flying and were accurate when written.

The final report on the Dana Air crash of 2012, issued on 13 March 2017, found that both engines had lost power and that the crew had not declared an emergency until the second one failed. After the April 2024 landing, a preliminary report by the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau pointed to a failed nose landing gear, and the crew evacuated everyone through the forward door. The 2022 suspension ended after about four months, so headlines saying the airline had resumed were true at the time and say nothing about 2024.

Dana Air Routes and Booking Before the Suspension

The network centred on Lagos, with flights to Abuja, Port Harcourt, Owerri and Enugu, and Abuja to Owerri and Enugu after the 2022 restart. Seats were sold through the airline’s website and through travel agents. A search for Dana Air local flight booking online still leads to that booking tool, which loads, but a working page is not a sign that any local flight is operating.

That selling model is why travel agents were among those left owed money. Treat any seller offering a Dana Air booking as a red flag unless a dated flight exists and the e-ticket verifies on the airline’s own system.

Dana Air Refund Claims: What Is Owed and How to Make Them

The NCAA’s passenger rules for domestic flights give you strong rights on paper. If a flight is cancelled you can choose reimbursement or rerouting, and reimbursement by bank transfer is due within 14 days. Compensation of at least 25 per cent of the fare is owed unless you were told at least 24 hours ahead.

Collecting is the problem. Right after the 2024 suspension, the airline asked passengers to email their booking reference and bank details and promised refunds within a month. In August 2024 the NCAA gave it two weeks to clear the backlog, and the deadline passed.

In September 2024 the NCAA said another airline, NG Eagle, would take up the obligation to honour tickets and process refunds, but NG Eagle later told a news outlet that it only helps passengers the airline has formally reported to it. The same outlet reported that the airline’s email address and WhatsApp line no longer worked, and that a staff member at its parent company said there were no staff left at the airline.

So claim in a way that leaves a record:

1. Collect your booking reference, e-ticket, receipt or bank alert, the route and date, and any cancellation message.
2. Work out how you paid. If an agent sold the ticket, ask them in writing whether they have lodged a claim and what they were told.
3. If you paid by card, ask your bank whether a dispute is still possible, because time limits apply.
4. File a complaint with the NCAA through the portal at cpd.ncaa.gov.ng or by email to cpd@ncaa.gov.ng. Say plainly that the airline has no working channel, attach your documents and ask for a case reference.
5. Keep every reply. A refund request without a paper trail is hard to escalate.

Do not let the claim hold up your trip. If you need to travel, buy a replacement ticket on an airline that is flying and treat the refund as a separate matter that may take a long time.

Be wary of anyone who offers to recover your money for a fee. No refund process needs your card PIN, password or one-time code.

Airlines to Book Instead

Choose by route and date, not by brand. Schedule sites list these carriers on the routes Dana Air flew from Lagos.

Air Peace appears on all four, and our Air Peace booking guide covers its terminals and contacts. Ibom Air appears on three of them, so an Ibom Air booking is the other main alternative on the Abuja, Port Harcourt and Enugu routes. For fares on the busiest of the four, see Lagos to Abuja flight prices. Confirm the Lagos terminal on each ticket, because the airlines do not all use the same building.

Frequently Asked Questions

Has the Airline Been Shut Down for Good?

The NCAA has called the certificate suspended, not revoked. In practice that means no flights, no working refund channel and no restart date, so plan as if the airline is grounded.

Can I Use My Old Ticket on Another Airline?

Not automatically. Another carrier has no duty to honour a ticket it did not sell. The NCAA said in 2024 that NG Eagle would take up the obligation, so ask it first, but expect it to want proof that your booking was reported to it.

Is It Safe to Pay on the Website?

Do not pay until a dated flight for your route appears and you can confirm the e-ticket afterwards. A website that shows booking tools is not evidence that anyone is selling real seats.

Will the Airline Fly Again?

Nobody can say. Keyamo has said people linked to it must clear their debts before returning to aviation, and any restart would need the NCAA to lift the suspension publicly.

Protect Your Money First

Treat every offer that mentions the airline as unverified until a dated flight and a confirmed e-ticket exist. If you hold an old ticket, build the paper trail now and file with the NCAA, then book your trip on an airline that is flying.