…Airline did not make plan for operational shock–Ojikutu
Barely two months after launching the Lagos-Abuja-Dubai flight, Med-View Airline has suspended services to that destination due to lack of operating aircraft.
Making the announcement in Lagos today, the airline’s chief executive officer, Mr. Muneer Bankole explained that the carrier’s European partner, Euro-Atlantic which the aircraft in operation was leased had been unable to provide the necessary capacity.
Bankole said operations would resume on the Dubai route as soon as the airline’s B767-300ER returns from complete refurbishment in the UK.
“We decided for the remaining winter schedule which covers up to the 24th of March to suspend the Dubai operations till 24th of March when we hope and am such with the documents available at our disposal, our Abeke will be fully back, we are doing a total refurbishment, complete total with the three classic of business class, premium economy and economy class, the aircraft is likely to be available before the end of February,” he said.
On the passengers who had already booked ahead, Bankole said they would be flown to their destinations via an interline arrangement.
He said the suspension of its Dubai operations would not affect its Jeddah service, adding that it would continue to maintain its Jeddah schedule via Kano
“The Jeddah Author has introduced a new system which made Nigerians who want to go through the new approach had to do what we call biometric which is a requirement for them to, because before you collect people’s passport, you take it to embassy on their behalf and you sort out the visas and then you return the passport back to them. But these days, it is the same like UK; so you have to go there and apply your fingerprint, that is the new rule by Saudi government So, that has slowed down the number of passengers going to Jeddah, so that made us to reduce the traffic, to enable people to go Thursdays perform their Umrah and everything and return back without any interruption,” he said.
Meanwhile, the executive director of Centurion Securities, Group Capt. John Ojikutu said there may be two possible causes for the airline’s decision.
Speaking in an interview with www.newsgazette.com.ng, Ojukutu declared: “Either the bilateral agreement on reciprocity is faulty; in that case government must intervene as it was done in 2012 for Arik and UK government on which airport between Heathrow and Gatwick Arik should be operating to. The Nigerian government settled for Heathrow on behalf of Arik. I reasoned then that the next battle at Heathrow would be between Arik and the planned national carrier. If the problem is not connected to bilateral agreement it could be issue of business plans and operational equipment such as availability of aircraft.
“I am reliably told that one of the aircraft is out of the country for maintenance and another is withdrawn by the lessor for whatever reasons. My take on this: did the operator provide for this type of eventualities in its business plan. If the airline’s plans do not include operational disruption of this king and do not include contingency, then the airline is a non-starter in serious commercial aviation. There must be extra aircraft on standby to take operational shock,” he said.
