We can operate 24 hours flight -Firstnation

…Reaffirms September 15 as resumption date

From left, Maintenance Manager, Firstnation Airways, Engr. Ferudun Ozdemir, Deputy Cabin Services, Mrs. Barbara Dan-Asemah and Director,  Flight Operation, Capt. Chimara Imediegwu and Training Coordinator, Victor Udoyoh at a Media chart with Aviation Journalist yesterday in Lagos.

Firstnation Airways claim that it can operate 24 hours in Nigeria airspace if all the necessary facilities at the nation’s airports are working and the security of the country is good. The Director of Flight Operations of the airline, Captain Chimara Imediegwu made the assertion when briefing aviation journalists on the current situation of the airline as regards the self-suspension and resumption of its operations. “There is nothing stopping us from operating 24 hours if the facilities at the airports are working well and the security of the country is guaranteed. We have the capabilities”.

On the resumption of its operations by September 15, Imediegwu reaffirms that the date “all things being equal” is unchanged. “Since the airline planned this maintenance action well ahead, we notified passengers and flights are currently loaded online effective September 15, 2016-this will ensure that passengers continue to enjoy safe and reliable service that the airline is reputed for”.

Given the stipulation of Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, on the requirement that an airline must have at least three aircraft in its fleet; Imediegwu said: “new airline must have the 3 aircraft but already established airlines before the law was made still have the privilege of 2 aircraft”.

Explaining the challenges by the airline which is shared by other operators, Imediegwu said that, “the challenges of sourcing forex with constantly changing CBN policies and rate of Exchange (ROE) leaves us sometimes in situations where aircraft parts cannot be obtained when ordered due to banks’ inability to transfer funds based on bids and maintenance schedules programmed with external Maintenance and Repair Organisations (MRO) providers, suffer the repeated failures of the bidding system”.