Nigerian Airspace Is Safer - NAMA

Aviation Nigeria

The Managing Director of the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nnamdi Udoh has reassured travellers of a safer air travel in the country.

Mr Udoh, who was a guest on Channels Television’s breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily, advised travellers that boarded an aircraft that could not land due to poor weather condition to “walk up to the pilot and inquire why he did not get destination weather, did he not get briefed on weather before departure?”

He said this is important “because it is now mandatory for every pilot to go and get from the aeronautical information services’ operational office weather briefs, enroute and destination to be able to fly comfortably and arrive safely.”

Mr Udoh said the Nigerian aviation industry is compliant with the global standards as far as metrological information is concerned.

“The Nigerian Metrological Agency, recently got ISO9001 certified so you must be sure that the data our metrological agency gives out are correct,” he said.

The NAMA boss said a second development that has restored confidence in the country’s airspace is the strengthening of air traffic regulations by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

He said, “The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has strengthen its general aviation arm; has strengthen its ramp inspection in ensuring that airlines do maintenance as required and are properly supervised.”

Mobile check - In introduced by Dana Air

Aviation Nigeria

Guests of Dana Air will enjoy quicker and convenient check-in services with the launch of the ‘Roving Agent’, a mobile device which allows guests to be checked-in on arrival at the airport by mobile airline staff.

Strapped with tablet PCs and mini printers, the airline’s mobile check-in agents can now issue boarding passes to guests even before they reach the check-in counter. This new initiative complements the airline’s existing check-in counters and online check-in service.

“What we are offering in roving agents is immense value addition for our guests,” said Obi Mbanuzuo, Dana Air’s Head of Commercial. “With this solution, our mobile check-in agents can quickly access and verify the travel reservation details of guests; book them on their choice of seat and generate boarding passes.”

“Now guests with hand baggage need not wait at the check-in counter to collect their boarding pass; they can simply approach any of our easily recognizable mobile check-in agents on arrival at the airport and then proceed through airport security to the boarding gate,” Mbanuzuo explained.

Source: Daily Trust

Dana Air falsifies media reports of paying celebrities to board first flight.

Aviation Nigeria.

Dana Airlines has refuted some online reports of its financing celebrities Basket Mouth, DIPP, Harrysong and Buchi to board its first flight.

The artist where among the  which who were among the passengers that boarded the plane from the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos, Southwest Nigeria, to Abuja, the nations capital, its first flight since resuming operations.

In a press statement released by the Dana Management on Monday 7 January 2012, Dana management pointed to these accusations as false and misleading.

The statement also read: "Like all other esteemed guests of the airline, many of which are notable personalities from Nigeria’s entertainment scene, these celebrities have always been a part of the Dana Air family. Their decision to be part of the airline’s re-launch was purely out of goodwill, having personally experienced the unrivaled hospitality and world-class services offered by the airline many times before."

The Dana Air inaugural flight was a Lagos to Abuja trip on Friday, 4th January, 2013 and is the first since the airlines plane crash in June 3 2012.

DANA Air resumes with 144 passengers on first flight.

Aviation Nigeria

A total of 144 passengers were on board Dana Air flights 353 and 354 from Lagos to Abuja and Abuja to Lagos respectively on Friday as the airline resumed flying seven months after one of its planes crashed in Lagos on June 3, 2012 killing over 160 people.

There were 62 passengers on the Lagos to Abuja flight while 82 came back to Lagos from Abuja.

The first flight, which departed the Murtala Mohammed Airport 2 (MMA2), Lagos at 10:10am, landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport (NAA), Abuja at 11:05am.

Speaking to journalists shortly after landing in Abuja, Dana’s Group Director, Mr. Francis Ogboro, assured the flying public of utmost safety in its entire operations.

Ogboro described the 2012 disaster in the Iju-Ishaga area of Lagos as unfortunate and maintained that the accident had necessitated its resolve to enhance the maintenance of its fleet.

He revealed that the airline may increase and change its fleet in the next six months, but added that MD83 aircraft was still in operation in major countries of the world including the United States of America (USA).

According him, “In the past six years that we commenced flight operations, we’ve never played with the maintenance of our aircraft and safety of the passengers and we will continue to do that to ensure that we give Nigerians a safe aircraft for our passengers to fly with. We are expanding our fleet.

“It is not impossible that we bring in some other aircraft types as well. Hopefully, in the next six months we will bring in some new aircraft, may be Boeing 737 or others. But I re-emphasise again, there is nothing wrong with the MD 83 aircraft.”

He also disclosed that the airline was considering collaborating with foreign investors who had indicated interest to partner with it.

On the two months deadline given the airline to complete payment of compensation to all the families of victims of the crash, Ogboro assured that the airline would meet the deadline, but explained that the payment of all compensation to the beneficiaries would not come from the airline, rather from the insurance companies.

Ogboro stated that all the passengers on board the crashed plane were properly insured by its insurance companies both at home and abroad and that the insurers had made adequate arrangement to pay all the families involved in the crash.

He disclosed that more than 90 per cent of the bereaved families had been compensated with the initial $30,000 compensation while about eight families have applied for the remaining $70,000 compensation as at two weeks ago.

In his words, “The payment of the insurance due to the families is not something that will come from Dana Air’s pocket. We are fully insured. I can assure you that our insurance companies led by Lloyds of London have made adequate arrangement to pay all the families involved in the crash”

A passenger, Mr. Charles Mbadon, said that though he was afraid initially, he soon overcame it when the aircraft took off at the airport in Lagos

Another passenger, Mr. Michael Babaniji, said that there was nothing like fear in his mind, adding that the June 3 incident was an accident that could have happened to any airline.

Comedian Bright Okpocha, aka Basketmouth, who was also on the flight said that he did not entertain any fear, adding that he is ready to fly Dana any time

Source : Daily Independent

Dana Air to resume operations.

Aviation Nigeria

Six months after its McDonnel Douglass 83 crashed into Iju /Ishaga area of Lagos State, indications emerged yesterday that DANA Air will commence scheduled flight on the Lagos – Abuja flight with its re- certified aircraft on Nigeria’s busiest trunk route.

DANA’s re- entry into scheduled operations comes after many months of scaling hurdles set by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), which set a new rules of engagement before the carrier could commence operations.

Part of the rules is the expressed desire and willingness of DANA Air to pay the outstanding seventy per cent insurance claims to families of victims of the crash,which will amount to seventy thousand dollars.

DANA Air said last year that save for delay in collection of letters of administration, from the probate registry of the Lagos High Court, it would have paid many families that are set to receive the outstanding payment.

A source in the industry said yesterday that officials of DANA Air were busy having series of meetings preparatory for the commencement of flight.

The source hinted that the carrier called its personnel who were still observing the end of year holidays to report for work preparatory for flights, which is likely to alter the operational equation in the domestic scene of the aviation sector.

SOURCE: The Nation