Nigeria's First Nation Airways to resume regular ops in Fourth Quarter of 2017

First Nation Airlines A319-100

First Nation Airways (FRN, Lagos) has reaffirmed plans to resume operating scheduled passenger flights during the last quarter of this year despite its Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) operation specifications being curtailed to that of a charter carrier.

Speaking with journalists in Lagos earlier this week, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) Director General Muhtar Usman said the regulator had instituted the measure until First Nation had increased its fleet size to at least two operational aircraft. The announcement comes after the airline was fined for committing safety violations.

"So, they are no longer into schedule service until they are able to meet the requirement for scheduled service," he said highlighting that the measure was not punitive, but rather corrective.

However, in a follow-up statement, airline CEO Rasheed Yusuf said that contrary to recent reports, it was First Nation Airways that had elected to renew its AOC albeit only for chartered operations. As such, its certificate has not been downgraded.

“Our Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) fell due for renewal on July 31st, 2017, this is the third successful renewal that we have achieved working in good faith with regulatory authorities,” he said.

“The renewal process entailed subjecting our operations to rigorous and demanding audit processes covering all areas of our activity. Well before the AOC renewal, we voluntarily reduced our flight frequency to well within the capacity of our current fleet.

“The AOC was successfully renewed for charter operation and we have contracts for sales distributions. We thus remain committed to the highest level of safety standard in line with global industry best practices. First Nation is currently working on a fleet expansion program and we are confident that we will expand to schedule operation during the fourth quarter of 2017."

First Nation Airways has been operating with just one aircraft for more than a year. Of the pair of A319-100s it leases from AerCap, only 5N-FNE (msn 660) is active, with 5N-FND (msn 647) languishing in maintenance since August 2016.

The carrier was recently hit with a safety violation when it was found that one of its pilots had allowed his medical certificate to lapse. It later lost an appeal, and must now pay a fine of NGN32 million (USD88,400).

Source:https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/58901-nigerias-first-nation-airways-to-resume-regular-ops-in-4q17

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THE COFFEE ENTREPRENEUR WHO TRANSFORMS LIVES IN UGANDA: ANDREW RUGASIRA.

Looking at the article below on CNN about Andrew Rugasira "the Coffee entrepreneur who transforms lives in Uganda", it inspired me to think and reflect on the possibility for Africans and many developed countries to not only produce raw materials but transformation to finished products for global consumption. African countries should work hand in glove, helping each other through an extensive business web or network. I believe Africa as a continent has come of age and the time is ripe when our politicians should focus on increasing responsibility and eradicate preoccupations like corruption. (CNN) -- Tired of seeing developed nations take the lion's share of profits from his countrymen's coffee crop, Ugandan businessman Andrew Rugasira decided back in 2003 that it was time for a new business arrangement. Uganda is Africa's second-biggest exporter of coffee beans, currently producing around 3.4 million bags per year . Yet instead of being refined loc...
muxajax@blogger.com

hp - SPECTRE

Image
With no reference to the 007 sequel, I bring to you the the HP - SPECTRE. The latest release from HP sets the record straight as the world s thinnest laptop coming at 10.4mm, weighing just 2.45lbs  and a screen size of 13.3". The Specter ships in 2 product options below Price: $1,169.99 HP Spectre Laptop (13.3") Windows 10 Home 64 6th Generation Intel Core i5 processor 8 GB memory; 256 GB SSD storage 13.3" FHD display Intel® HD Graphics 520 Price: $1,249.99 HP Spectre Laptop (13.3") Windows 10 Home 64 6th Generation Intel Core i7 processor 8 GB memory; 256 GB SSD storage 13.3" FHD IPS UWVA display Intel® HD Graphics 520   (up to 4.09 GB) According to HP, we will be looking at each of the defining aspects using cutting edge technology that makes it standout from the rest in the business. Lets take a look under the hood. OS: Windows 10 Home 64 Body Style: This featherweight 13-inch di...
muxajax@blogger.com

SAA eyes 5th Freedom for African Skies.

Image
SAA Fleet in Airline Livery Given the success it has seen at its West African hub in Accra, Ghana, South African Airways (SA, Johannesburg O.R. Tambo) is seeking to expand its 5th Freedom business model to include more destinations across Africa. The Star Alliance carrier began operations out of the Ghanaian capital to each of Abidjan and Washington Dulles in August 2015 by virtue of the country's liberal policy of awarding foreign carriers 5th Freedom traffic rights. Similar rights have since been secured from the Gabonese and Cameroonian governments paving the way for the launch of a 3x weekly Johannesburg O.R. Tambo-Libreville-Douala-Libreville-Johannesburg service. As such, the carrier's acting General Manager (Commercial), Aaron Munetsi, told African Aerospace earlier this year that as part of SAA's renewed focus on developing its continental African market access, it is now looking to expand the offering to countries closer to home. Among the African c...
muxajax@blogger.com