Local carrier,
FirstNation Airways, will return to business on September 15, an official said
on Monday.
Rasheed Yusuf,
FirstNation’s Head of Corporate Affairs, said the airline suspended operations
last week to carry out routine maintenance on its fleet in line with safety
standards and regulations.
Mr. Yusuf’s
statement came a few days after the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority announced
that FirstNation had been ordered to shut down operations indefinitely because
one of its fleet was undergoing repairs.
“In these
circumstances, these airlines clearly cannot continue to undertake schedule
operations, hence the inevitable recourse to self-regulatory suspension,” the
NCAA said in a statement signed by the Director-General, Mukhtar Usman. “It is
against the Nigerian civil aviation regulations for airline operators to carry
out scheduled commercial operations with only one aircraft.”
The
development sparked speculation that the airline had shut down out of financial
distress like Aero Contractors, another local carrier that shut down a day
before on August 31.
But Mr. Yusuf
said FirstNation was not experiencing financial crisis and it would resume
scheduled flights in the days ahead.
“FirstNation
is not on the verge of folding up. In reality, since the airline launched
services in 2011, the airline has built a strong followership and has been
rated consistently as market leader on safety and schedule integrity,” Mr.
Yusuf said.
Nigeria’s
economic crisis had seen operational costs, including the prices of aviation
fuel, skyrocket in recent months, forcing some international airlines to source
fuel and engine parts from other West African countries.PREMIUMTIMESNG
Follow Solenzo Blog on
0 Comments