The first thing we talk about is time departure; we keep to our schedule and the travelling public is aware that our services are unparalled. We don’t sell food on board; we offer them in quality and quantity. The public had been commending the standard of the meals since we started and we will not deviate from that. We have added new generation aircraft to our fleet, we now have three aircraft, we have a B737-800 and we operate to Abuja, Port Harcourt and Yola for now. We roll out promotional fares when necessary. We just finished the Valentine promos; we are currently doing our Easter promo which is running for N12,500.
Safety
We take safety seriously; it is key to our operations, we believe that we have to be safety conscious. We abide by the rules and regulations of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (NCAA) and that has been the watchword to all our employees. We don’t joke with it and the staff work with it at the back of their minds.
Manpower Training and Maintenance
We conduct regular training for our staff locally and internationally and on maintenance, we have an agreement with Mytechnik of Turkey and another agreement with Aero-consult in Nigeria on training.
Government plan to buy 30 aircraft for domestic airlines
As an operator, it will be a welcome development if it is implemented. It is still on paper, we have not seen it, but it will be if it implemented.
Expansion plan
We have our plans to increase our fleet by two very soon, say in the next three months. That is in line with our plans to start regional and international routes. We also want to increase domestic routes to Maiduguri, Sokoto and Kano.
Effect of zero tariff
It will have marginal effect on our operations because it is one the multiple factors that affect the cost of operations. The major area where government needs to address is the cost is of aviation fuel. Government should consider reduction to 50 percent. Other costs that affect the operation of airlines are the multiple costs which are a burden to them. Five percent charges from the NCAA, landing and parking from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and charges from Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA). Government should help look into all these charges with a view to reducing them.
Competition
From Medview perspective, we try as much as possible to encourage people to fly through the various promos that we introduce. And it is on record that it is Medview that crashed the fare; when we came in, the fare
was astronomical. I am assuring the travelling public that air travel is the safest and the best in all indications anywhere in the world. In terms of cost, it is still better than road travel. We are talking of safety, we talking of air travel.
Airport remodelling
Airport remodelling is a continuous process worldwide and it is not limited to Nigeria alone. For instance, the Schipol airport which the Lagos Airport was modelled after it had undergone series of renovations and expansion more than five times. This is a good development and that is what should have been done long ago. Somebody just came in now with a vision that you need to make passengers comfortable, the terminal should not be choked, there should be comfort for travellers; it is a good thing for the airlines and the travelling public.
Challenge
Our greatest challenge is that in some airports we cannot operate beyond 6pm or 9pm. Night operations are a problem and it is a huge cost to the airlines. We are supposed to utilise our aircraft but the airlines cannot because some airports don’t have the facilities to operate night flights. Air travel is supposed to be 24 hours and that is when you maximise your equipment but it is not yet so in Nigeria. For instance, at Lagos airport, domestic flights cannot land at the domestic wing at night. We have to go to the international wing and and taxi all the way; it costs us so much money on fuel. Government needs to do something.
Air returns
The public should know that air returns are professional decisions that are taken by pilots or crew when necessary. It is in the interest of the passengers and not a sign that something is wrong with the aircraft. For the one that happened recently, we were eventually commended for such a decision. Because we handle peoples’ lives, we don’t take unnecessary decisions. We take professional decisions, we are very careful and safety-conscious. We have been known over the years in Hajj operations, there is no novice in Medview, everybody has airline operation experience because we are not a new airline and that is why we assure the public that at Medview, the staff are professionals.
Merger
For merger to take place, there has to be something related to the modules of businesses of the airlines that are merging. Mergers are not forced, they happen naturally. So in the sector, we have to wait for it to happen naturally.
Sade William
