Captain Jika Keghtor (left); Captain Olatunbosun Buraimoh; Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of Med-View Airline Plc, Muneer Bankola; First Officer, Oguare Eziegbe and Captain Ayub Kambinda, during the decoration ceremony recently in Lagos
Med-view airlines Plc is set to commence flight operations between Lagos and Dubai by the end of the year following a recent approval by the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) authorities.
Managing Director of the airlines, Muneer Bankole, disclosed that the approval was at the insistence of the Federal Government that the flag carrier must be allowed to reciprocate on the route.
Bankole, at a special occasion to decorate four newly upgraded pilots and celebrate achievements of the airline in Lagos, said Med-view delayed Lagos-Dubai operations due to its initial denial from flying to Dubai airport terminal one.
He noted that after Med-view had filed applications to the UAE, with the backing of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the former replied to say they could only allow the Nigerian flag carrier to operate into Sharjah.
His words, “The Dubai authorities said they had no space for us in Terminal One and instructed that we move to another airport in Sharjah. We wrote to the Federal Government. The government wrote a strongly worded letter to them to allow for reciprocity.
“Government said since they did not stop Emirates Airlines from operating to Nigeria, there was no reason why they should not allow Med-view to reciprocate flight rights. The Dubai authority eventually listened and yielded to government’s request that the airline operate to Dubai Airport Terminal One.
“We want to commend the government and the Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika for helping to protect the interest of our airlines. The speed at which they rose to the occasion was highly commendable. I am very proud of the government that we have for taking this up with UAE,” he said.
Bankole added that the airline would not relent in its route expansion drive, even as Johannesburg route is already on the table for the first quarter of 2018 coupled with either Washington or Houston Texas in the United States.
Those decorated were Capt. Olatunbosun Buraimah, Capt. Ayub Kambinda, Capt. Jika Keghtor and Eguare Oziegbe who was decorated as a first flight officer.
