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Tag: Dana

  • 30tn revenue loss: Senate gives Dana, 12 other firms Monday to appear or face sanction

    30tn revenue loss: Senate gives Dana, 12 other firms Monday to appear or face sanction

    The Senate Joint Committee on Customs, Excise and Tariff and Marine Transport yesterday gave Dana Group and 12 other companies allegedly involved in N30 trillion revenue scam up till Monday to appear before it or face the full wrath of the law.

    In a statement issued in Abuja, the Chairman of the committee, Sen. Hope Uzodinma, said the committee was giving the companies the last opportunity to appear before it.

    The companies are A-kehnal Integrated & Logistics Limited, Don Climax/Skyaim, Gagsel International, Africa Tiles & Ceramics and Network Oil & Gas.

    Others are IBG Investment Limited, BUA International limited, Huawei Technologies, Indorama Petrochemicals,  StarComms Plc, African Industries and African Wire and Allied.

    Uzodinma revealed that the investigation has so far led to the recovery of more than N120 billion from erring companies and vowed to follow up on others .

    He further disclosed that the committee had resolved to direct the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to start issuing Demand Notice (DM) to companies found culpable in the ongoing investigation.

    According to him, the demand notice is to ensure the companies return  monies due the Federal Government.

    He added that companies found to have been involved in round tripping and money laundering would be charged to court with immediate effect.

    ”The committee has only taken the first batch of the companies invited.

    ”Only 61 companies have been interrogated and over 2000 companies are still expected to appear before us.

    ”During the committee sitting on Friday, 18th August most of the company representatives heaped praises on the committee for what they described as a thorough job,” he said.

  • Dana unveils promo on Owerri route

    Dana Air has unveiled  a ‘Buy two, get one free’ promo for passengers on its Lagos-Owerri-Lagos route, as part of the benefits of its partnership with the Imo State government.

    According to its  Communications Manager,  Kingsley Ezenwa, the promotion is for business and leisure passengers.

    ”We are delighted to have introduced the ‘Buy two, get one free’ promo; which is not only for the hospital people of Imo State, but for business and leisure travelers on our Lagos – Owerri- Lagos routes. This promo and many more initiatives to come are some of the benefits of the existing partnership that we have with the Imo State government.’’

    Speaking further, he said: “As an airline committed to satisfying our guests, especially our Dana Miles Guests, this offer is also our way of encouraging people to fly more to the beautiful city of Owerri. This is definitely a good time for our Owerri passengers.“

    He urged passengers   to take advantage of the promo.

    The  airline  recently launched a customer–centric initiative called ‘Pay with Dana Miles’ which enables members of its frequent flyer program to use their miles as they desire to pay for excess baggage, upgrade from economy class to business class, exchange miles for tickets and lots more.

  • DANA deepens customer service

    Dana Air has introduced another customercentric product called ‘Pay with Dana Miles” as part of efforts to enhance service delivery to its customers, especially the Dana Miles members.

    With the ‘Pay with Dana Miles’ initiative, members of the airlines’ frequent flyer programme can now use their miles as they desire for payment of excess baggage, upgrade from economy class to business class, exchange miles for tickets and still get loads of benefits attached to the frequent flyer programme of the airline.

    Dana Air Media/Communications Manager, Mr. Kingsley Ezenwa, said the carrier was excited to introduce the ‘Pay with Dana Miles initiative, which offers passengers the opportunity to use their miles as they desire.

    He said:”The pay with Dana Miles initiative is just our way of providing more options for our guests and keeping our strategic mission, which is to earn the loyalty and respect of our customers by consistently demonstrating our commitment to service, and providing affordable regional air transport services that focuses on innovation, quality and service excellence.”

    He said being a member of the airlines’ frequent flyer programme offers an amazing opportunity to get value added services not just with the airline, but with its partners across Nigeria, and that frequent flyers of the airline should expect more tailored benefits in the coming months.

    ‘Our Dana miles members need not worry anymore when there are online payment issues, or bank issues, as they can get on their system and use their miles for as many functions as they desire. Apart from all of these, members of our frequent flyer programme also get extra value not just with us, but with our partners across Nigeria, which includes banks, hotels, cab companies and many more and these benefits are tailored to the needs of our guests.’’

  • Dana: We’ve implemented safety recommendations

    DANA Air said it has implemented the safety recommendations of the Accident Investigation Bureau ( AIB) after its June 3, 2012 crash in which over 150 persons died.

    The airline made this known  in a statement signed by its Head of Corporate Communications, Kingsley Ezenwa. The statement reads :” Following the release of the final report of the June 3, 2012 Accident, we wish to reassure our passengers of our total commitment to their safety and comfort onboard our flights. We wish to also state that Dana Air swung into action immediately the Interim Safety Recommendations were released in 2013 and as an airline strictly committed to the safety and comfort of its passengers, we implemented all the recommendations same year, as released by AIB.

    The statement added that Dana Air did not stop at just implementing the recommendations, but also successfully passed an operational audit conducted by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority’s Flight Safety Group and its foreign partners.

    “In 2016, after another rigorous operational audit, Dana Air was admitted into the International Operations Safety Audit (IOSA) register to underscore its strict adherence to global management and safety standards and procedures required of global carriers,” it added.

    Mr Ezenwa said that while Dana Air acknowledges the full report, and will continue to review it, “we are gladdened by the report that the aircraft was airworthy at the time of departure, flight crew were certified and that we have cleared all defects during their last check.”

    Dana Air said it maintains a rich spare parts store to date. According to the statement, ” We have doubled our maintenance and safety efforts with constant training and retraining. The safety and comfort of our passengers remain top priorities to us and may the souls of the crew and passengers we lost at the unfortunate accident continue to rest in peace.”

    Meanwhile, the airline said it has introduced a special fare for corp members and students as part of its broad corporate social responsibility and to complement the efforts of their parents and the government in this regard.

    The airline said it is committed to helping the government, youth and students to achieve their dreams of a greater tomorrow.

    According to the airline, to take advantage of the hugely discounted fare, all the students and corp members need do is get the Naija Green Card, send an email to contact@flydanaair.comand reservations@flydanaair.com stating their date of travel, route and preferred flight time at least 24 hours before departure and its done.

  • AIB indicts DANA Air pilots over 2012 crash in Lagos

    AIB indicts DANA Air pilots over 2012 crash in Lagos

    •Bureau says aircraft lost first engine 17 minutes into the flight
    •’Pilots should have diverted aircraft to alternate airport’

    THE Accident Investigation Bureau ( AIB) has released the final report of the June 3, 2012 DANA Air MD 83 crash at Iju Ishaga, Lagos, where 153 passengers including six crew members were killed.
    AIB Commissioner Akin Olateru, who spoke on the release of four accident reports, attributed the cause of the DANA plane crash to pilots’ failure to divert the aircraft to an alternate airport when the aircraft lost its first engine 17 minutes after take-off from Abuja.
    Olateru, who also spoke on OAS and Bristow helicopters’ crashes, said the DANA pilots also lacked ‘situational awareness’  of their flight terrain during the flight, because they headed for a densely populated area after the second aircraft engine failed on approach to Lagos Airport.
    On the AOS Helicopter crash of July 29, 2011, where three persons died, AIB indicted the pilot for not being instrument-rated, in addition to lack of familiarisation of the route by crew and non-adherence of the pilot to visual flight rules.
    Olateru said AIB engaged stakeholders, including the affected operators and the NCAA for their input 60 days before it was reviewed for final publication.
    He said the AIB, in accordance with prescribed regulations by the global civil aviation regulation, International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) annex 13, was not bound to accept the contributions of the affected operators.
    The report on DANA Air reads: “Engine number 1 lost power 17 minutes into the flight, and thereafter on final approach, engine number 2 lost power and failed to respond to throttle movement on demand for increased power to sustain the aircraft in its flight configuration.
    “The inappropriate omission of the use of the checklist and the crew’s inability to appreciate the severity of the power-related problem and their subsequent failure to land at the nearest suitable airfield.
    “Lack of situation awareness, inappropriate decision-making and poor airman ship.”
    He said some safety recommendations have been made for implementation by the operators and the NCAA.
    On the crash involving OAS Helicopters on July, 29, 2011, at Oke – Oba Hill , Ikonifin, Osun State, the AIB indicted the NCAA, saying one of the pilots was not rated on the instrument.
    The AIB report reads: “The non-adherence of the pilot to Visual Flight Rules of clear-of cloud and obstacles while maintaining ground contact at all times led to Controlled Flight into Terrain (CFIT). The pilot was not instrument-rated. The pilot lacked  route familiarisation.”
    The AIB said three safety recommendations were made and implemented.
    It reads: “The three recommendations were targeted at NCAA, one to NAMA and one to Nigeria Police.”
    On the crash of Bristow Helicopters, the AIB report said the causes were “identified as 115v cable loom chafed and arced with hydraulic pipeline, puncturing it and causing a high pressure leak which ignited on contact with hot surface of the Right Hand heat exchanger, resulting in fire on the Upper Deck.
    He said two safety recommendations were made to Bristow Helicopters.
    On the report of the Serious Incident involving Presidential Implementation Committee on Maritime Safety and Security (PICOMSS) aircraft with Registration 5N-BKS at Benin Airport on July 5, 2012,the AIB attributed human error as a contributory cause for the accident.

    The report reads : “The decision of the crew to continue the glide approach despite repeated landing
    gear warnings with the power lever below 25 per cent rather than initiating a Go-around are contributory cause of the crash.
    Others include: The failure of the crew to recognise the landing gear warnings.
    • No Standard Operating Procedure/Training Policy in place.
    • The crew low hours and experience, coupled with the rostering of two pilots with same capability on a training flight.
    • Lack of Crew Resource Management (CRM) training.
    Two safety recommendations were made – one to NCAA and the other to police.
    Olateru, however, advised operators in the industry .
    He said : “I want to leave the following questions to my colleagues in the industry, the regulators, investors and Nigerians. What is the cost of an accident? How do we measure the value of people’s lives?
    “Can we ever calculate/quantify the investment worth of damage? How do we calculate the cost and set it against the inevitable commercial cost of the investment necessary to avoid the tragedy in the first place?
    “My advice is for the stakeholders to come up with a seminar that will involve the entire members to discuss these issues.
    “In the last couple of weeks, AIB has been engaging with different agencies and stakeholders to see how we can collaborate and cooperate for the benefit of the flying public and we were assured that we can
    all together achieve the desired objectives when all hands are on deck.”

  • DANA opens service kiosk

    Dana Air has launched a self service kiosk at the Murtala Muhammed Airport 2 Lagos to underscore its much-vaunted customer –centric service.

    The self booking kiosk which is the first at the terminal, is a platform that enables travellers book the airlines’ tickets, modify tickets, book on hold, pay for tickets, and reschedule their tickets on the spot, get information on promos and events and lots more!

    The airlines’ guests can also avoid the irregular queues at the counters and book, pay, and check -in online conveniently at the self service  kiosk which will be operational 24 hours every day.

    Dana Air’s Communications Manager, Kingsley Ezenwa, said:’’ Every day we review our services to see how best we have served our guests and what more we can offer.

    The self-booking kiosk is just one out of the many innovations our esteemed guests should expect from us in 2017, as we will continue to deploy necessary technology to meet and exceed the flying aspirations of our guests.

  • Italian carrier partners Dana

    Meridiana Fly, an Italian carrier, is partnering Dana Air to deepen its operations in Nigerian and Ghana.

    To this end, the airline has confirmed its summer schedule for the year.

    In an interview, Dana Air spokesman, Kingsley Ezenwa, said the deal was driven by the introduction of a Boeing 767 – 300 aircraft and superior on – time performance rate.

    The partnership, he said, was  also supported by Ghana’s first affiliated global aviation advisory firm: Dre Aviation.

    The representative of Dre Aviation, Mr Paul Bassam Saade said: “A prudent approach was taken by Meridiana when entering these highly competitive markets but we have demonstrated stable operations and a growing commercial presence for them in West Africa and they are pleased with the results”

    Saade said based on the feedback  the airline has rescheduled its flight time to enable passengers  connect into its route network into Europe and other destinations.

    He said: ”This means a late evening departure from Lagos which arrives in Italy’s Milan Malpensa Airport early the next day, allowing our Nigerian passengers to onward connect onto Meridiana services into Europe and beyond.

    “This is a compelling proposition as the fares are much cheaper than other carriers into Europe and offers a real alternative for the public.“

  • Dana offers low fares at Valentine

    Dana Air has launched a Valentine campaign aimed at assisting its passengers to fly for less on any of the airlines’ route network.

    The new campaign, according to the airline, will encourage passengers to plan their trip at all points of sale and across the counters.

    According to the firm’s Communications Manager, Kingsley Ezenwa, passengers will get the best fares across all sales channels from February 14.

    He said: “Over 30,600 seats on all our routes have been opened for sale at these low fares and we believe this valentine promo, which we have unveiled as we, countdown to the month of love.

    “This offer will not only be convenient for our teeming passengers, but it will encourage them to travel more and spend more time with family and friends.”

    Last week, the airline entered into an airline partnership with the Imo state government to promote business in the state and drive tourism.

  • We’re commited to Nigeria’s economy, says Dana

    We’re commited to Nigeria’s economy, says Dana

    Dana Group has reaffirmed its commitment to continue to support Nigeria’s economy with quality products and services.

    Its Group Deputy Managing Director, Mr Gautam Hathiramani, who spoke during the 2016 Most Valuable Brands Recognition Award, said: “We are committed to providing proudly Nigerian products and services that can also serve as launch-pad for the economy.

    “Our investments in automobile, aviation, pharmaceutical, steel, plastics, water, chemical, banking, and real estate, are strategic, and we will continue to explore locally made materials to reduce importation and create jobs to ensure that our people continue to benefit directly from our intervention in these areas.”

    He said for the Group to  have emerged one of Nigeria’s Top 50 brands for the third consecutive time is a clear indication that it is living up to its top priority, which is to be the number one, in terms of quality and customer satisfaction in all the markets we serve.

    Hathiramani thanked the workers of Dana Group for their loyalty, commitment and dedication.

    Also speaking at the presentation, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Top 50 Brands, Mr Taiwo Oluboyede, said the model that was used in arriving at the result included consumer’s familiarity with the brand, quality element a brand passes, market/category leadership, innovation, spread, corporate social responsibility initiatives and several other factors.

    “We started with the top on the mind survey where we engaged members of the public. They were made to list out brands they are familiar with. This also tests people’s knowledge of brands and affinity.

    “We particularly focused on the corporate class from manager’s level and above. Respondents listed brands that they can easily recall or they are familiar with. It was observed that people easily recall brands they recently relate with or they see often,” he added.

  • 2012 Dana crash

    2012 Dana crash

    •A closure on this tragedy is long overdue 

    It is worrisome that over four years after the crash of Dana Flight 992 that killed 153 passengers, six crew members, and 10 persons on the ground in Iju-Ishaga, Lagos State, 26 families of victims of the crash and their lawyers are still waiting for the final report of investigation of cause of the accident.

    Four years and three months after the crash, a consortium of British and Nigerian lawyers hired by the families wrote to the Minister of Aviation, calling on him to authorise the release of the final report of the Nigerian Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB). The investigation had been on for four years. It included a special investigation by a Joint Committee of Senate and the House, following recovery of the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) containing flight captain’s 31-minute recorded message about failure of the aircraft’s two engines before landing in Lagos. It is surprising that AIB is yet to release the final report of an investigation that had put the lives of many survivors of flight passengers on hold for four years.

    This paper finds the inordinate investigation insensitive to the pain of the survivors of the victims of Nigeria’s second deadliest air crash. More worrisome is that after subjecting families of victims to several obstacle courses that included asking for their tax clearance certificates for three years and bank statements, only 30% of the compensation due to the families had been paid on the excuse that the balance of 70% could only be paid after release of the final report.

    Although three years of the wait for final report of cause of the accident happened during the previous administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, there is no excuse for further delay on this life-saving decision for 26 families that lost their loved ones and bread winners in the Dana airline crash. After four years of wait, it is high time for the families of the victims and their lawyers to cry out for help, and there is no better place to ask for help than the ministry of aviation.

    Undoubtedly, families of the 2012 crash have suffered enough frustration since the loss of their loved ones: lack of welfare allowance of aged parents of victims, disruption to the education of children of victims, problems with payment of rent or mortgage by their spouses, medical bills of survivors, etc. Despite all these frustrations, families of victims have demonstrated enough patience by providing all the documentations required of them since the investigation commenced in 2013. Any further delay in releasing the final report of the AIB will aggravate the pain that survivors of the victims have been carrying for the past four years.

    In addition, any further delay on the part of AIB has the disadvantage of preventing the aviation industry from learning lessons from the Dana crash that may assist in averting similar accidents in the country. Moreover, further delay can deny direly needed opportunity for a closure on this tragic event.

    Remembering that the previous government returned the license of Dana three months after the accident to enable Dana go back to business, and realising that governance is a continuous process regardless of change in the party in power, The Nation calls on the Federal Government to bring a closure to the agony of parents, spouses, and children of victims of the four-year old crash.