Medview Airlines’ airplane carrying over 100 passengers aborted its Lagos –Abuja – Yola flight yesterday, following the collapse of its cooling system while taxing to take-off.
The development came barely 24 hours after another domestic airline, Air Peace, with 105 passengers on board, aborted take-off at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) after experiencing a “deflated tyre”.
A source hinted that the aircraft was taxing about 9.30a.m when the cooling system suddenly packed up, triggering heat on board.
Following the development, the pilot aborted the flight and returned to the apron.
The passengers were disembarked and transferred to another aircraft to continue their journey to Abuja.
Media Consultant to Medview Airlines Mr. Obuke Oyibhota confirmed the incident.
He stated that the aircraft was taxing on 18 left runway of MMIA, when the cooling system developed fault.
“The incident happened around mid-day. The aircraft did not make an air return. The plane was taxing when the captain in charge noticed that the cabin was hot. If he had taken off, it could have stabilised the cooling system, but as a precautionary measure, he taxied back to base,” he explained.
Tag: Medview Airlines
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Medview Airlines aborts flight over poor cooling system
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Medview Airlines gets IATA safety certification
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) yesterday admitted Medview Airlines into its global safety platform after passing the International Operations Safety Audit (IOSA) certification.
The admission of Medview into the IOSA registry is confirmation that the carrier has notched up its safety operational procedures to standards.
Speaking at a presentation ceremony of the certificate , the IATA’s Regional Director, West Africa, Mr Samson Fatokun said the carrier met the required safety standards set by the global body.
He said the safety endorsement has catapulted Medview into the league of global players in terms of operational safety and procedures required for global carriers.
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Medview plane makes emergency air return to Lagos
An Abuja- bound Medview Airlines Boeing aircraft with several passengers on board on Thursday made an emergency return to the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, after the aircraft developed technical problem mid air.
The technical hitch, a pressurization problem, our correspondent gathered affected the aircraft’s cooling system.
An aviation source said the development prompted the pilot to brief the passengers on board before initiating the safety procedure of returning to the aerodrome of take – off otherwise known in aviation par lance as air return.
The Managing Director of Medview , Alhaji Muneer Bankole, confirmed the incident to our correspondent on Thursday.
He said the crew members took the professional decision to return the plane to Lagos rather than continuing with the flight.
He added that the airline provided another aircraft for the passenger to return to Abuja after they disembarked from the airplane that made air return.
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Medview Airlines to begin Lagos-London, Lisbon flights
Medview Airlines is set to begin flights from Lagos into London and Lisbon in Portugal. The Managing Director, Alhaji Muneer Bankole who made this known, said the carrier has secured approvals from aviation authorities in the United Kinfgdom (UK) and Portugal to begin the operations.
Bankole said the airline has engaged a consultant to complete the bilateral and technical preparations for the operations, describing the deal as part fulfillment of the Air Agreement Nigeria it has with the two European countries.
He said Medview was moved to actualise its designation into the routes, to offer Nigerians affordable fares from the exploitative ones being offered by foreign carriers.
He said foray into the routes would offer passengers travel options from the exorbitant fares offered by British carriers on the London route .
He spoke just as the airline took delivery of its own Boeing 767 aircraft, to be used for the international operations as well as Hajj operations.
The new delivery by the airline is historic as the only indigenous carrier to acquire a Boeing 767 aircraft with Nigerian pilots and cabin crew .
Bankole said: ” I discovered that getting out of London is so expensive because we only have two British Airlines coming here; Virgin Atlantic and British Airways. Among the countries we have got designation is Jeddah and Dubai.
“So, we are putting one on the forefront now and that would be in the next couple of months. We are sincerely working on that. The British authorities as well as the government of Nigeria have designated us to the Lagos-London route. We also got Portugal; Lagos-Lisbon route.
“So, we are looking at the European side, but we are launching this aircraft to Jeddah on the 16th August, 2015 for pilgrimage. We hope to close the first leg on September 16, continuing through October and the aircraft would be ready for international operations in November.”
He added: ”There are people doing the business right now. You know Heathrow Airport is the in-thing with about 73 million travellers annually while Gatwick takes about 35 million yearly. We are looking at the link of bringing Nigerians to Gatwick and we are looking at using the British rail, linking them on complementary to Victoria. Or, we are looking at Heathrow. We are there already.”
On preparation for Hajj, he said: ” I told you I’m ready, but the only thing is that I’m busy for hajj operations now.
“And we are also bringing B777 for the hajj operations and we would be the first in the annals of this country to use B777 and I am proud to say that the NCAA people have been trained by MedView, they are in Atlanta, United States, running for 777.”
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Medview Airlines transports 270 pilgrims
Two hundred and seventy pilgrims from Ogun State were airlifted yesterday from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos to Medina, Saudi Arabia to participate in this year’s hajj.
The pilgrims, who were transported by Medview Airlines, were the first batch of pilgrims of the 5,303 pilgrims allocated to the airline.
Before the departure of the pilgrims, they underwent medical screening by officials of the Ministry of Health, Port Health Unit.
Part of the medical tests included the one for the Ebola Virus Disease.
Speaking at a pre- departure ceremony event at the Hajj Camp Axis of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, the Managing Director of Medview Airlines, Alhaji Muneer Bankole, said the transporting of the pilgrims would take 10 days.
He said the exercise from Lagos Airport began five days ahead of schedule, a decision he said was motivated by the need to ensure that the exercise was completed.
He said the airline would transport the pilgrims from Lagos Airport, Ilorin International Airport, Port Harcourt International Airport and Enugu International Airport to Medina in Saudi Arabia.
Bankole said the states had been structured into zones for the convenience of the exercise.
He said ground arrangement had been concluded for the pilgrims, who were being transported straight to Medina.
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Medview Airlines grounded aircraft over false fire alarm
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority ( NCAA), on Saturday grounded a Boeing 737 aircraft belonging to Medview Airlines that made an air-return five minutes after it took off from the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos .
There were 99 passengers and five crew members on board the aircraft .
According to the acting director general of NCAA, Engineer Benefict Adeyileka, the ground of the aircraft became imperative to enable NCAA team of aircraft engineers and inspectors as well as engineers of the Medview carry out serious checks on the aircraft that had a false fire alarm.
Adeyileka said NCAA engineer have opened up the panels of the aircraft to find out out the cause of the fire alarm.
He said findings so far suggests that the aircraft is in good order, and it will be released and recertified for operations after the team of inspectors complete findings on it .
He said the pilot acted in good faith by aborting the flight after passengers exhibited signs of panic, on board.
Adeyileka said if will not be professional for any pilot to continue with a flight when there is doubt about the safety if the aircraft from concerns raised by passengers no matter how insignificant .
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He said :” The pilot acted in good faith . The safest thing to do when there is commotion in the cabin is to return the aircraft to the ground .
We prefer a false alarm to an incident . Air return does not constitute an emergency . The NCAA and its team of inspectors are visibly in the ramp at the airport carrying out routine inspection . Air return is a precautionary safety measure .
The aircraft as we speak is currently grounded . NCAA and Medview Airlines engineers and inspectors have opened up the aircraft for findings and so far they have not found anything . Because of the panic the safest thing is to return to the ground .
Adeyileka said :” The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority wishes to clarify the circumstances surrounding an air return involving a Medwiew airline, Boeing 737 with the registration number 5N-BPB.
The pilot made a successfully precautionary landing with all 99 persons on board including 5 crew members.
The aircraft which took off at 8:12 am was enroute to Abuja and returned back to Lagos at 8:17am as a result of slight fumes observed in the aircraft, which the passengers mistook for fire and reacted in panic.
The captain of the aircraft took a decision to return to Lagos more from the danger of passenger reaction which may have destabilized the aircraft, rather than from the fumes. This is also in line with NCAA directive to pilots to return to base in case of doubts.
The NCAA has already commenced investigation to ascertain the cause of the fumes as inspectors were on ground on routine ramp inspection at the time of the incident.
The NCAA however, calls on the general public, especially aviation stakeholders not to panic as the incident has already been brought under control.
The NCAA remains committed to a safe and secure aviation industry.” -
Medview set for international operations
Managing Director of MedView Airlines Alhaji Muneer Bankole has unveiled plans to start international operations in the first quarter of this year.
Bankole said the airline had done feasibility studies on the profitability of the international operations, which will help Nigeria to reciprocate its bilateral services agreement with other countries .
He listed the international routes to include Abuja-Dubai, Lagos-Dubai, Kano-Jeddah, Lagos-Dakar, Enugu-Singapore among other routes, which will start in the first quarter of the year.
Bankole said: ”Our international operations will begin in the first quarter of 2014 and we are going to fly to countries such as Abuja-Dubai, Lagos-Dubai, Kano-Jeddah, Abuja-Jeddah,Lagos-Accra,Lagos-Dakar,Enugu-Singapore,Lagos-Libreville, Nigeria-Israel.”
The Medview boss noted that most of the countries that the airline intends to fly had already given permission to it.
“Some of the countries affected have granted MedView Airlines the rights to commence operations. I can assure you that all the necessary documentation has been completed. We intend to commence international operations to some of the destinations in the first quarter of 2014.”
He also said the airline flew a total of 339,043 passengers across the country last year.
The total number of passengers flown last year, Bankole added, was a little less than its target of 400,000.
According to Bankole, MedView airline would not relent in its effort in making its passengers comfortable and also give the customers the value for their money.
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Medview Airlines gets six international routes
Medview Airlines said yesterday it had been designated by the Federal Government to fly into six regional and international routes to actualise the principle of reciprocity in the bilateral air services agreement the government signed with other countries.
The routes, according to the Managing Director of the airline, Alhaji Muneer Bankole, include 14 frequencies on the Lagos /Accra route; Lagos / Dakar; Lagos / Libreville; Lagos/ Abuja / Jeddah; Kano / Jeddah, which are four frequencies.
Others are Lagos/Dubai and Enugu /Singapore.
He said the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority ( NCAA) has granted Medview Airlines the international air permit to carry out out international operations.
He said Medview Airlines is the first carrier to be awarded the new international permit by the new Director-General of the authority, Captain Folaleye Akinkuotu.
Bankole assured that before the end of the year, Medview Airlines would begin direct flights into Dubai.
Plans are in place to consolidate on other routes, in which the airline has been designated, he added.
He said since Medview Airlines began operations on the domestic routes a year ago, it has flown over 250,000 passengers.
He said the carrier airlifts a monthly average of about 30,000 monthly.
Bankole said: ”It has been for pride of this company and for Nigeria to see a domestic airline within a short space of time growing as you have seen.”
We are proud to tell you that, we spoke with you in January and we promised you that in another six to eight months we will give you two more aircraft, this one of them acquired by MedView, it is an aircraft that we purchase, we call it lease purchase and we have 737-800 coming in very soon.
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‘Interline agreement good for airlines’
The implementation of interline agreement among domestic carriers will facilitate air travel, Managing Director, Medview Airlines, Alhaji Muneer Bankole, has said.
According to him, cooperation among carriers is the only way to make air transport seamless and cost effective.
He said if airlines cooperate, the plan by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to facilitate interine agreement would not only reduce costs for airlines, but also make air travel less cumbersome.
Bankole said it was time Nigerian carriers embraced global practices.
He said the rationale for interline pact may not be unconnected with lack of cooperation and other operational factors that led to the collapse of over 10 airlines in the country.
The implementation of interline agreement, he said would give airlines the leverage to tap from the benefits of economies of scale, which in turn would reduce cost for the operators.
He cited a situation where Medview Airlines had some operational challenges with one of its aircraft, and had to transfer its passengers to another airline under an arrangement between the two carriers.
Bankole said: ”If the cooperation and understanding did not exist between Medview Airlines and Aero Airlines, how would we have handled such passengers, who have already paid for the flight. With such arrangement, as tidy as it was, the passengers will always come back to fly with us. Our counsel is that more airlines should come together and forge cooperation, which is good for the survival of the business.”
Last year, plans by the NCAA to effect interline agreement among active domestic operators, such that passengers could use one ticket to board any flight within the country suffered some challenges as the terms and conditions attached to the pack provoked a fresh row among carriers over which organisations hold the ace as the clearing house for all transactions.
NCAA Director-General, Dr Harold Demuren, who confirmed readiness of the authority to effect the new operational regime said domestic carriers and other parties are meeting on how to achieve seamless operations.
According to industry sources, though some operators have expressed their readiness to imbibe the new business model, some carriers are worried that if clearance matters are not properly sorted out, some of the airlines may back out of the new arrangement.
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Medview Airlines to acquire more aircraft
Medview Airlines is set to acquire more aircraft in its bid to boost its operations.
A source told The Nation that the resolve to expand its fleet- size comes on the heels of the passenger capacity, which is steadily rising ahead of the yuletide.
Director-General of Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr Harold Demuren a few months ago charged the managers of the airline to carry out safe flights as the industry is set to pursue zero fatality among airlines.
Demuren, who spoke at the inaugural flight of Medview Airlines at the new Domestic Terminal Two of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, affirmed that the pursuit of air safety is a collective responsibility involving concerted efforts from the airline, industry regulator and other aeronautical service providers.
He urged the carrier to offer premium services that would fill the gap created by the crash of Dana Air, which has led to a has reduce the number of domestic operators.
He said passengers were finding it difficult to secure seats on airlines after the steps taken to reposition the industry for profitability, adding that the commencement of flight by Medview Airlines offers alternatives for passengers who have been constrained to fly only a few carriers.
Demuren explained that it took a rigorous process for the NCAA to issue an air operators certificate to Medview Airlines, after the authority scrutinised the manuals to ensure that its operations are safe.
He said the airline carried out 50 hours and 45 minutes of demonstration flights without carrying passengers to ensure the safety and competence of the airline.
He further explained that it took 18 months for NCAA to look at the books of the airline before giving its nod for the operations, which he affirmed, would now reduce the burden of passengers in the sector.
The inaugural flight also had in attendance the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, who urged the managers of the airlines to adhere to safety procedures during their operations of the firms.
Chairman of Medview Airlines Alhaji Muneer Bankole, solicited the cooperation of industry players to keep the operations afloat, saying that it was easy for them.
He assured passenges of prompt and reliable services.