Air Nigeria was beautiful, but now it has fainted like Virgin Nigeria before it.
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| Air Nigeria |
But what beautiful design on the aircraft, it made my heart soar to see
it in the sky above the expressway in Ikeja, Lagos. The company management has
suspended all flights
and operations, and the picturesque eagle may fly no more. Well, there
may yet be a rescue.
Previously, Richard Branson (Founder/CEO of Virgin) dumped the Virgin Nigeria effort. Was it not a lovely dream? The cool simplicity of the Virgin brand, serving the coolest, blackest market in the world. It failed, and
Richard Branson said Never Again would he attempt to do business in Nigeria because of the greed of the politicians.
Now, Jimoh Ibrahim (CEO of AirNigeria) blames "
staff disloyalty and weak business environment" for the asphyxiation of his company.
Tell me about staff disloyalty!
A few years ago flying Virgin, I had to fend off this weasly porter at the luggage check-in counter. He was desperate to let me carry luggage over the allowed weight. He would discount the fee, you understand?
Jeez, I don't want to pay you. I want to pay the AIRLINE, idiot! And he had actually doubled the excess luggage weight in the first place. Really, this employee was ruining the company that was trying to feed him.
Someone observed that this was why planes around here would sometimes "fall from the sky."
A brief history of Air Nigeria (Source:
www.myairnigeria.com , September 14, 2012)
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| AirNigeria Virgin Airlines |
Air Nigeria History
Air
Nigeria, (formerly Virgin Nigeria) was established in 2004 when the
Federal Government of Nigeria and Virgin Atlantic Airways signed a
Memorandum of Mutual Understanding (MMU) that gave birth to the airline.
Air Nigeria, then trading as Virgin Nigeria Airways started operating
on 28th June, 2005 with flights to
London Heathrow, Johannesburg as well as regional and domestic flights
using Airbus A340-300 and A320-200 aircrafts. The airline quickly
endeared itself in the minds of consumers as a result of its excellent
customer service delivery and safety standards (being the first West
African carrier listed on IOSA directory).
Air
Nigeria currently operates domestic and regional flights that cut
across 16 locations in Nigeria and in the West and Central African
region. From its operational base at the Murtala Mohammed Airport,
Lagos, Air Nigeria operates to Owerri, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Abuja, Kano and Sokoto on the domestic routes while it also operates to Brazzaville, Accra, Douala, Dakar, Monrovia, Cotonou, Banjul, Libreville, Sao Tome and Abidjan
with further plans to extend services to more African destinations,
Europe, Asia and America. Air Nigeria is currently pursuing its new
focus and vision to dominate the domestic and regional markets.
Following
the airlines’ acquisition by Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim of the NICON Group
in April 2010, the airline is vigorously pursuing its vision of being
the leading African airline with exceptional travel experience as well
as making Lagos, a major hub in the sub-Saharan region. Air Nigeria has
within a space of five months, progressively embarked on an ambitious
plan of fleet growth that now accounts for the actualization of its
short term plan of having 10 aircrafts in its fleet before the end of
2010.
The
airline is 100% e-ticketing compliant across her network and is the
first Nigerian airline and first in West Africa to be listed on the IOSA
Directory as it adheres strictly to the International Civil Aviations
Organization’s safety regulations and standards. Its registration on the
IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) registry places it at par with the
best airlines in the world having shown its commitment and
demonstration to airline safety standards
Air
Nigeria since inception, has always been in the vanguard of constantly
reviewing its product offering to meet the demands of passengers. It
offers a frequent flyer programme known as eagleflier® that seeks to
reward passenger loyalty.
Air
Nigeria continually strives to offer its passengers a unique customer
experience from the point of first contact and on until they disembark
from their flights. Both English and French speaking passengers’ needs
are catered for as Air Nigeria’s crew are well trained to handle such
needs.
That's all for now. Next up, I may comment on the new notes (controversy over 5000naira bill), and more exciting, a rush of funds to the stock market. Read, Share, and consider writing your thoughts - it's a group blog after all.
