Yemisi Izuora
MED- VIEW Airline has issued statement giving reasons for its delayed flight out of London, Gatwick stating that the airline had to deal with an Aircraft on Ground (AOG) situation compounded by the holidays and other uncomplimentary factors that have made the situation linger.
The airline in a statement issued from the United Kingdom by Mr. Michael Ajigbotosho, the Chief Operating Officer/Accountable Manager (COO/AM) stated that the aircraft had to embark on an air return as part of safety measures.
He also stated that the airline had got approval for three aircraft to airlift at least 700 passengers but for the unruly behavior of some passengers which made Border Force wade in and eventually only two of the flights could leave.
The statement explained the airline’s dilemma,”Our flight VL 2101 out of London to Lagos on FridayDecember, 22 which has about 300 passengers on board returned back to Gatwick after departure as a precautionary measure taken by the Pilot- in – Command (PiC) in line with Aviation Standard and Recommended Practices.”
“This led to cancellation of the flight as the aircraft was declared AOG (Aircraft On Ground). The passengers were catered for, they were lodged in a hotel and those who decided to go back home were also taken care of.”
“After the aircraft was declared AOG, we had to wait for a maintenance report. The aircraft had to remain on ground until a certified expert carried out the necessary checks and certify that the aircraft is airworthy. And the holiday compounded the problem.”
“In line with that confirmation, we decided to seek for a relief flight and tried as much as possible go get the approval from both the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of Nigeria and the CAA of United Kingdom in Gatwick. We attest to their full cooperation and we appreciate them.”
“We announced to operate three flights feeling the concern of all our passengers. On Wednesday December 27, we positioned three aircraft after securing the approval of the CAA including Nigerian authority. ”
“Disappointingly, due to the unruly behaviour of some Nigerian passengers, the Border Force had to intervene to support the operations for crowd control purposes.”
“These three aeroplanes would have evacuated 700 passengers which would have normalized the situation. But the passengers neither understood or knew the challenges ahead which resorted into having a delayed operation and crew rest and we ended up operating two flights out of three.”
“We use this medium to appeal to our Nigerian customers. As much as we appreciate their patronage and apologize for the experience they went through this Christmas, we seek for their understanding to know that their safety comes first before any other thing. ”
“We feel their concern and the expectations of meeting their families for the Christmas Holiday. Our normal flights resume on Friday for London, Dubai and Jeddah. “