* From left, Maintenance Manager, Firstnation Airways, Engr. Ferudun Ozdemir, Deputy Cabin Services, Mrs. Barbara Dan-Asemah and Director, Flight Operation, Capt. Chimara Imediegwu and Training Coordinator, Victor Udoyoh at a Media chat with Aviation Journalist today in Lagos.
… Says Inability To Access Forex, CBN Constantly Changing Policies, Part Of Airline’s Challenges
Firstnation Airways said that barring any last minute hitch it would commence flight operations on September 15, 2016 as scheduled by the management of the airline.
This is just as the airline disclosed that the inability of the airline to source for Foreign Exchange (Forex) with the ever changing Central Bank of Nigeria policies and Rate of Exchange (ROE) makes it difficult for the airline to carry out maintenance on its aircraft.
Recalled that the airline had in an online statement stated that it suspended flight operations, because it was carrying out maintenance on A319 fleet and that this maintenance exercise will be completed on or before September 15, 2016.
“The airline planned these maintenance action well ahead, notified passengers and flights are currently loaded online effective September 15, 2016 – this will ensure that passengers continue to en joy safe and reliable service that the airline is reputed for. Current foreign exchange constraint, coupled with over 70% devaluation of Naira partly contributed in no small measure to this development. The Airline’s plan remains on track to reinstating service as advised herein,” the statement reads in part.
Speaking to Aviation Journalists at a media briefing in Lagos, Director of Flight Operations, Capt. Chimara Imediegwu said that the airline will resume operations barring any last minute hitch on September 15,2016.
He hinted that the challenges of sourcing foreign Exchange with constantly changing Central Bank of Nigeria policies and Rate of Exchange (ROE) leaves the airline sometimes in situations where aircraft parts cannot obtained when ordered due to banks inability to transfer based on bids and maintenance schedules programmed with external Maintenance and Repair Organisation (MRO) providers suffers the repeated failures of the bidding system.
Imediegwu further explained that the disruption these forex transfer issues cause are better imagined, adding to reduce this disruptions operator are sometimes compelled to source forex from the parallel market at cut throat rate, even though the sum required are mostly in hundred of thousands of dollars.
The Director Of Flight Operations, stated that having contended with these challenges, the airline planned well ahead and kept the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) informed of the progress of the maintenance of its aircraft.
According to him, “We actually had just received one of them from a heavy maintenance early this year while preparing for the departure of the next for maintenance, the former and rejuvenated ship developed a fault. This called for immediate action with the manufacturer’s specialists. We arrived at a decision to get them to come in and do a final job on it .The authority was constantly kept in the know, formally.”
He continued, “In order to remain within the triple SSS; Safety Schedule and Service boundary ,effectively regulating ourselves, Firstnation voluntarily grounded these aircraft even though enormous cost to await the arrival of the manufacturer’s team.”
