United Nigeria Airlines Targets Regional, Int’l Flight

United Nigeria Airlines Aims to Establish Both Regional and International Flights

United Nigeria Airlines announced that it will begin regional as well as international flight operations in a short amount of time after it was recently added to the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) registry.

This information was divulged by the chief operating officer of United Nigeria Airlines, Maxi Osita Okonkwo, during the presentation of the IOSA award to the airline by the representatives of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), West and Central Africa, Dr. Samson Fatokun, at the airline’s office in Lagos. The award was given out by Dr. Samson Fatokun.

Okonkwo revealed that the airline’s acquisition of the IOSA certificate in fewer than two years following the launch of its operations is one step towards the airline’s long-term goals of expanding its operations to regional and international levels.

He went on to say that being on the IOSA register was a necessary condition and requirement for venturing into the international market, and he described the process as an eye-opener.
According to him, “It was a serious process that opened up our eyes to many different things, and this is one step towards our long-term objectives because we have plans of going regional and international, and being on the IATA register is a necessary condition and requirement.” We are ecstatic, and we insist that you keep an eye on this space because we will be making additional announcements in the coming days, weeks, and months. The IOSA audit programme was a very serious one, and it enlightened us to a great deal of information regarding a great deal of information. It is both a privilege and a responsibility to have this opportunity, but we have managed to rise to the challenge and emerge victorious as a result. We would like to express our gratitude to our team, in particular those members who have put in a significant amount of time, including hours, days, and months, in order to get us to this point. We would also like to extend our gratitude to IATA and the audit team, who travelled from all over the world.

I can tell you that we achieved that two years of starting operations, however, it won’t have been easy without support from the stakeholders and regulators, as stated by Okonkwo. “When we started operation from day one, we made this part of our programmes and our chairman said anything we need to do to be internationally recognised, to be in IATA register, we should do it within two years of our operations.”
Also speaking, the IATA representative in West and Central Africa, Dr. Samson Fatokun, revealed that United Airlines has joined the list of a select few airlines in the subregion that is registered with the IOSA registry.

Read also: OPC officers in Ogun detain a suspect in robbery

According to him, there are six airlines hailing from Nigeria that are included on the IOSA register; as a result, Nigeria is the only nation in Africa to hold the highest IOSA certificate.

On the other hand, he cautioned the airline operator that keeping a presence in the registry is a difficult and time-consuming task, as the majority of airlines discover that it is difficult to keep their status.

“It’s a great opportunity for us at IATA to present the prestigious IOSA certificate to any airline,” Fatokun said. “We know what it takes to achieve that feat, and as you said, in less than two years of your operation, you are already at this level where you can be said to have adhered to the global safety standard at its best.” The IOSA stands for the International Air Transport Association, which is an international organisation that regulates the aviation industry. That is a very impressive accomplishment, and we would like to extend our congratulations to you for achieving it. We would also like to extend our congratulations to the team that worked so hard. It is an admirable accomplishment, but staying at that level requires a greater level of effort and commitment. There are airlines that get there but are unable to maintain their stay because of the weather. We are unable to accept anything other than this, and you have performed exceptionally well. IOSA is both a step towards and an end in the process of achieving higher levels, such as membership in IATA and a great deal more.

We have very few airlines in the West and Central Africa region that are on the IOSA registry at the moment, and you are one of the few. That is very good for an airline that came onboard in less than 2 years, and we hope that you will be able to maintain that. “We have very few airlines in the West and Central Africa region that are on the IOSA registry at the moment. It is by far the only country in Africa that has this number of IOSA member airlines, as Nigeria is home to six airlines that are included on the IOSA registry. No other country on the African continent, not even South Africa, exists. I’d like to offer my congratulations to the operators in Nigeria.
However, Fatokun disclosed that the IOSA safety audit is meant to complement the safety audit conducted by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), not to compete with it.

“The IOSA backs the governing body, the NCAA, and the two of us are cooperating towards the achievement of a single objective, which is safety, which is our top priority. We can see the result in terms of safety on our flight and safety record as a country as a result of working with NCAA, the local regulator to achieve this. Because of this, IOSA has not come to take over from them but rather to support each other.

Read also: Abia police confirm cop was beheaded, guarantee informant’s safety.

“It’s a symbiotic relationship that ensures the same goal of keeping our flight safe is accomplished,” said the pilot. It also indicates that you are on par with other international carriers because we adhere to the same standards and rigours in terms of safety, as he stated in his conclusion.