FirstNation: We’re NOT on the verge of folding up

FirstNation Airways says it is not on the verge of folding up, and it has promised that it will return to normal scheduled flight operations by September 15.

Rasheed Yusuff, the airline’s head of corporate affairs, said the carrier’s current fleet was undergoing engine maintenance for safety operations, in line with global practice in the industry.

“FirstNation is not on the verge of folding up. In reality, since the airline launched services in 2011, the airline has built a strong followership and has been rated consistently as market leader on safety and schedule integrity,” he said in a statement.

“This reputation was reinforced by FirstNation’s achievement of International Air Transport Association (IATA) Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certification, which is the airline industry global benchmark for world class safety standard in record time of 12 months.”

The statement added that the award of IOSA certification within 12 months of application by FirstNation remains unrivalled in West and Central Africa.

The airline emphasised that the planned maintenance was orderly and arranged with advance notification to passengers.

“We are working to grow the fleet as well. All our aircraft have recently undergone C-Check and returned,” he said.

“We currently have no aircraft undergoing C-Check anywhere in the world. Our first fleet of A320 were orderly returned to the Lessor and we maintained good relationship with the Lessor.”

The IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) programme is an internationally recognised and accepted evaluation system designed to assess the operational management and control systems of an airline.

Muhtar Usman, director-general of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), announced last week that First Nation was in the middle of an engine replacement programme for one of its aircraft, forcing the airline to recourse to “self-regulatory suspension”.

“Another aircraft is due for mandatory maintenance as is allowable by NCAA,” Usman said.

“In these circumstances, these airlines clearly cannot continue to undertake schedule operations, hence the inevitable recourse to self-regulatory suspension.”