BY OLUSEGUN KOIKI (NATIONAL MIRROR)
Arik Air yesterday support-ed the call for all domestic airlines in the county to join the clearing house of the In-ternational Air Transport Asso-ciation. This is just as the airline dis-closed that about three weeks ago it passed the second IATA Opera-tional Safety Audit (IOSA).
Speaking to journalists yester-day at the airline’s headquarters at the Murtala Mohammed Air-port, Lagos, the Senior Vice Presi-dent, Operations, Arik Air, Mr. Rob Thomas said that compulsory IATA membership for domestic op-erators would further boost safety in the country’s aviation industry.
It will be recalled that the Chair-man, Air Nigeria, Dr. Jimoh Ibra-him, had last week advised the Federal Government to compel domestic airline operators to join IATA.
Ibrahim argued that the com-pulsory membership for indig-enous airlines would make the Nigerian airspace safer, stressing that after the Nigerian Civil Avia-tion Authority has audited the airline’s fleet, IATA should also be allowed to check the aircraft’s com-pliance to safety.
He said, “Airline business is a sensitive one, it is important we have global compliance in avia-tion. With this we will be very safe to fly, particularly with this recent development.”
Also, Thomas said that all its airplanes are fitted with Global Positioning System (GPS), adding that all the aircraft in its fleet can land at zero visibility at any air-port in the country.
He, however, explained that de-spite the equipment, which would aid safe landing, the airline still takes precautionary step by not operating during adverse weather condition.
He added that the GPS in Arik Air airplanes have been integrated into Auto Pilot System and Flight Management System, adding that these differentiate the new genera-tion aircraft and older ones.
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