United
Nigeria Airlines is set to begin regional
and international flight operations, after getting listed on the IATA
Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) registry.
Maxi Osita Okonkwo, the chief operating officer of United Nigeria Airlines, gave the airline the IOSA award at its office in Lagos. According to Okonkwo, obtaining the IOSA accreditation less than two years after the airline's founding represents a significant step toward achieving its long-term goals of expanding regionally and internationally. He added that being on the IOSA registry was prerequisite and essential for going international and that the experience had opened his eyes.
“It was a serious process
that opens up our eyes to many 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 happy
and we definitely want you to watch this space as we made further announcements
in weeks and months to come,” he said.
Dr. Samson Fatokun, the IATA representative
for West and Central Africa, revealed that United Airlines joined the list of a few airlines in the sub-region that is on IOSA's registry. He advised the
airline operator that maintaining their presence in the registry is difficult
as most airlines find it difficult to maintain their status.
However, Fatokun revealed that IOSA audits
are meant to supplement, not replace, the safety audits conducted by the
Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
“IOSA supports the regulator, the NCAA, we
are working together for only one goal, which is safety which is our number one
priority. Working with NCAA, the local regulator to achieve this, we can see
the result in terms of safety on our flight and safety record as a country so IOSA
doesn’t come to take over from them but to support each other.
“It’s a symbiotic relationship to make sure that the same procure of having our flight safety is achieved. It also means you are as good as other international carriers because we give the same standard and rigors in terms of safety,” he stated.
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