Virgin Nigeria (threads merged)
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Here is the lastest on VK.
http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=244959
its like on page 2 at the mo
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Re: Vk...
Looks like there looking for pilots. Whats the good word on these guys? Pay? Sked? Housing? Family Safety? Any experiences?
Thx
GLR1900
Thx
GLR1900
There's been lots of discussions on this topic in this forum. Just carry out a search and you should come up with some info!
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New Destination
Virgin Nigeria is adding Calabar to its network on Dec. 19 (4 x weekly flights).
This brings to 2 the number of destinations added this year (I must say this is not impressive at all but granted they have a crew shortage). CBQ is good news for Christmas Carnival-goers and businessmen alike. ARIK is stabilizing on the route with 2 daily CRJ-900flights daily.
Can anyone confirm the first 767-300ER will be wet leased from Air Italy and sporting the "new" livery? I guess they will be using it on Hajj flights initially. Also, the grapevine says negotiations are ongoing with Embraer for the purchase of EMB-170/190s which would be used on the Warri and PHC (NAF) routes. The 737-800 is reportedly under consideration...This brings me to ask if VK has an overall fleet policy or vision for the next few years....Any a/c order coming up?
Revnetwork could you shed some lights
This brings to 2 the number of destinations added this year (I must say this is not impressive at all but granted they have a crew shortage). CBQ is good news for Christmas Carnival-goers and businessmen alike. ARIK is stabilizing on the route with 2 daily CRJ-900flights daily.
Can anyone confirm the first 767-300ER will be wet leased from Air Italy and sporting the "new" livery? I guess they will be using it on Hajj flights initially. Also, the grapevine says negotiations are ongoing with Embraer for the purchase of EMB-170/190s which would be used on the Warri and PHC (NAF) routes. The 737-800 is reportedly under consideration...This brings me to ask if VK has an overall fleet policy or vision for the next few years....Any a/c order coming up?
Revnetwork could you shed some lights
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Rani,
VK wants to get the best deal for VK, so nothing has been firmed up yet. I have no idea know what type/types it will be. Whatever it is, this will only be an interim solution. Discussions about future fleet plans continue with both Airbus and Boeing although these will be for the next 3-5 years. Current types being looked at should only be in the VK fleet for a short time 1-3 years.
The A340's are leaving - period. There are currently offers of 1 x B767-300ER, 2 x B767-300ERs, 1 x A330-300. This is making the decision dificult, as VK wants the A330 but only one is available and not in the time frame VK needs. The 767s are all in different configurations so tough choice.
VK lost out on the brand new, factory fresh ERJ's(who has boasted about that before?). As they were walking in to sign the documents, another carrier was walking out the door with the signed leases, so watch this space.....
VK wants to get the best deal for VK, so nothing has been firmed up yet. I have no idea know what type/types it will be. Whatever it is, this will only be an interim solution. Discussions about future fleet plans continue with both Airbus and Boeing although these will be for the next 3-5 years. Current types being looked at should only be in the VK fleet for a short time 1-3 years.
The A340's are leaving - period. There are currently offers of 1 x B767-300ER, 2 x B767-300ERs, 1 x A330-300. This is making the decision dificult, as VK wants the A330 but only one is available and not in the time frame VK needs. The 767s are all in different configurations so tough choice.
VK lost out on the brand new, factory fresh ERJ's(who has boasted about that before?). As they were walking in to sign the documents, another carrier was walking out the door with the signed leases, so watch this space.....
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Northwest does not operate 767-300s.
VK needs at least 4 widebodies... Especially now that the US routes might be on the horizon, at last:
ICAO declares Nigerian airlines, airports safe
Two weeks after seven safety auditors from the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) came visiting, feelers from the industry indicate that Nigeria passed the safety oversight audit.
WALE HAASTRUP
Speaking yesterday at the presidential wing of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, an aviation expert, John Obakpolor, said the nation did well during the audit.
The world aviation regulatory body, by this assessement, says Nigerian registered airplanes, airspace and airports are safe and secure. It also means that Nigerian registered airlines and aircraft can now fly into the United States and Europe
Furthermore, it means that the nation’s aviation regulatory authority, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the personnel it licensed to operate in the aviation industry are competent.
Obakpolor said: "Those who were at the helms of affairs during the period of the visit and preparations performed creditably well."
He said Nigerians should congratulate themselves for the success achieved. It shows that the country is blessed with people with vision and determination.
The expert, who spoke on behalf of Aviation Round Table (ART), says what is left for the nation now is to implement some of the things marked for installation. In a similar vein, the director-general of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Harold Demuren, declared that the NCAA did Nigeria proud in the just concluded ICAO safety oversight audit.
The NCAA boss said the success was as a result of the staff tireless effort and resolute professional conduct that contributed to the excellent performance put up by the country.
He said that the next thing would be to work out corrective action plan for the deficient areas noted by ICAO.
Demuren assured Nigerians that the nation would not fail particularly now that the new civil aviation bill has granted the authority the necessary autonomy.
While the country awaits the final audit report of the ICAO team, experts say passing the audit indicates that air travellers have nothing to worry about as their security is guaranteed.
Speaking with BusinessDay, Dele Ore, an aviation expert, says it shows that NCAA can now perform oversight function on any airline designated to fly outside the country.
"I can say without any fear that Nigeria airlines can now fly into the United States as the NCAA has been given the go-ahead with the passing of the audit," he said.
The regulatory authority can now continue to do its work without any interference from any quarter.
Aside, facilitation of passengers would be faster and hitch-free, since everything would be done according to ICAO standards.
Meanwhile, the need for urgent installations of the Doppler radar in the nations’ airports has also been emphasised.
The Doppler radar is used in the aviation authority to determine accurate weather forecast, mostly used by pilots before they take off.
VK needs at least 4 widebodies... Especially now that the US routes might be on the horizon, at last:
ICAO declares Nigerian airlines, airports safe
Two weeks after seven safety auditors from the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) came visiting, feelers from the industry indicate that Nigeria passed the safety oversight audit.
WALE HAASTRUP
Speaking yesterday at the presidential wing of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, an aviation expert, John Obakpolor, said the nation did well during the audit.
The world aviation regulatory body, by this assessement, says Nigerian registered airplanes, airspace and airports are safe and secure. It also means that Nigerian registered airlines and aircraft can now fly into the United States and Europe
Furthermore, it means that the nation’s aviation regulatory authority, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the personnel it licensed to operate in the aviation industry are competent.
Obakpolor said: "Those who were at the helms of affairs during the period of the visit and preparations performed creditably well."
He said Nigerians should congratulate themselves for the success achieved. It shows that the country is blessed with people with vision and determination.
The expert, who spoke on behalf of Aviation Round Table (ART), says what is left for the nation now is to implement some of the things marked for installation. In a similar vein, the director-general of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Harold Demuren, declared that the NCAA did Nigeria proud in the just concluded ICAO safety oversight audit.
The NCAA boss said the success was as a result of the staff tireless effort and resolute professional conduct that contributed to the excellent performance put up by the country.
He said that the next thing would be to work out corrective action plan for the deficient areas noted by ICAO.
Demuren assured Nigerians that the nation would not fail particularly now that the new civil aviation bill has granted the authority the necessary autonomy.
While the country awaits the final audit report of the ICAO team, experts say passing the audit indicates that air travellers have nothing to worry about as their security is guaranteed.
Speaking with BusinessDay, Dele Ore, an aviation expert, says it shows that NCAA can now perform oversight function on any airline designated to fly outside the country.
"I can say without any fear that Nigeria airlines can now fly into the United States as the NCAA has been given the go-ahead with the passing of the audit," he said.
The regulatory authority can now continue to do its work without any interference from any quarter.
Aside, facilitation of passengers would be faster and hitch-free, since everything would be done according to ICAO standards.
Meanwhile, the need for urgent installations of the Doppler radar in the nations’ airports has also been emphasised.
The Doppler radar is used in the aviation authority to determine accurate weather forecast, mostly used by pilots before they take off.
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Originally Posted by Rani;
[B
[B
iCAO declares Nigerian airlines, airports safe[/B]
Two weeks after seven safety auditors from the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) came visiting, feelers from the industry indicate that Nigeria passed the safety oversight audit.
WALE HAASTRUP
Speaking yesterday at the presidential wing of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, an aviation expert, John Obakpolor, said the nation did well during the audit.
The world aviation regulatory body, by this assessement, says Nigerian registered airplanes, airspace and airports are safe and secure. It also means that Nigerian registered airlines and aircraft can now fly into the United States and Europe
Furthermore, it means that the nation’s aviation regulatory authority, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the personnel it licensed to operate in the aviation industry are competent.
Obakpolor said: "Those who were at the helms of affairs during the period of the visit and preparations performed creditably well."
The expert, who spoke on behalf of Aviation Round Table (ART), says what is left for the nation now is to implement some of the things marked for installation. In a similar vein, the director-general of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Harold Demuren, declared that the NCAA did Nigeria proud in the just concluded ICAO safety oversight audit.
.
Two weeks after seven safety auditors from the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) came visiting, feelers from the industry indicate that Nigeria passed the safety oversight audit.
WALE HAASTRUP
Speaking yesterday at the presidential wing of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, an aviation expert, John Obakpolor, said the nation did well during the audit.
The world aviation regulatory body, by this assessement, says Nigerian registered airplanes, airspace and airports are safe and secure. It also means that Nigerian registered airlines and aircraft can now fly into the United States and Europe
Furthermore, it means that the nation’s aviation regulatory authority, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the personnel it licensed to operate in the aviation industry are competent.
Obakpolor said: "Those who were at the helms of affairs during the period of the visit and preparations performed creditably well."
The expert, who spoke on behalf of Aviation Round Table (ART), says what is left for the nation now is to implement some of the things marked for installation. In a similar vein, the director-general of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Harold Demuren, declared that the NCAA did Nigeria proud in the just concluded ICAO safety oversight audit.
.
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With VK's latest 733 delivery (-VNG) the utilization rate of its 737 fleet is barely 5 hours/day. One wonders if VK is getting too patient with its profitability plan!
With 30 captains now hired, will Enugu Yola Maiduguri be rolled out soon dear insiders?
With 30 captains now hired, will Enugu Yola Maiduguri be rolled out soon dear insiders?
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Rani,
Although VK is very aware of the low utilization, there is still a pilot shortage within the airline. The destinations you mentioned will come online sometime in 2007.
Systems need to be put in place and airports audited before any moves. Besides, the last 2,SKO & CBQ were launched in a hurry and they are just catching up with setting up the infrastructure(IT, security etc) there before opening new ones.
Although VK is very aware of the low utilization, there is still a pilot shortage within the airline. The destinations you mentioned will come online sometime in 2007.
Systems need to be put in place and airports audited before any moves. Besides, the last 2,SKO & CBQ were launched in a hurry and they are just catching up with setting up the infrastructure(IT, security etc) there before opening new ones.
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Looked all over, and I don't know if I need a JAR licence to apply at V Nigeria?
Hundreds of very experienced Canadians would love to fly somewhere outside of Canada without having to do the 14 JAR exams. Anybody know?
Hundreds of very experienced Canadians would love to fly somewhere outside of Canada without having to do the 14 JAR exams. Anybody know?
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More negative publicity for VK
Hello fellas, the below was published recently on a prominent Nigeria blog site. I thought it's pretty disturbing especially that this sort of VK review is becoming the "standard" unfortunate, negative account of VK services in general. Would be nice to hear feedback from the insiders, as usual...
--------------------------------------------------
Another difference between Ghana and Nigeria - as soon as you land at Accra airport, you find all the information displays working. I have never seen such a sight in a Nigerian airport, in line with the country's distaste for providing basic customer-friendly information. Even the newish Virgin Nigeria area at Murtala Mohammed Airport lacks the most basic information - one arrives not knowing when the next flights will be or how full they are. Forget about having any form of electronic real-time display, there is not even any printed matter on flight times.
The staff work at a snail pace and regularly stop to gist one another (a Nigerian pasttime), meaning that one has to queue for one to two hours just to purchase a ticket. A late-middle aged Egyptian woman trying to get on a flight to Kano was consistently rebuffed by the staff - one of whom declared, 'I have the right not to serve you'. In the end, the flight was delayed by half an hour and she could have easily got on the flight, but was refused. She left the airport in tears. As several of my fellow passengers commented, 'Virgin Nigeria is slowly becoming Nigerian Airways.' Further evidence of VN's inability to provide basic information to customers lies in their new airmile promotion scheme. None of the adverts indicate what benefits there are to accruing the airmiles, nor does the scheme work online. Weirder still, Virgin Nigeria's airmiles are not connected to Virgin Atlantic (or vice-versa). Another odd thing is that VN has banned the use of Ipods on board - quite why is a mystery (its not as if there is any electro-magnetic disturbance). It is a shame that the Virgin brand is now associated with an increasingly uncaring and dysfunctional company. The model the airlines have in Nigeria is still based on the catch-a-danfo model. You turn up, you have no information about when the vehicle will leave, the plane never ever leaves on time, the whole business of getting on the plane must be as stressful as possible...
http://www.naijablog.********.com/
--------------------------------------------------
Another difference between Ghana and Nigeria - as soon as you land at Accra airport, you find all the information displays working. I have never seen such a sight in a Nigerian airport, in line with the country's distaste for providing basic customer-friendly information. Even the newish Virgin Nigeria area at Murtala Mohammed Airport lacks the most basic information - one arrives not knowing when the next flights will be or how full they are. Forget about having any form of electronic real-time display, there is not even any printed matter on flight times.
The staff work at a snail pace and regularly stop to gist one another (a Nigerian pasttime), meaning that one has to queue for one to two hours just to purchase a ticket. A late-middle aged Egyptian woman trying to get on a flight to Kano was consistently rebuffed by the staff - one of whom declared, 'I have the right not to serve you'. In the end, the flight was delayed by half an hour and she could have easily got on the flight, but was refused. She left the airport in tears. As several of my fellow passengers commented, 'Virgin Nigeria is slowly becoming Nigerian Airways.' Further evidence of VN's inability to provide basic information to customers lies in their new airmile promotion scheme. None of the adverts indicate what benefits there are to accruing the airmiles, nor does the scheme work online. Weirder still, Virgin Nigeria's airmiles are not connected to Virgin Atlantic (or vice-versa). Another odd thing is that VN has banned the use of Ipods on board - quite why is a mystery (its not as if there is any electro-magnetic disturbance). It is a shame that the Virgin brand is now associated with an increasingly uncaring and dysfunctional company. The model the airlines have in Nigeria is still based on the catch-a-danfo model. You turn up, you have no information about when the vehicle will leave, the plane never ever leaves on time, the whole business of getting on the plane must be as stressful as possible...
http://www.naijablog.********.com/
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Rani,
Doubtless I don't have all the info, but what I was told, was "VK are victims of their own success" and they are working very hard to remedy the issues. Some of the problems relate more to FAAN and what they allow the individual airlines to do or not. You might also know that half of VK's check-in desks at MMIA were taken from them and given to the new bride ARIK, so they are forced to use only 4 desks to check in ALL domestic flights out of LOS(VK is now the largest carrier in Nigeria by pax numbers).
I'm sure there are customer service issues, but whenever I have flown VK the service has been good. Up till the 1st of December 2006, the agents pax would have seen at MMIA would have been NAHCO staff but from that date VK has gone self handling in LOS and hopefully things should improve.
Look out for a new website soon that incorporates details about the Frequent Flyer programme but I will just hint that miles can be spent on at least 3 other international airlines and on VK's services including game reserves, hotel chains, gyms etc.
It is really embarrasing to see the massive lines queueing at the airport to purchase VK tickets, but a lot of it is down to the Nigerian mentality of not buying tickets ahead of time. I think VK should promote and publicize other options like online booking & payment which are already available. I was also told that they are evaluating self-service check in machines for the future.
Doubtless I don't have all the info, but what I was told, was "VK are victims of their own success" and they are working very hard to remedy the issues. Some of the problems relate more to FAAN and what they allow the individual airlines to do or not. You might also know that half of VK's check-in desks at MMIA were taken from them and given to the new bride ARIK, so they are forced to use only 4 desks to check in ALL domestic flights out of LOS(VK is now the largest carrier in Nigeria by pax numbers).
I'm sure there are customer service issues, but whenever I have flown VK the service has been good. Up till the 1st of December 2006, the agents pax would have seen at MMIA would have been NAHCO staff but from that date VK has gone self handling in LOS and hopefully things should improve.
Look out for a new website soon that incorporates details about the Frequent Flyer programme but I will just hint that miles can be spent on at least 3 other international airlines and on VK's services including game reserves, hotel chains, gyms etc.
It is really embarrasing to see the massive lines queueing at the airport to purchase VK tickets, but a lot of it is down to the Nigerian mentality of not buying tickets ahead of time. I think VK should promote and publicize other options like online booking & payment which are already available. I was also told that they are evaluating self-service check in machines for the future.