Virgin Nigeria, Ghana Airways/International Airlines, The Story?
 

Anyone know the story with Virgin Nigeria and Ghana Airways (or International Airlines, as the new backers call them)... are these projects serious or just smoke and mirrors?

The story with Virgin, is that they have been named as the new National carrier for Nigeria. See the following for details.

Virgin/Nigeria

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Press stories are great but we have yet to see actual confirmation from the Virgin Group. :confused:

Virgin involvement as a major partner in new Nigerian international carrier designed to be the national " flag carrier" looks correct. Bets on success welcome. Many have been there before including BOAC, BA, Swissair, SAA and none have yet come away without shaking their heads in disbelief and wondering what happened to visions of wealth. Ghana appears to have new US backer with wealthy religious connections, but similarly they will be another in a long line of optimists. For both to succeed they will need 100% unequivocal political support with no feet extended to trip them up,- or people asking for inducements not to trip them up. In neither case will this be easy and in Nigeria there is also the small problem of the thousands of former Nogeria Airways staff who see themselves as entitled to a job with any successor to their former employer.

Virgin Nigeria
 

I just found this article intriguing, and thought that some here might enjoy reading it.
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QUOTE:

Aviation, Civil Society Groups Condemn Role of NCAA in New National Carrier

Kenneth Ehigiator
Lagos

A COALITION of aviation and civil society groups has condemned the role being played by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) in establishment of the country's new national carrier, Virgin Nigeria.

The group is particularly peeved at the NCAA's claim that Virgin Nigeria had applied for Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) when there is no proof that the company had been registered by the corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).

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The full story is on the allAfrica website here.

update
 

Virgin Nigeria is born
Virgin Atlantic Airways plans to start a new airline in partnership with the Nigerian government. Virgin Atlantic will invest about $24.5 million and own a 49 percent interest in Virgin Nigeria. Nigerian investors will hold the majority stake. The airline will be based at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in the southern city of Lagos. Tickets for the first flights to the capital, Abuja, will go on sale in early 2005. Virgin Nigeria plans to offer flights to the U.S. and Europe, as well as domestic services and flights to African destinations including Dakar, Ghana.

see pic A320
www.justplanes.com

This is the latest on Ghana Airways (deceased) ......

Ghana Airways: Going, Going ......
... Assets To Be Converted Into Equity
... New airline would not take over Ghana Airways
... Fate of 1,165 staff in Limbo
The government is to value and convert the assets of Ghana Airways into equity as its share in a new company due to the winding-up of the nation’s distressed airline.

The new company yet to be named, will not take over Ghana Airways but operate it as a new and different entity.

The government, will have 70 per cent shares in the new company with the remaining 30 per cent shares going to Ghana International Airline (GIA). Over the last few months, the government had been engaged in a partnership deal with GIA, a US based consortium, to partner it in the formation of a new airline.

According to a government source, the fate of the staff of Ghana Airways will depend on whether the new company will like to engage them. The source said as part of the official winding up process of Ghana Airways, the government was engaging the services of an independent valuer to value the airlines assets.

The source said the government was following due process and consequences in winding-up the airline and gave the assurance that due process would be followed in the eventual termination of the appointment of the 1,165 staff of the company. The source said a debt committee had been formed by the government to access the actual debt portfolio of Ghana Airways to enable the government to reschedule the debt as a step to winding the company up.

The source who was emphatic that, the new airline would not take over Ghana Airways but would be a different entity on its own, adding that the faith of the staff of Ghana Airways would depend on whether the new company would want to engage the services of Ghana Airways staff.

The source added that the government would follow provisions made in the collective bargaining agreement signed between the staff and the company in the termination processes. The action of the government, the source explained, was backed by company code 1963 ACT 179 and the Official Liquidation Act, 1963 Act 180.

According to the source, a Shareholders Agreement was yet to be signed by both parties, and that the new airline would be operational before the end of this month.

The source added that the airline would be managed by a five-member board of directors of which the government would appoint three members.

The source said an Initial Management Team of four managers would be appointed by GIA to effectively manage the affairs of the airline. The source went further to state that as part of provisions outlined in the agreement, in the case of any eventualities, the agreement between the two partners would be governed by and construde in accordance with laws of Ghana as to all matters including validity, construction and enforcements “provided, however, that the conflict of laws rule shall not apply”.

As to whether the new airline will fly the national flag and use the name Ghana Airways, the source was positive about the flag but said the company would have to have a new identity from the old airline. The source added that the new airline would also fly all the routes that the old airline was flying including its sub-regional routes.

In a related development, two members of GIA who would form part of the initial management team of the new airline arrived in the country yesterday. The two, Messrs Ralph Atkins, Board Member and retired Chairman of Skywest Airlines, and Albert Vitale, Vice-President of World Transport Group, all in Utah, as part of their visit would secure an Airline Carrier License (ACL) and an Airline Operations Certificate (AOC) for the new airline.

They would also formally, present their business proposal plans on October 31, to government which would be discussed extensively. The outcome of the discussion would inform the commencement of actual business for the company. The start of business would then lead to the gradual winding-up of Ghana Airways.

......... with credit to Ghanaweb

Virgin Nigeria ???
Let's wait and see if it takes of or whether Sir Richard will have to abort. Until it finally flies anything can happen.
As far as the well informed sources are concerned their worry is who is going to invest $ 25.5 mio into a company that doesn't exist - or has it been registered today - I wouldn't know. Government is adamant that not a penny of their money is to be spent and it has to come from private investors. Based on that R.B. announced that he will bring his own share (49%) when the 51% are paid up - smart cookie isn't he.
So knowing Nigeria, as long as it doesn't fly, it doesn't exist. As the people here say - anything can happen. :(

Virgin Nigeria

I love the name...............

As for the rest, 'ons wag in spanning'.

Recruitment?
 

Anyone know anything or anyone regarding tech and cabin crew recruitment?

Like how/who to apply to?

Feel applying to VS would be a waste of time. :} :} :}

Quote:

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Virgin Nigeria

I love the name...............

As for the rest, 'ons wag in spanning'.

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Ohhhh luvllyyyyy .... :ok:

Well the airline is less than 12 years old so it might still be a virgin in Nigeria ;)

I reckon the Virgin Nigeria idea will happen. Richie won't commit any spondulies without serious safeguards, and there are a lot of Nigerian cabin crew on the existing UK-Nigeria Virgin Atlantic routes already, so he has a head start in the back at least.

Virgin Nigeria gets CEO
 

Virgin Nigeria has appointed a CEO by the name of Simon Harford, a British citizen with previous experience at British Airways and GO, its defunct low-cost carrier. He has been in charge of e-business, strategy development and performance evaluation (source: google search)


From Business Day Online:

Virgin Nigeria gets chief executive officer
2004-10-22 08:17:21
By: John Osadolor
As part of the preparations to get the new flag carrier, Virgin Nigeria, airborne, a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) has been appointed for the airline. He is Simon Harford, a Briton.

Until his appointment as the start-up chief executive officer of Virgin which is scheduled to start operation early 2005, Harford was an aviation consultant in Europe.

He was also at the British Airways as a top management staff and had been involved in midwifing two airlines in Europe. He was a co-founder of GO, the low fare, no-price airline in Europe.
Harford who held an interactive section with a journalists in Lagos Thursday, said Virgin Nigeria is set to recruit its staff, adding that majority of the airline’s staff would be recruited before it starts operation.

This, according to him, is to enable the new staff imbibe the corporate culture of Virgin Group which is based on excellence, commitment, adventure and global standard.

Harford said the airline has gone far with preparations to start operation, but would not give details. According to him, Virgin would fly everywhere Nigerians would want to travel to, adding: “the customers will decide where we will fly to from the insight we have about the needs of our customers; we will fly domestic, regional, continental and intercontinental routes.”

The Federal Government had on September 28, signed a Memorandum of Mutual Understanding (MEMU) with Virgin Atlantic Airways to establish and operate a flag carrier for Nigeria.
Richard Branson, the flamboyant British billionaire and head of the Virgin Group signed on behalf of the airline, while Isa Yuguda, Aviation Minister, signed on behalf of the Federal Government.
Nigerian institutional investors are expected to own 51 per cent equity in the airline, while Virgin Atlantic Airways owns 49 per cent.
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reply
 

Rani, Good one!

Thanks for that post.

One is not holding one's breath........


TAB? AWA? Sound familiar, anyone?

Solid
 

Yes Solid,

Go ahead, p:mad:ss in my parade :p :p :p

I would like to see this work, Hello...Jobs!
If Branson is involved I am sure it will.
I would say it's all systems go. ;)

website
 

Website address, Straight from an e-mail received today from management.

Job vacancies coming soon!

www.virginnigeria.com

Virgin Nigeria Job Vacancies
 

Hi,

Yes this website has been made public on September 28 when the Virgin/Nigeria announcement was made.

Did you contact Virgin management to enquire about the jobs? Their website hasnt been updated since last month and I wonder if their job vacancies will be announced within a week.

fourplay

I sympathise, mate. Gotta hope it works out for Ricky and friends but knowing the MO of the people he's dealing with I'm not too optimistic.......:(

Virgin Nigeria
 

"the customers will decide where we will fly to..." I assume, from Rani's post, that Virgin will be doing the Haj trips as well! Mr. Branson, what are you getting into?