Nicon Airways

[Flying Touareg]

I just saw a 732 at the local wing of lagos airport with reg 5n bey painted nicon airways.I know that the new nicon owner was planning to float an airline but did take him seriously.then just recently he boasted that he was on the verge of acquiring some of the domestic operators and if I remember correctly 5n bey was owned by either dasab or spaceworld.can anybody shed more light on this new operation?

[Rani]

A mega-airline? Hardly! especially when they are (apparently) scavenging ADC and EAS 737-200s.

[surely not]

Unfortunate name for the airline, Nicon. It could easily be misconstrued as an abbreviation for Nigerian Con:} :E :p

[18left]

NICON stands for Nigerian Insurance Coperation the new owners of EAS airlines

[GlobalFlyer]

That would be CORPORATION.....no such word as 'coperation' as far as I know.......

[Rani]

""My challenge now is landing NICON Airways at Heathrow, the soil of Great Britain and presenting to the Queen of England an assurance that a Nigerian can operate safe and efficient airline for the people of England," he explained."

Is it just me, or does this statement expose Mr. Jimoh Ibrahim's unprofessionalism, subconscious self-loathing, inappropriate emotive outbursts, and plain idiotic PR? To put icing on the cake, some irrelevent reference to colonialism?

Are we not in the year 2006, the year of transborder cooperation and alliances? Why should being "Nigerian" or "the Nigerian factor" be an issue today?

I almost skipped a heart beat reading this nonsense! What's even more shocking is that this statement was published on almost every newspaper/website out there!

[surely not]

LOS-LHR ................ Interesting route for a 737-200 :} :E :E

So much noise, bluster and bull :yuk: :yuk:

[Flying Touareg]

Jimoh Ibrahim has being a nosie maker. mInfact read this:

The clamour for consolidation in the aviation industry as was consummated recently in the banking sector came sooner than expected when NICON Airways, a subsidiary of NICON Group of Companies yesterday announced the acquisition of EAS Airlines, heralding the first merger case of two airlines in this part of the world.
Although the Group Managing Director of NICON Group, Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim who unfolded the development in Lagos yesterday refused to give details on the marriage, he however said, NICON Airways which has now subsumed EAS Airlines, would for the next few months operate under the existing structure of EAS Airlines and after three months witness changes to reflect international standards.
Ibrahim who went down memory lane said he had recently announced 11 categories of companies emerging from the NICON Group, one of which is NICON Airways, recalled that a year ago, precisely July 27, 2005, he had incorporated a company called Fleet Air (Nig) Limited (RC 62984).
According to him, he had in mind that the Global Fleet Group , would, when fully developed, have aviation sector participation, adding that "it is the same July we are introducing the NICON Airways to you".
Ibrahim who affirmed that the Nigerian market is big enough for the challenges of competition, added that at NICON Airways, competition is seen as "the fuel of our driving force."
Speaking on the operations of the airline, he said: "Our flights will be limited to domestic terminals on the routes operated by the former EAS and time schedules remain the same. Innovations will be noticed in about 30 days of operation or thereabout and Nigeria, a country of value and culture will be greatly emphasised. We cannot afford to lose our cultural heritage and I am greatly concerned about value.
"We plan to operate international flight as soon as possible, most preferable with new aircraft that will enable us cope with international challenges", he said.
The NICON Group chief executive who said it was the resolve of NICON Airways to be a global player, pointedly affirmed that the airline was determined to fly into Heathrow to prove to the world that what British entrepreneur, Richard Branson did by bringing Virgin Atlantic Airways into Nigeria can also be replicated in the British soil by Nigerians.
"When Mr. Branson landed Virgin aircraft on the soil of our fatherland all the way from our colonial masters (Britain) and presented Mr. President what he conceived to be a safe and efficient airline, I was greatly challenged and that he was allowed to operate through the international wing of our airport. My challenge now is landing NICON Airways at Heathrow, the soil of Great Britain and presenting to the Queen of england an assurance that a Nigerian can operate safe and efficient airline to the people of England", Ibrahinm said.
Ibrahim emphasised that the watchword of NICON Airways is safety, adding: "in the present time, we operate and comply with the safety procedures as set out by Ministry of Aviation and Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) they will be followed to the letter."
He admonished the airline's pilots not to fly with the minutest discomfort or snag noticed in any of the aircraft under the fleet of NICON Airways. "Our pilots have been advised never to fly the aircraft if there is any little sign of discomfort", he said.
To underscore the airline's strict adherence to safety, he stated that he and his entire household would fly one of the newly acquired aircraft to Abuja.
Giving a brief insight into the structure of the new airline, Ibrahim disclosed that the former chief executive officer of EAS, Capt. Idris Wada who is now the Executive Vice Chairman of NICON Airways " is left completely to continue to manage technical and safety department of the airline operations", adding that "he is the accounting officer for safety".
Ibrahim who spke on what he described as fundamental issues concerning the airline said he would embark on retirement from the management of the airline and the NICON Group in five years time, noted that one of the best ways to earn employees' loyalty was by allowing them own shares in at least one or all the companies in no distant time.
"Customer loyalty remains fundamental to whatever we do at the new NICON Airways. We shall strive to sustain NICON Airways with so much love, so much courage and so much perception. We sincerely love to give ourselves to the services of those customers. Our employees, we promise, will work in "their own company" rather than place of work", he affirmed.

[jagunmolu]

If the antecedents of Capt Wada is anything to go by then anybody expecting miracles from NICON/EAS merger must indeed expect a 90 yr old grandmum to produce twins.A damn good pilot who expects people that work for him to eat from the dustbins as he says why are pilots asking for better conditions of service?is it not just to fly aircraft?Jimoh is no different he pays slave wages in his global fleet oil concerns.We welcome the slave drivers:hmm: :confused: :eek:

[surely not]

I am told by some in the Insurance Industry that the policies of NICON have to have a Caveat Emptor on them as there are doubts as to whether they could be honoured financially. There was also an article about this in one of the papers in the last 3 days. I am told this is a very very unusual state of affairs and not an indication of financial health in the parent group.

The above has to have the term 'allegedly' attached to it, but the people who have tol me of the Caveat Emptor are people I trust.