FG Declares Virgin Nigeria Planes Unsafe

[GlobalFlyer]

With 15 recorded cases of technical and logistic problems in less than five months, Virgin Nigeria planes are no longer safe for passengers, Minister of State for Air Transport, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, declared yesterday.<br />
He said the recurrent cases of Virgin planes&rsquo; near accident and aborting of flights mid-air between 6th of November, 2006 and 11th&nbsp;of April, 2007,&nbsp;is &ldquo;worrisome and unsafe for the aviation passengers flying the Nigerian skies&rdquo;. <br />
Addressing journalists yesterday in Abuja, Chief Fani-Kayode said he has&nbsp;given the management of the airline a one day ultimatum from yesterday to report to his office and explain the shortfall in their safety standards or face appropriate action by the federal government. <br />
The minister said the government would not hesitate to take urgent steps to address the problem before it is too late. Virgin Nigeria is the only national carrier that flies the Nigerian flag. <br />
A summary of the incidents involving aircrafts operated by Virgin Nigeria Airline and made available to Daily Trust listed technical problems like &nbsp;the inability of &nbsp;some of &nbsp;their aircraft to retract landing gear, incorrect system indication,&nbsp; pressur-isation problem, onboard equipment failure and changing of aircraft without informing the appropriate authorities.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;<br />
The minister said he was an eyewitness to one of the shoddy treatment of Virgin and would not fold his arms while the services of the airline is degenerating and causing panic and unnecessary delays.<br />
Narrating his personal experience, the minister said in one of the incidences, the passengers had to stage a riot at the airport to protest the delay in their airlift which according to him resulted to the destruction of computers and other office equipment belonging to Virgin Nigeria.<br />
He has also blamed the authorities of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), of not taking appropriate measures to deal with the safety problems facing the planes of Virgin Nigeria. <br />
&ldquo;I have received complaints on the way Virgin Nigeria treats our people. I have invited them to explain to us the cause of the technical problems facing their planes. I have spoken with the Director General of the NCAA but nothing has been done.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br />
&ldquo;Therefore, I can&rsquo;t sit down and allow any airline treat Nigerians with contempt. And I want to make it clear that the aviation industry is not only run by NCAA. &nbsp;Above the NCAA is the Ministry of Aviation and the ministry is also answerable to Mr President,&rdquo; he said.<br />
He warned all airlines in the country to update their safety standard and advised air passengers to always be mindful of the kind of airlines they patronise.<br />
When contacted, Mr Sam Agose, Deputy Head, public affairs&nbsp;of Virgin Nigeria promised to call back. But upto the time of filing this report, there was no response from Virgin Nigeria. <br />
Daily Trust was reliably told by a source who pleaded anonymity that the Virgin Nigeria authorities were in a close-door meeting with the minister late in the evening.<br />
Virgin Nigeria Head of Corporate Communications said the management of the airline had a meeting with the Minister of State for Air Transportation, Femi Fani-Kayode yesterday evening where all the concerns expressed by the minister were satisfactorily addressed by the airline.&nbsp;<br />
According to Agose, &ldquo;at the end of the meeting, the minister gave us a pat on the back for a job well done. <br />
Chief Fani Kayode said: Virgin Nigeria is a safety conscious airline and I commend them for maintaining such high standards. The ministry is ready to do everything to continue to support your operations.&rdquo;<br />
The source added that they were in Abuja to plead for time to address the problems and they have assured the minister that they would restore safety standards in all their aircrafts<br />
Meanwhile President Olusegun Obasanjo has also approved the appointment of Engr. Samuel Oduselu as a commissioner of Accident Investigation and Chief Executive Officer for Investigation and Prevention Bureau (AIPB).

[GlobalFlyer]

I couldn't resist posting this article! Would be nice to your comments. I think the headline is too harsh!
FG Declares Virgin Nigeria Planes Unsafe !!
With 15 recorded cases of technical and logistic problems in less than five months, Virgin Nigeria planes are no longer safe for passengers, Minister of State for Air Transport, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, declared yesterday.
He said the recurrent cases of Virgin planes&rsquo; near accident and aborting of flights mid-air between 6th of November, 2006 and 11th of April, 2007,&nbsp;is &ldquo;worrisome and unsafe for the aviation passengers flying the Nigerian skies.
Addressing journalists yesterday in Abuja, Chief Fani-Kayode said he has&nbsp;given the management of the airline a one day ultimatum from yesterday to report to his office and explain the shortfall in their safety standards or face appropriate action by the federal government.
The minister said the government would not hesitate to take urgent steps to address the problem before it is too late. Virgin Nigeria is the only national carrier that flies the Nigerian flag.
A summary of the incidents involving aircrafts operated by Virgin Nigeria Airline and made available to Daily Trust listed technical problems like &nbsp;the inability of &nbsp;some of &nbsp;their aircraft to retract landing gear, incorrect system indication,&nbsp; pressur-isation problem, onboard equipment failure and changing of aircraft without informing the appropriate authorities.
The minister said he was an eyewitness to one of the shoddy treatment of Virgin and would not fold his arms while the services of the airline is degenerating and causing panic and unnecessary delays.
Narrating his personal experience, the minister said in one of the incidences, the passengers had to stage a riot at the airport to protest the delay in their airlift which according to him resulted to the destruction of computers and other office equipment belonging to Virgin Nigeria.
He has also blamed the authorities of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), of not taking appropriate measures to deal with the safety problems facing the planes of Virgin Nigeria.
&ldquo;I have received complaints on the way Virgin Nigeria treats our people. I have invited them to explain to us the cause of the technical problems facing their planes. I have spoken with the Director General of the NCAA but nothing has been done.
&ldquo;Therefore, I can&rsquo;t sit down and allow any airline treat Nigerians with contempt. And I want to make it clear that the aviation industry is not only run by NCAA. &nbsp;Above the NCAA is the Ministry of Aviation and the ministry is also answerable to Mr President,&rdquo; he said.
He warned all airlines in the country to update their safety standard and advised air passengers to always be mindful of the kind of airlines they patronise.
When contacted, Mr Sam Agose, Deputy Head, public affairs&nbsp;of Virgin Nigeria promised to call back. But upto the time of filing this report, there was no response from Virgin Nigeria.
Daily Trust was reliably told by a source who pleaded anonymity that the Virgin Nigeria authorities were in a close-door meeting with the minister late in the evening.
Virgin Nigeria Head of Corporate Communications said the management of the airline had a meeting with the Minister of State for Air Transportation, Femi Fani-Kayode yesterday evening where all the concerns expressed by the minister were satisfactorily addressed by the airline.
According to Agose, &ldquo;at the end of the meeting, the minister gave us a pat on the back for a job well done.
Chief Fani Kayode said: Virgin Nigeria is a safety conscious airline and I commend them for maintaining such high standards. The ministry is ready to do everything to continue to support your operations.
The source added that they were in Abuja to plead for time to address the problems and they have assured the minister that they would restore safety standards in all their aircrafts.
Meanwhile President Olusegun Obasanjo has also approved the appointment of Engr. Samuel Oduselu as a commissioner of Accident Investigation and Chief Executive Officer for Investigation and Prevention Bureau (AIPB).

[Browright]

We have always known that there is nothing to Virgin Nigeria but paint and a lot of PR

[LongJohnThomas]

Well, here goes the salad dressing!!!!:ok:

[harriewillem]

Always funny to read...

"Like... Rainman says in the movie... Only Fly Qantas, they never crashed!"

Bit strange that the NCAA just 2 months ago... allowed a F50 to join VK...

Did somebody check what the minister was drinking.... was it Ozon's water or beer?

[Flying Touareg]

The Nigerian Airspace Management Authority (NAMA) yesterday disclosed that Virgin Nigeria Airline had 15 air returns back to the originating terminals due mainly to malfunctions in the last six months.
NAMA however did not spare other airlines, which it said recorded a little less than Virgin, though it declined to mention names of the affected airlines.
Similarly, Minister of State for Air Tansportation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode yesterday warned domestic carriers over the recent technical hitches of in-flight aircraft and urged them to make sure they keep details on safety at all times.
Managing Director of NAMA, Captain Ado Sanusi who spoke yesterday in Abuja said the unfortunate trend in the operations of Virgin, which has become perennial has become worrisome to the aviation authority.
According to Sanusi, “We had investigations on all the airlines that are operating in Nigeria and Virgin had series of returns: air returns, taxi returns, which are safety precautions. In the past six months, they had about 15. Other airlines had a little less than that and this is a little bit of concern tothe NCAA and of course, the ministry, which I believe the NCAA is investigating a lot about it.”
Just last week Virgin Nigeria’s Boeing 737-200aircraft made an air return after it developed anunder carriage problem on the same day, BellviewAircraft made an emergency landing after it lost oneof its engines while descending. But the management of the airline explained that the decision was a precautionary measure taken for safety reasons.
A cursory look at document titled “Summary ofIncident Involving Aircraft Operated by Virgin Nigeria
Airline, Nov 2006- April 2007,” made available to
newsmen showed that Virgin Nigeria flight : on
November 6, 2006 at about 9.22 pm, returned to the
field due to pressurization problem; on November 18,
2006, returned to land after airborne at 16.50
because it could not retract landing gears; on
November 22, 2006, requested to cancel start up due to
non-availability of one of his flight document; on
November 26, 2006, requested to return to the ramp on
taxi way due to receipt of equipment warning; on
November 30, 2006, requested to taxi back to the bay
due to technical (reason not specified); on December
12, 2006, requested to taxi back to the bay due to
electrical warning; on December 22, 2006, requested to
taxi back to the bay due to technical (reason not
specified); on January 4, 2007, requested to return to
land after departure due to unretracted gear; on
January 6, 2007, reported returning to the parking bay
due to incorrect system indication and the aircraft
returned to bay for the second time to check
equipment; on January 27, 2007, returned to the
field due to pressurization problem; February 27,
2007, reported going back to the ramp due to technical
problem; on March 23, 2007, airborne at 10.41am
reported returning to land due to switch board
generator; on March 31, 2007, reported going around
due to pilot’s loss of the glide slope signal due to
onboard equipment failure; on April 6, 2007, airborne
at 6.48am and reported returning to land due to
problem with the landing gear and on April 11, 2007,
airborne at 16.21pm and reported returning to land
due to landing gear problem.
The minister, who had a meeting with the management of Virgin Nigeria in Abuja yesterday over the incessant incidents recorded by Nigerian carriers in recent times, said the problem was giving a sleepless night, adding that the country could not afford to record another air disaster at this particular time.
Mr. Bayo Oladeji, special assistant to the Minister on media told journalists yesterday night that the Minister urged Virgin Nigeria to rectify whatever "problems they have been having lately", adding that the situation was becoming embarrassing to the industry.
http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=75810

[LongJohnThomas]

Looks like the favourite girlfriend is now no longer needed. Ha!:ok:

[Flying Touareg]

LJT, you know when fani was in culture and tourism, VK once gave him a rough treatment that left him embrassed. Apparently he has not forgotten:hmm:

[Leezyjet]

Isn't the problem that NCAA isn't used to airlines doing this sort of thing in Nigeria, rather than go back to the gate with the problem, in the past airlines would just press on regardless. If they make it to the destination, then there is no problem.

Also as VK is the biggest carrier in Nigeria, statistically they are bound to have more incidents than the smaller carriers with only one or two a/c !!.

:rolleyes:

[bond7]

Sounds to me more of maintenance issues.:} I understand the pilot as the final say as to give a go or no go. Kudo's to the pilots coz haven't heard of any crashes lately...YET!! :ok:

[NDB17]

Guys,

In 5 wks fani will be redundant, has to make some noise before he checks out.

On a serious note, kudos to VK, at least their crews make wise decisions unlike some bolekaja operators who would gladly press on till something falls off the aircraft. If you remember a certain operator that lost their a/c in a northern city, was flying said a/c even though it was common knowledge that one of the engines was problematic. Unfortunately, on the said day, they suffered an engine failure on takeoff and the good engine could not keep the a/c airborne, it stalled and crashed.

Let's just bear another 5 wks till he is permanently rid off.

[Metro man]

Obviously someone isn't being paid off if this has become public.

[Tokunbo]

NDB17,

Well said. It's good that VK aren't afraid to return to the ramp and get aircraft fixed before minor problems become major disasters. Well done their crews :ok:

As for that noisy, meddlesome 'Yab them all', Fani Kayode, I expect he'll turn up full of noise and bluster somewhere in the new administration, but hopefully not in anything to do with aviation :ugh:

[merlinxx]

Fani p*ssed off coz Uncle Richard wouldn't give his bank acct data for that wonderful $100Mil that had been found in his Great, Great Uncle's brother's mother's chum at the market office girlfriend's son's Guinness and Gulda acct.

Why the heck RB got involved in that place in first place amazes me, he should have spent 6 months working there first.

[PPRuNe Towers]

The handbags seem to be swinging with a multi department, public reponse.

This, in part, from CEO Conrad Clifford at the Lagos Sheraton earlier today:

Of late, it has been alleged that we have a worrisome spate of air returns. It is noteworthy to know that most of the air returns made by Virgin Nigeria were as a result of external factors such as weather, VIP movement, and bird strike. We report everything by choice and at no time do we conceal information from the regulatory authorities.

At an average of 30 flights per day, we operated 5336 flights over the period: November 2006 – April 2007. Over the said period, we had 6 number of air returns due to the following causes – One air return due to bird strike; another one due to VIP movement; another one due to bad weather while three were as a result of technical issues with landing gear retraction.

Air returns are operational hazards that happen once in a while. The important thing is that Virgin Nigeria has the required capable people, structure and systems to deal with the situation and Nigerians should continue to trust us.

Virgin Nigeria in accordance with the Mandatory Occurrence Reporting Scheme (MOR) ensures that all Air Safety Reports (ASR) are filed, accessed and recommendations made towards the enhancement of flight safety operations.

[LongJohnThomas]

For lack of a better term, i think he was 419ed!
The only thing our guys didn't know was that Sir RB is the greatest gangster of them all!
He soon realized the scam and decided to pull back, and now, these are the results of what was done behind closed doors.
Ha!:OK:

[akounamatata]

nawao

you people make una hear word o!!!
the ship is going down o!!
and there are not enough lifejacket for all of una;
oya make u wait u go talk to mamywater:{

[18left]

i thought NCAA was atunomous,so why does it take fat mouth femi to declare virgin nigeria is unsafe?
Is NCAA not capable?
Is NCAA not performing thier oversight functions?
why have they not shut down an "unsafe airline"?

why have there load factors not drooped?


to many whys makes one conclude that Nigerian aviation officials are still not up to the task and are being run by pure emotions jealousy and this leads me to a point ,in nigeria do the right thing and you get kicked in the ass,do the wrong thing and be a hero
femi forgot to mention how many of those returns where do to the birds that find comfortable homes in his airports,now that he has realised his goof,is there any press conference to retract his statements?

[PLTFORLIFE]

FACT For most aircraft accidents that occur, there are 700 incidents, occurrences and hazards that if reported could have averted the accident. So Virgin Nigeria keep up the good work and keep reporting these incidents and to the other airlines that do not report incidents or pretend it does not even exist in their companies more grease to your elbows. We all know from experience the all too familiar tragic and disastrous consequences.

[surely not]

Ok guys, firstly yes I am a little bit biased because I worked for VK for awhile, but that also gives me some inside knowledge of the integrity of those who flyand maintain the aircraft, something which very few other posters on here have.

VK operate to JAA standards and that means that the pilots have the confidence to report matters, take decisions NOT to fly if the problem is one they are unhappy with, treat their own lives and those of their passengers with respect and not to gamble.

It is fair to say that an undercarriage indicator problem is often a stuck micro switch and nothing more serious, but the VK crew will not take that chance. Indeed the safety culture is such that they are mandated not to take chances. If only ADC had had the same culture their recent accident at ABV wouldn't have happened.

SO what does Femi Wild Koyote want? By making pilots afraid to report problems in case it gets their employers into sensational headlines he is driving real safety underground.

I would fly VK and Aero without any worries at all. I flew on 5 other Nigerian airlines whilst I was in Nigeria and was always happy to get to the destination. Nothing happened on any of the flights, I just didn't feel 100% confident that something wouldn't happen.

Femi's track record of fatuous public pronouncements is well documented on this forum so why have people like LJT started cheering at VK's alleged problems. LJT you fly for a leading operator in the UK I believe, as such you are used to making 'safe' decisions, I would have expected more support for the professionalism of the pilots in their decision making and praise for a company that doesn't pressure its pilots into taking risks.

[LongJohnThomas]

Sn,
You want a pat on the back for doing your job? I think not! That's what you're paid to do!
It's like saying one should be given an award for being a good pilot! News? The public expect those in front to be good!
I purposely did not say anything in that regard because the gentlemen were all doing what was expected of them and nothing else.
As for the reality that Vk may no longer be Nigeria's favourite Bird? That's where my focus is; cos shortly, it might just become evident that the company's going belly up! Maybe not, I HOPE!
Seems to me like there was some deal that went sour at some point.
As for the details, they always turn up on newspaper pages not long after, so, I'll hold my thoughts until that happens.
No suggestions here mate!:ok:

[surely not]

LJT, I am not advocating that a pilot gets a pat on the back for doing his job, but where a politico who knows **** all about aviation (and proves that fact regularly) makes pronouncements such as this nonsense it damages the developing growth of safety first operations in Nigeria. Aero and VK set the standards and hopefully others are going to see the sense of following and then every Nigerian can start to trust in the integrity of their airlines.

I was once told that there are old pilots and there are bold pilots, but there are precious few old bold pilots. Enjoying life as I do, I am more than happy if the man up front doesn't take chances and helps me eke some more enjoyment from life before hopefully it ends naturally and not because someone was too scared of the repercussions if they didn't fly an unsafe aircraft or continued into extreme weather conditions.

Not sure where your info re the impending failure of VK is coming from, my info suggests that whilst times are tough, there is a light at the end of the tunnel and potential good health beckons. Maybe that is what Wily Koyode is trying to scupper so that his favoured pet can profit.

[LongJohnThomas]

Either way Sn, Failure or not, it really doesn't affect me directly.
My concern is for my colleagues.
It may very well be that the company survives; if so, I'm glad.
It would keep a lot of my friends in employment.
On the other hand, if it does not survive, it leaves my dear friends butt naked on the streets! I'm sure you'd agree that we can't have that now, can we?
Fani knows his time is up and yes, they'll try to take anyone and anything with them whilst exiting.
My heart and hopes are out for Vk!:OK:
Good luck fellas!

[NDB17]

There is a saying that goes "if you think educaton is expensive, try ignorance".
My point is fani cayote's knowledge of aviation safety is limited if not non-existent. He surrounds himself with bureaucrats who are out to milk whoever is milkable. Obviously, VK operating to JAA standards does not create manna for them, they cann't harass and receive manna from someone who operates to such high standards. So why not use VK's good intentions against them. Create a negative opinion in the minds of the flying public and hopefully, those "stupid mugus" at VK will realize they need to play ball.
Just my opinion and interpretation of fani coyote's noise.

[AVSEC]

I think the media expose on VK is unfair.
VK keep up the good work as we are behind you 100%.