Airline prepares for demo flight, receives two aircraft

Abiola Seun

As it prepares for it demo flights as required by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), ValueJet said it has received two out of the three aircraft it purchased.

In a press statement by the Head, Corporate Communications, Adedamola Akingbule, said the airline is currently preparing its fleet for the mandatory regulatory exercises as the next milestone towards receiving AOC.

According to the statement, the aircraft, CRJ-900 with registration 5N-BXS and 5N-BXT arrived at 16:00 GMT and 16:10 GMT respectively at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport last week.

Speaking, the Chairman, ValueJet, Kunle Soname, highlighted Nigeria’s role in driving global trade, saying Africa is well poised to drive economic growth with an effective aviation sector.

He said, “despite all the existing challenges in the industry, Nigeria and Africa is well poised to drive economic growth with an effective aviation sector.

*ValueJet is a dream Airline that is gradually being positioned to efficiently facilitate growth opportunities across geographies”.

The Managing Director, ValueJet, Capt. Omololu Majekodunmi, , expressed his excitement on the arrival activities and stated that that the airline will deploy its aircraft for regional flight services.

“This is one of the many defining steps in ValueJet’s anticipated milestones. Performance, safety, and comfort informed the choice of our aircraft selection.

“With a track record of safety, ValueJet will deploy these aircraft for regional flight services once we have completed all mandatory processes and secure AOC approvals.”

However, according to the head of Business Program, Temitope Ajijola, only five percent of Nigerians can afford a flight ticket, a statistics they want to increase.

“ValueJet’s vision is ambitious. We see a world where everybody can fly. Our aim is to add value from the very first flight once we are set for business operations.

“Currently, only about 5% of Nigeria’s population can afford a flight ticket according to available statistics and ValueJet is looking to increase this number significantly through creative fare pricing.”