Fuel scarcity, inadequate parking space responsible for flight disruptions- Airline

Abiola Seun

Dana Air has apologized to its customers whose flights were disrupted on Tuesday, saying the disruptions were as a result of inadequate parking space at the nation’s airport, bad weather conditions and scarcity of aviation fuel also known as Jet A1.

In a statement by the airline’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Sukhjinder Mann, and a copy made available to newsmen, all the affected passengers were, therefore, compensated with complimentary tickets matching the class of travel they flew and a free Dana Miles card with 5,000 points.

The Dana Air boss who noted that the disruptions were caused by apron congestion, bad weather and fuel scarcity, however, said the airline is working to address the issues.

He said, “For those cherished guests that have been inconvenienced on the March 1, 2022, I would like you to get in touch with our call centre so that we can remedy the situation and make matters right for you.”

“I accept that our recent disruptions, which were due to ramp congestion, bad weather, and most recently, scarcity of fuel,would have aﬀected your plans and I understand how frustrating it would have been for you to contact our customer service representative to reschedule your ﬂight or having to wait in some instances, but, I would like to reassure you that all your feedback has not gone unnoticed regardless of how your sent them.”

“Your safety and comfort is not negotiable and takes precedence over any other consideration. However, the varying operational concerns stated earlier had some eﬀects on the delivery of our promise and commitment to you.

“But with this note, I promise you that many changes and enhancements are in the works. Yes, it might not happen overnight, but I am conﬁdent that they are achievable.”

“On fuel scarcity, we are working with our partners to signiﬁcantly mitigate the challenge and I am pleased to advise that we have made major inroads in this area with our key suppliers.

“We will continue to do our best to minimize any foreseeable challenges while hoping that the situation improves generally for all carriers as soon as possible.

“On ramp congestion and terminal infrastructure, we have commenced talks with the airport authorities on practical solutions to these issues. A slight delay due bad weather at destination or congestion due to inadequate aircraft parking space might cause extensive delays on all the ﬂights an aircraft is scheduled to operate on that day.

“These are ongoing issues for us and all local Nigerian airlines, but better days are ahead as we remain committed to ﬁnding lasting solutions to these issues with the cooperation of the airport authority and terminal operators,” he assured.

“You are the reason we ﬂy and since we let you down yesterday, we would like to oﬀer each aﬀected passenger (on the 1st March, 2022) a complimentary ticket (matching the class of travel that you ﬂew with us on) and a free Dana Miles card with 5,000 points already loaded on it for you to help you earn that next free ticket on Dana Air – it’s our way of saying sorry for the inconvenience caused to your travel plans and that you really matter to us,” the statement said.

Mann who regretted the inconvenience the flight disruptions caused the affected passengers said, “Our commitment has always been centered on oﬀering reliable air transport, setting new standards in customer experience and redeﬁning air travel in Nigeria.

“However, I admit that we have been falling short on this commitment in the last few days and not living up to our promise to oﬀer a reliable schedule and on time performance that we have come to be known for.

Pleading for patience and understanding as the airline makes for positive adjustments, Mann said: “Today, I write to ask for your patience and understanding while we make that happen.”