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By Chinelo Obogo
ValuJet has said that after 365 days of operations, it has surpassed the expectations of the aviation sector in terms airport passenger processes, On-time Departure (OTD), and onboard service attendance.
The airline’s Managing Director, Capt. Omololu Majekodunmi, said in a statement that in its second year, the carrier would be open to the expansion of its cargo operations to the West Coast, interlining with other carriers with similar vision, codesharing and providing executive charter operations.
He stated that ValueJet would explore regional operations but noted that it would be carefully done to avoid problems that come with the overgrowth of fleets and routes in a short period of time.
“We are happy to have this many passengers to have experienced us in the 365 days of celebration. As of the past year, we had projected what the industry should be expecting from a startup airline like ValueJet. We have surpassed most of the expectations by concentrating on very high standards of airport passenger processes, On-time Departure (OTD), and onboard service attendance. This is also together with consistent and high standards of staff service across both the airport and onboard service environments.
“There has been lots of state government demand to start operations into their airports. We are sensitive to starting with those with great economic potential. Plateau state has been one with agricultural potential,” he said.
The airline chief revealed that the carrier is about to open talks with an airline in Africa that is interested in a partnership with it because of the products it offers which gives it an edge over its competitors, especially in On-Time Departure (OTD).
He advised airlines to shelve the idea of going it alone if they truly want to be profitable and reliable as airlines, hinting that his carrier is open for talks.
Majekodunmi described competition as healthy for the business, stressing that the airline was on the verge of formalising an interline agreement with a domestic airline.
“Code sharing within the airlines in an alliance is healthy for the industry but first things should be put in place. Airlines clearinghouse and others are needful. This will help to strengthen and expand the airline’s presence and reduce wastage on seats,” he said.
He called on the Federal Government to assist the growth of the airline business in Nigeria by equipping all airports or many of the airports with night facility equipment for late-night operations, saying that runway lighting would help the operators to have maximum utilization on their aircraft.
This according to him would also put an end or reduce to the barest minimum delayed flights or flight cancellations.
“Airlines would not be struggling to serve such airports before they close at 6 pm. All flights will be properly spread for the day. There will be nothing like if you can’t land at the airport before 5 pm, everyone would have to wait for the next day,” he said.
The airline had in August this year signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Plateau State, by which the young carrier committed to providing connectivity between the state capital, Jos Abuja.
