Following the closure of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, First Nation Airways has suspended operations as a result of low passenger turnout on the Lagos-Kaduna-Lagos route. The airline that has lately been frequent on Lagos-Abuja-Lagos route, flying two Airbuses, stated that market has not been the same since traffic was diverted to Kaduna International Airport.

“We decided to take this step in order not to continue to fly for flying sake and spending scarce resources due to drop in the number of passengers flying to Kaduna. So, it is not true that we grounded our operations due to lack of flight crew or any other factors,” Director of Flight Operations, First Nation, Capt. Chimara Imediegwu, said.

According to Imediegwe, the airline was not grounded, but temporarily shut down to save cost while re-programming its schedule. He further said the suspension of the flight schedule was temporary, adding that the airline was working to resume its operations on 28th March 2017.

However, a domestic airline and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) have denied the low Kaduna route patronage and unprofitability for commercial operations. The Managing Director of Med-View, Muneer Bankole, stated on Tuesday, 21st March 2017, that the airline was having a swell time with 80 to 90 percent capacity for every Lagos-Kaduna flight.

Read more at Guardian

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