IATA presents membership certificate to Dana Air

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) on Wednesday formally presented Dana Air with its membership certificate.

Our correspondent reports that the certificate was presented to the Accountable Manager of the airline, Mr Obi Mbanuzuo, by IATA’s Area Manager, South-West Africa, Dr Samson Fatokun, in Lagos.

Speaking at the occasion, Fatokun said that not all airlines were members of IATA as a result of its stringent admission process.

He commended Dana Air for making the list and joining over 300 airlines presently on the association’s registry.

“We have requirements for any airline that wants to join the IATA family and one of that requirement is that they must pass the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) and this has kept most of them back.

“IATA comes with a requirement of quality and people expect the airline to operate with recommended standards of aviation globally.

“We commend Dana Air for this feat and hope that they will keep up the good work,’’ Fatokun said.

Also speaking, Mbanuzuo assured the airline’s customers of its commitment to continuously raising the bar of its operational efficiency.

He said the airline’s model guarantees sustainability and professionalism in Nigeria’s aviation industry.

Mbanuzuo said Dana Air would continue to maintain global best practices in the industry.

“Since becoming an IATA member, we have received a barrage of requests for interline and code-share agreements and we can’t wait to take our unrivalled services in Nigeria to the global stage,’’ he said.

According to him, the airline is planning to expand its routes and fleet of aircraft and already in talks with some notable manufacturers.

He said the airline had also successfully undergone an operational audit conducted by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), and its foreign partners, the Flight Safety Group.

“We also scaled the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) and we wish to assure our guests that we are not resting on our oars as commitment to professionalism is unwavering,’’ he said.