Manager, Flight Operations and Quality Assurance, Captain Olukayode Ola (left); Dana Air’s Chief Pilot, Captain Jemitola Ayorinde; Accountable Manager/ Chief Operating Officer of Dana Air, Obi Mbanuzuo; and The Area Manager, South West IATA, Dr. Samson Fatokun, during the presentation of the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) membership certificate to Dana Air in Lagos.

Dana Air has joined the prestigious International Air Transport Association (IATA) to underscore its commitment operational efficiency and best practices.

The membership, after rigorous certification processes, places the airline on the same pedestal with over 275 airlines that are already members of the association.

Accountable Manager of Dana Air, Obi Mbanuzuo, during the official presentation of the membership certificate by IATA officials in Lagos, said the airline would continue to maintain global best practices in the aviation industry, while still churning out world-class initiatives to exceed the flying aspirations of its ever-increasing members on the Dana Miles loyalty programme.

Mbanuzuo said: “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 unrivaled services in Nigeria to the global stage. Dana Air remains uncompromising in its commitment to maintaining global best practices and as always, we will continue to churn out world-class initiatives to meet and exceed the flying aspirations of our teeming guests.”

On the airlines’ fleet and route expansion plans, Obi said the decisions are always strategic, “but I can confirm to you that we have commenced talks with some notable aircraft manufacturers and we should increase our fleet in no distant time.

“Even with our current capacity, we are doing very well and have a strategy to meet the demands of the flying public. We are very confident of our model. We are the only Nigerian carrier to have 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,” Mbanuzuo said.

IATA’s Area Manager, South-West, Dr. Samson Fatokun, said not all airlines are members of IATA as a result of its stringent admission process but commended Dana Air for making the list and joining over 300 airlines presently on the association’s registry.

Fatokun said: “We have requirements for any airline that wants to join the IATA family and one of those requirements 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.’’

Having flown over 2.7 million passengers in the last nine years of its operation, Dana Air is one of Nigeria’s leading airlines with daily flights from Lagos to Abuja, Port Harcourt, Uyo and Owerri. The airline is reputed for its unrivaled ontime performance and world –class in-flight service.