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Medview Airline dismisses reports of EU ban, says London flights unaffected

22 May 2017, 02:10 pm
Financial Nigeria
Medview Airline dismisses reports of EU ban, says London flights unaffected

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But Medview Airline said its flights to London are not affected by the ban as it continues to operate its “wet-leased” aircraft.

A Medview Airline aircraft

Medview Airline has dismissed widespread reports that the airline has halted its Lagos to London flights in response to an operational ban by the European Union, according to a statement released by the Nigerian Stock Exchange on Monday.

Last Thursday, the European Commission announced that it had included Medview Airline to the EU Air Safety List, making the Nigerian carrier subject to an operating ban or operational restrictions within the European Union airspace. The Commission said Medview Airline, along with three other airlines, were added to the list due to unaddressed safety deficiencies detected by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) during the assessment for a third country operator authorization.

However, Medview Airline responded, saying its flights to London are not affected by the ban as it continues to operate its “wet-leased” aircraft. The airline said the ban falls under an exception rule in EASA, Annex A, which states that an air carrier listed in Annex A could be permitted to exercise traffic rights by using wet-leased aircraft of an air carrier, which is not subject to an operating ban.

“The airline regrets the anxiety the misinformation may have caused its teeming passengers and investors and assure them that there is no basis for alarm as the Lagos-to-London flight remains unaffected,” the airline said. “Medview Airline reinstates its commitment to safety, and the airline is currently working with EASA and NCAA to restore normalcy.”

According to Nigerian media reports, Medview Airline operated its Lagos-to-London service on Sunday without disruptions. The airline said it would continue to operate the service as scheduled.

“It will be recalled that in March 2016, Medview Airline passed through one of the most stringent operations audit of the global airline body, the International Air Transport Association, after which it was issued with IOSA – International Operational Safety Audit,” the airline said. “The airline has secured a B777 aircraft leased from an EU-member state to boost its international operations, which will soon join the fleet.”


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