Dana Air, on Tuesday, said it had flown 2.7 million passengers in its 11 years of operation in Nigeria.
The airline’s Chief Operating Officer, Mr Obi Mbanuzuo, made the disclosure in a statement issued in Lagos to commemorate the 11th anniversary of the airline.
Mbanuzuo said that the airline celebrated the anniversary of by rewarding customers with various gifts, ranging from free tickets to souvenirs.
“Having flown over 2.7 million passengers in the last 11 years, Dana Air is one of Nigeria’s leading airlines, with daily flights from Lagos to Owerri, Port Harcourt, Uyo and Abuja.
“For us, 11 years mean we are doing the right things and making the right decisions at the right time.
“We have been methodical, careful and realistic in our steps and we hope to consolidate our existing routes to provide full capacity, seamless travel options for our guests, while still reviewing our route expansion plans.
“So many airlines have come and gone, maybe due to some incidents in the past or our inability to cope with the operating environment,” he said.
Mbanuzuo attributed the airline’s success to its loyal customers, dedicated staff and sound management team, with massive experience in the Nigerian aviation industry, running the airline, with a model worthy of emulation.
He, however, admitted that the journey so far for Dana Air, as a domestic airline in the country, had not been rosy, as it had suffered, among other issues, incessant peddling of fake news about its operations.
“We thank the present administration, led by President Muhammed Buhari, for gradually creating the ambience for airlines to thrive and the efforts in the area of infrastructure are also commendable.
“We hope that these efforts are sustained in the coming years and other areas hampering the growth of airlines reviewed,” the chief operating officer said.
On the airline’s plan for the future, he said two new Boeing 737 aircraft were recently acquired, thus bringing the number of aircraft in the fleet to nine.
Mbanuzuo said: “Our guests should expect more, as our commitment and promise have not changed.
“We have made huge progress and our recent acquisition means more jobs for our Nigerian pilots and engineers.
“In keeping steadily to our robust route and fleet expansion programme, we will create more job opportunities, in addition to the thousands of direct and indirect jobs already created, train more and improve capacity in Nigeria,” he said.
