Dana Air to train more Nigerian pilots

The management of Dana Air has promised to train more Nigerian pilots even as it decorated two captains and three first officers after a successful completion of their professional training.

Speaking while decorating the pilots, Kalu Sylvester and Ibrahim Kassim as the airline’s new captains, including Ilesanmi Ayotunde, Afolabi Damilola and Wahab Lawal as first officers, the director, flight operations, Captain Segun Omole, who stated that the airline had trained no fewer than 27 Nigerian pilots in 2017, declared that most of the pilots were trained in Nigeria, some in South Africa and USA.

He charged the newly decorated captains and first officers to work towards maintaining the safety records Dana Air is known for.

The director, while remembering that at the time he joined the airline there were only two Nigerian captains who were trained for the MD 83 aircraft while the rest were foreigners, however, confirmed that 80 percent of the workforce in the airline are now Nigerians.

He used the occasion to explain why the airline always wanted their pilots to come in as first officers, saying this will allow them to grow with the airline for better experience and performance.

Speaking at the event, the chief operating officer of Dana Air, Obi Mbanuzuo, charged the newly decorated officers to put in their best for the airline.

Obi, who said the airline has no fewer than 16 captains and about 17 co-pilots, noted that the airline currently has three serviceable airplanes, with two abroad undergoing maintenance which are expected to join the fleet later in the year.

Responding on behalf of other newly decorated officers, Captain Kalu Sylvester thanked the management of Dana Air for the opportunity given to them to serve, promising that they will always be good ambassadors of the airline.