Nigeria’s Medview Airlines recently commenced the airlift of 10, 000 pilgrims across the country to the holy land of Mecca for the 2018 hajj exercise.
This is just as the airline has announced that it will recommence operations on the Lagos/London route soon.
This came after the airline took delivery of a newly acquired Boeing 777-200ER at the international airport of the Murtala Muhammed Airport.
Speaking at the airport, the Chief Executive Officer of the airline, Alhaji Muneer Bankole hinted that the aircraft was purchased through lease with a facility from the FirstBank of Nigeria
According to Bankole, the aircraft which is presently deployed on the Saudi Arabia route purposely for the hajj exercise, will subsequently be deployed to service the Lagos/London route.
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His words: “We will return to London by this winter after the completion of the aircraft reconfiguration after the hajj, we have got the slot already, we are reapplying, and we are returning to the route.”
The new aircraft has a capacity of 323 passengers in Economy Class with 25 passengers in Business Class.
According to Na’Allah, Medview Airline has Boeing B777-200ER, B767-300ER, three B737-400 and 500 in its fleet, and two more aircraft are expected to join the fleet by the end of August.
Expressing joy at the arrival of the plane, Bankole declared: “First of all, we have to give thanks to God. It’s like a dream come true, I use this opportunity to thank all my colleagues that have worked tirelessly to get this dream to light.
“This is one of our plans; over the years, we have been leasing aircraft for hajj and international operations which have consumed much of our foreign reserves; so, at the beginning of this year, it was one of our dreams that it will be the end of leasing for international operations.”
and then