Why we suffered flight delays —MedView Airlines

MedView Airline has explained why its flight out of London, Gatwick was delayed attributing it to what it called an Aircraft on Ground (AOG) situation.

In the aviation parlance, Aircraft on the ground means, when an aircraft had to be parked due to technical issues.

The airline explained that the hitches associated with its flights were aggravated by the holidays and other uncomplimentary factors that have made the situation linger.

In a statement issued from the United Kingdom by the Chief Operating Officer/Accountable Manager (COO/AM) of the airline, Mr. Michael Ajigbotosho, the airline stated that the aircraft had to embark on an air return as part of safety measures.

He also stated that the airline had got approval for three aircraft to airlift at least 700 passengers but for the unruly behavior of some passengers which made Border Force wade in and eventually only two of the flights could leave.

According to the statement:”Our flight VL 2101 out of London to Lagos on Friday, December, 22 which has about 300 passengers on board returned back to Gatwick after departure as a precautionary measure taken by the Pilot- in – Command (PiC) in line with Aviation Standard and Recommended Practices.

“This led to the cancellation of the flight as the aircraft was declared AOG (Aircraft On Ground). The passengers were catered for, they were lodged in a hotel and those who decided to go back home were also taken care of.

“After the aircraft was declared AOG, we had to wait for a maintenance report. The aircraft had to remain on the ground until a certified expert carried out the necessary checks and certify that the aircraft is airworthy. And the holiday compounded the problem.”

“In line with that confirmation, we decided to seek for a relief flight and tried as much as possible to get the approval from both the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of Nigeria and the CAA of the United Kingdom in Gatwick. We attest to their full cooperation and we appreciate them.

“We announced to operate three flights feeling the concern of all our passengers. On Wednesday, December 27, we positioned three aircraft after securing the approval of the CAA including Nigerian authority.

“Disappointingly, due to the unruly behaviour of some Nigerian passengers, the Border Force had to intervene to support the operations for crowd control purposes.

“These three airplanes would have evacuated 700 passengers which would have normalized the situation. But the passengers neither understood or knew the challenges ahead which resorted to having a delayed operation and crew rest and we ended up operating two flights out of three.

“We use this medium to appeal to our Nigerian customers. As much as we appreciate their patronage and apologize for the experience they went through this Christmas, we seek for their understanding to know that their safety comes first before any other thing.

“We feel their concern and the expectations of meeting their families for the Christmas Holiday. Our normal flights resume on Friday for London, Dubai, and Jeddah. “

Some of the aggrieved passengers had earlier taken over the airlines’ check-in counter disrupting the airline’s activities over allegations of contractual breach.

The aggrieved passengers marched to NCAA Consumer Protection Department desk to complain about the seeming abandonment.