First Nation Airways acquires IOSA certificate

FIRSTNATION Airways, one of Nigerian carriers has bagged the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) Certificate, which will enable it, attains the globally recognised best practise in aviation safety

The certificate was presented to the airline’s Director of Flight Operations, Capt. Chimara Imediegwu by IATA’s Area Manager, South West Africa, Mr Samson Fatokun in Lagos.

Speaking during the presentation, Imediegwu said the IOSA programme is an internationally recognised and accepted evaluation system designed to assess the operational management and control systems of an airline.

He said: “Created by IATA in 2003, IOSA uses internationally recognised quality audit principles and is designed to conduct audits in a standardised and consistent manner.

“Successful companies are included in the IOSA registry for a period of 2 years following an audit carried out by an organisation accredited by IATA

“According to him, with the presentation, FirstNation Airways has now joined Arik Air and Aero Contractors as the only IOSA certified airlines operating in Nigeria.

The process of certification began in January 2014 when the airline received a request to enrol for the programme, noted Imediegwu

He said this was in line with the Abuja Declaration of 2012 that all African airlines should complete their IOSA certification by December 2015 towards enhancing air safety in the continent.

He stated that, out of the 10 airlines chosen to undergo the certification, FirstNation Airways was the first to complete the process.

Imediegwu expressed appreciations to the staff and customers of FirstNation for the support and patronage, stressing that the airline would not relent in its quest to enhance safety.

In his message, Fatokun said many airlines which started the programme could not complete it due to its rigorous nature. ”It is a thing of joy for any airline on this part of the globe to be on IOSA register. That means you are operating on the same level of safety with other globally known airlines on the IOSA register, he added.