IATA presents IOSA certificate to Med-View Airline

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) on Monday formally presented Med-View Airline with its Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) Certificate.

The certificate was presented to the airline’s Managing Director, Alhaji Muneer Bankole by IATA’s Area Manager, South-West Africa, Mr Samson Fatokun in Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the IOSA programme is an internationally recognised and accepted evaluation system designed to assess the operational management and control systems of an airline.

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.

With the presentation, Med-View Airline has now joined Arik Air, Aero Contractors, FirstNation Airways, Allied Air and Overland Airways as the IOSA certified airlines operating in Nigeria.

Speaking at the ceremony, Bankole noted that the process of certification began over two years ago when the airline received a request to enroll for the programme.

He said this was in line with the Abuja Declaration of 2012 that all African airlines should complete their IOSA certification by December 2017 toward enhancing air safety in the continent.

Bankole thanked the staff of Med-View and its customers for the support and patronage, adding that the airline would not relent in its quest to enhance safety.

He appealed to the Federal Government to support domestic airlines in addressing the challenges of scarcity of aviation fuel and foreign exchange which were critical to their operations.

“The industry today is challenging. Government must support the airlines because of their significance to Nigeria’s image and the economy,’’ Bankole said.

Congratulating Med-View for achieving the feat, Fatokun said many airlines which started the programme could not complete it due to its rigorous nature.

He said: “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.

“It takes a lot of hard work to go through the process. So, we want to congratulate the Med-View management and staff for achieving this IOSA certification.’’

Fatokun urged the airline not to relent on its oars because the register was reviewed by IATA every two years, adding that they should work assiduously to remain in the register.

He urged them to strive to become formally registered with IATA in order to be able to play on a global level and be an example to other African airlines.