Amidst air crash that claimed the lives of 153 people four months ago, criticism the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) over the weekend named Dana Air as the best domestic carrier for 2011.
Over the weekend, FAAN’s Regional
General Manager, Mr. Chris Bature, said the airline was awarded the
prize for its good customer relations and prompt payment of dues. He
also added that the airline was selected because of its outstanding
performance. “Mode of selection includes passenger capacity,
frequency of the landing and take-off, their response to payment of
bills. Among the domestic carriers, they were the best. They had the
best volume, they were punctual in their operations,” Guardian quoted him as saying.
Reacting to a question on the timing of
the award which is coming four months after the June 3rd Dana Air crash,
Mr Bature explained that the award would have taken place earlier in
the year and that the reward came after the operator’s license had been
restored.
“In all fairness, they did their best and we need to recognize that and encourage them to get back to their feet,” he added.
Dana’s Station Manager at the Abuja
airport, Mr. Kayode Adeniran, stated that the airline’s commitment to
best customer service and timely departure earned it the award. “We
have this policy in our company that we must not delay passengers and we
introduced another type of system. If your flight is delayed by 40
minutes, we give refreshments to all passengers that already had their
boarding passes. So people were so impressed by our service.”
On June 3rd 2012, a Dana
plane crashed into a residential area in Lagos state, killing the entire
153 passengers and crew members on board, in addition to other victims
in the residential area. The Federal Government promptly seized its
license, but restored it 93 days after the crash, provoking outrage
across the country.
The Airline is already planning to
resume operations soon and has commenced demonstration flights as
stipulated by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
Do you think this award is insensitive coming at a time when the pain and loss from the crash is still fresh in our minds?
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