Anietie Udobit,Abuja
The Minister of Aviation, Mr Hadi Sirika, has cautioned foreign
airline operators against treating Nigerian travellers with disdain.
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In a statement on Saturday in Abuja,signed by Mr James
Odaudu, the Director of Public Affairs in the ministry, Sirika warned other
airline operators to take a cue from the recent Turkish airlines experience.
“Following the threat by the nation’s aviation regulators to
ban its operations in Nigeria, Turkish Airlines last night flew into Abuja with
a bigger aircraft A330 as against the usual smaller B737.
“Officials of the airline, alarmed by the prospect of losing
their Nigerian market, had rushed into a meeting with the Nigerian authorities
to pledge total commitment “he said.
The minister also noted that the organisation had tried to
comply with the conditions given to it in order to continue its operations in
Nigeria.
According to him, Turkish airlines has been notorious for
the shabby treatment of Nigerian travellers over time, especially when they
have to arrive their destinations without their checked-in luggage.
He added that such behaviours by the airline had always
given rise to security issues at the airports with protests by affected
passengers.
The minister, however, said the airline had now shown
commitment to improve its treatment of Nigerian travellers by operating into
the Nation’s capital with a bigger and more comfortable aircraft.
He noted that the situation did not need to arise in the
first place with the Airline waiting for the strong-arm handling before doing
the right thing.
Sirika promised Nigerians better flying experiences as the
nation’s aviation industry was set to undergo major developments in the coming
years with the implementation of the stakeholder-developed roadmap.