After a very rigorous process that lasted for almost two years, Nigerian major carrier Medview Airline was on Monday admitted by International Air Transport Association ( IATA) into its global safety registry; after passing the International Operations Safety Audit ( IOSA) certification .
The admission of Medview into the IOSA registry of the global airlines regulator is confirmation that the carrier has notched up its safety operational procedures to worldwide standards .
Speaking yesterday at a presentation ceremony of the IOSA certificate , the Regional Director, West Africa, IATA, Mr Samson Fatokun said Medview met the required safety standards set by the global body .
He said the safety endorsement has catapulted Medview into the league of global players in terms of operational safety and procedures required for global carriers .
He said the airline has fulfilled all the conditions and met all the requirements for it to be given IOSA certificate.With the safety endorsement , Medview has joined the league of other domestic carriers to be enlisted in the IOSA registry .Others include : Aero, Arik, Overland and Allied Air .
He said IATA will continue to monitor the operational activities of Medview Airlines to prepare it for the validation of the certification in the next two years , before pursuing the enhanced IOSA.
Fatokun said with the certification, Medview Airlines could negotiate code share and interline agreements with global carriers to enhance its operations .
Speaking on the certification , the Managing Director of the airline, Alhaji Muneer Bankole said it has been a team work and that he dedicate the certification to the entire staff.
IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) audit, indicates that the airline has complied with all safety regulations.
The IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) programme is an internationally recognised and accepted evaluation system designed to assess the operational management and control systems of an airline. IOSA uses internationally recognised quality audit principles and is designed to conduct audits in a standardised and consistent manner.
It was created in 2003 by IATA. The program is designed to assess the operational management and control systems of airlines.
Awarding the certificate to the Managing Director of Medview, Alhaji Muneer Bankole and his team, the Regional Director of IATA, Dr. Samson Fatokun lauded the carrier for meeting the stringent conditions for IOSA, stressing that it is good for all carriers in Nigeria to be IOSA certified.
He explained that IOSA became imperative for carrier after African leaders met and agreed that all carriers operating on the continent must be IOSA compliant before 2017.
“His words, “If you check IATA registry, you will find Medview Airlines there. They worked for it. It is good to be there and it is more difficult to maintain it. Very soon, you have to continue for renewal. We are moving to E-IOSA.” ”E-IOSA is an expansion of the IOSA program and focuses in particular on the continuous quality assurance of operational procedures and processes, encompassing all IOSA disciplines. ”This is done through regular internal assessments and the preparation of a Conformance Report (CR). Qualified auditors and a standardized audit procedure are important prerequisites for this. For this reason, Aviation Quality Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lufthansa Flight Training, is already qualifying prospective auditors according to the new standard using tailored IOSA training.
“We want to commend Medview. This commendable. We want to ask you to take full advantage of requirement of IOSA to be an IATA member. We plead you don’t come off the registry. It gives you opportunity to be IATA member.”
Muneer thanked IATA for establishing IOSA standards, as he recalled a meeting he had with Etihad recently on need for partnership.
He disclosed that it took the airline two years to get the certification. He dedicated to the management and staff.
