Med-View Airline has taken delivery of its Boeing 737-500 aircraft after undergoing a comprehensive check in Estonia.
The aircraft was received by the airline’s Managing Director, Alhaji Muneer Bankole, on arrival at the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 2 in Lagos on Sunday.
The arrival of the aircraft brings the number of airplanes on the airline’s fleet to six, while the new aircraft was immediately deployed for its Accra, Ghana operations.
Bankole, who spoke on why the aircraft’s interior was branded in First Bank logo, explained that it was done to appreciate the bank for being its reliable partner over the years.
He stated that two more aircraft were also expected in the next one month to enable the airline open up the West Coast, start its Dubai operation and provide a back-up for its London-Gatwick operation, among others.
Bankole decried the difficulty in accessing foreign exchange by indigenous airlines, adding that he bought the dollar at N370 each to bring back the aircraft.
He said: “We changed dollars at N370.
“That is very sad.
“It is very painful.
“We had to source for it from different local areas, both foreign partners and friends, and that is the game.”
Bankole, however, commended the efforts made by the Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, to address the challenges confronting the local carriers.
According to him, local airlines are a driving force for the economy and should be adequately supported by the Federal Government.
