Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo has reprimanded the management of Turkish Airline for disrespecting Nigerian passengers, asked the Airlines to resolve transit visa issues.
Keyamo spoke on May 29 when a delegation from Turkish
Airlines, led by Hilemet Turkseven, the airline’s vice-president in charge of
Africa, visited him in his office in Abuja.
Others at the meeting are Lokman Balkan, general manager,
Lagos, Akin Carleal, general manager, Abuja, and Imdat Karakoc, the Turkish
embassy’s deputy chief of mission.
This was disclosed in a press release by Tunde Moshood,
special assistant media and communications to the aviation and aerospace
development minister.
The minister presented three demands to the Turkish Airlines
team.
He addressed the problem of transit visas causing Nigerians
to be stranded in Istanbul and sought a resolution.
Keyamo also requested upgrades to the aircraft used for
flights to Nigeria and urged the airline to support local caterers by serving
Nigerian cuisine on return flights.
‘THERE’LL BE NO MORE DISRUPTIONS TO FLIGHT OPERATIONS’
The minister criticised the airline’s communication strategy
during the union actions, attributing the problems to the attitude of their
country manager.
Keyamo assured the delegation that there would be no more
disruptions to their flight operations, as the issue is now before an
industrial court.
“I had to advise your authorities to issue a press statement
to calm troubled nerves,” Keyamo said.
Addressing concerns about reported instances of disrespect
during flight operations, the minister emphasised the importance of maintaining
high customer service standards and ensuring dignity for all passengers.
The Turkish Airlines delegation conveyed the regards of
Bilal Eksi, the airline’s CEO, to the minister, expressing gratitude for his
intervention during the recent union actions that had disrupted their
operations.
The airline’s vice-president thanked the minister for his
support and reaffirmed Turkish Airlines’ commitment to Nigeria, highlighting
their 18 years of service since starting operations in 2006.
Turkseven praised Nigerians for their unwavering support and
reiterated Turkish Airlines’ commitment to collaborating with the Nigerian
government and its agencies to promote further growth in the country.
Also speaking, Karakoc assured the minister that he would
discuss the issues with the Turkish authorities and promised to make the
necessary adjustments.
“This meeting signifies a positive step towards
strengthening the relationship between Turkish Airlines and the Nigerian
aviation sector, ensuring better service and mutual respect for all
passengers,” he said.
Karakoc committed to improving the aircraft quality,
although he said the current aircraft are not specifically designated for
Nigeria.
On May 22, Turkish Airlines said it sacked seven Nigerian
workers because they violated various ticketing reservation rules costing the
airline significant economic loss.
Turkish Airlines spoke after the Nigeria Labour Congress
(NLC) on May 20 directed its members to picket the airline in Lagos state for
sacking the workers.
The protest was said to have stalled flight operations that
were to take place on May 21 and left 300 passengers stranded.
Reacting to the event, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority
(NCAA) on May 22 threatened to impose severe penalties on Turkish Airlines for
its alleged mistreatment of Nigerian passengers.
On May 24, Turkish Airlines announced it would resume flight
operations to Nigeria on May 25 after consultations with aviation agencies.