Medview to Airlift Pilgrims from Ilorin Zone
Hammed Shittu
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Medview Airline, Alhaji Muneer Bankole has said the airline will airlift pilgrims from the Ilorin zone to the Holy Land from Thursday, August 3, 2017.
Bankole said the pilgrims that would be airlifted from the zone include those from Kwara, Ondo, Ekiti , Osun and Kogi to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia next week Thursday.
Speaking in Ilorin on the level of preparations of the airlifting of the intending pilgrims, Bankole said: “The airline has made available large body aircraft, including Boeing B747 with a capacity of 460 passengers, B777 with a capacity of 300 passengers and B767 with a capacity of 200 passengers.
“Some of the packages put in place for this year’s pilgrims is direct flight from the Ilorin International Airport to Prince Muhammed bin AbdulAziz International Airport, Medina for stress free pilgrimage while their luggage would be delivered at their hotels”.
He said that all these arrangements would reduce the stress pilgrims go through after arrival at the airport and later go back for their luggage and therefore urged pilgrims to see their visit to the Holy Land as purely spiritual and offer prayers for the leaders , the government, themselves and their families.
On the present facilities at the Ilorin International Airport, Bankole said that everything has been done by the airport authorities and security operatives to guide against hitches as all hands are on deck and appealed to the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to open the cargo terminal at the Ilorin International airport to serve as a window for all the pilgrims that would be airlifted from Ilorin zone.
He observed that if the cargo terminal is function, it would also improve the economy and trade for the state, adding, what is paramount to Medview Airline, which operates into seventeen destinations across the world is delivery of quality services and ensuring that passengers have a clean , safe and secure environment and aircraft that is air worthy.
He described the Nigeria airspace as safe, noting that there have been a lot of improvements done from the aviation regulators, despite that there is still the need to do more to meet international standards.
Bankole also warned pilgrims against travelling with prohibited goods as measures have been put in place to detect such illicit goods and advised the pilgrims to be good ambassadors of their family and the nation.