…Bankole holds interactive session with aggrieved passengers
By Sade Williams
Medview airline management, led by Muneer Bankole, the airline managing director, on Thursday, met with some passengers whose luggage were yet to arrive Lagos from London-Gatwick where they were told that their luggage would arrive aboard British Airways flights and other Medview flights between now and Tuesday morning.
Bankole, who regretted the situation, said it was compounded by the closure of the runway which he said was closed at 21.30, adding while some ground handlers said they were on strike, others who were on ground said they could not work.
The airline had in a statement, expressed regret over the development, saying the Gatwick Airport had on arrival of the aircraft said it had no capacity to screen the baggage as only a handful of its workforce was on duty because of holiday.
On Thursday in Lagos, the airline boss said concrete arrangement have been made with BA to bring in some luggage by Friday and Saturday evening apart from Medview flight that would also fly in and out of Gatwick.
“This is the first time this kind of situation will occur with Medview, customers can testify to it. This is a situation we did not plan for, the British Authority decided to carry out maintenance on the runway and it was closed. The closure of the lengthy runway was a major disaster, but I can assure you that by Tuesday, the issue would have been over.
“British Airways will bring some of the baggage back tomorrow evening. A team headed by Mr. Michael Animotosin, who is head of ground operations who is leading the team, they are in contact with British Airways and have given them some of the baggage, tomorrow morning they are moving the bags to preservation, Medview airlines will leave again tomorrow; we will be coming with some baggage and British Airways assures on Saturday they are bringing the second and last one so we assuring everybody here they will get their luggage. Again we apologise for the stress”, he said.
While appealing to aggrieved passengers, he regretted that the handlers who had already been paid to do their jobs all claimed to be on holiday even when luggage when backlog on luggage were on ground.
“You are paying someone to handle service at the airport, he is saying holidays or we are not working, then who is going to carry the baggage or are they not paid for? This is something that wouldn’t happen anywhere else but nobody talks.”
“I am so sorry, am ready to take responsibility but I am telling you Medview is our own”, he added.
