Virgin Atlantic Airways says that although it disengaged its Lagos cabin crew because they were no longer a requirement on the Lagos route, it will continue to do business in Nigeria.
Reports last week suggested that the Richard Branson owned airline both fired all its cabin crew members and was preparing to pull out of Nigeria after 14 years of flying the route. An official of the airline however said on Sunday that it was “no longer sustainable” to have a locally based cabin crew, especially because the primary purpose of having one, which is to “provide cultural expertise” is no longer a requirement based on customer feedback.
“Virgin Atlantic Airways has no plans to pull out of Lagos route,” said Kudirat Scott-Igbene, Marketing and Communications Manager of Virgin Atlantic.
“We have decided that we will no longer have crew based in Lagos. This is by no means a reflection on our Lagos based cabin crew.
“The additional complexity required to operate an international crew base where there are no foreign language requirement means it is no longer sustainable going forward.
“This announcement has no impact on our flying programme and we plan to continue flights between Lagos and London,” she said. After 14 years flying the route we remain committed to servicing the Nigerian people, whether it be for business, family or education.”
