Lagos — Murtala Muhammed Airport 2 (MMA2) terminal is safe for domestic flight operation, International Air Transport Association (IATA) has certified.

It would be recalled that the safety position of the terminal generated controversies in the past few weeks as Virgin Nigeria refused to relocate while citing safety reasons.

However, IATA regional director for Africa, Guassou Konate, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), as well as representatives of the airlines which includes the aggrieved Virgin Nigeria conducted another audit on the terminal on Friday and gave it a clean bill of health.

According to IATA regional director, the inspection was between operators and all stakeholders, adding that all the issues raised were impressive, and there is no concern about safety, that operations are now safe.

"What we did today(Friday) was to go specifically to the aprons and parking areas-airside. We are not interested in other things, we are looking at safety, so what we did was to look for evidence and what we have gathered as evidences we found clearly that all issues, which were raised have been addressed. So we really don't have any concern about safety at the apron and the parking area where we went and gathered evidences. So we are happy with that and operations," he said.

Dr. Harold Demuren, director general NCAA in his response said what the IATA saw tallied with what was on the report and that the inspection is a normal practice all over the world.

"This is the normal practice all over the world we have been doing it one million times. We don't say it on the pages of newspapers. We were at the airport with Arik, Virgin Nigeria, FAAN, NAMA, Bi-Courtney, AON and you have heard what he said that all safety concerns have been resolved, MMA2 is safe, and you heard it. The report was sent to the IATA by the airlines," he said.

He assured Nigerians that aviation is safe all over the world and the authority will make it safe in Nigeria, adding that operations have commenced at the airport since August and there has not been any accident.

In a swift reaction, Virgin Nigeria in a statement said its operation will continue from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) because of its objective to create a hub as enshrined in the Memorandum of Mutual Undertaking (MMU) and as the case is still in court

"The matter of the relocation of Virgin Nigeria to MMA2 is already in court and any substantive discussion of it, especially in the press is subjudice. Virgin Nigeria has an abiding faith in the rule of law, which we believe will prevail in this matter," it stated.

Kadaria Ahmed-Adesida, group head corporate communications, Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited operators of the MMA2 said the company welcomed the result of the IATA audit conducted.

"This audit is a vindication of what we had always said, that MMA2 is a safe terminal operating within the highest global standard", she said.

She called on all stakeholders in the industry to work together to provide the flying public good quality services, adding that the company will continue to work endlessly to develop the aviation sector in Nigeria.

"We at Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited will continue to work tirelessly to pioneer development in aviation in Nigeria and contribute our quota towards the upliftment of the nation's aviation industry to a new height," she added.