Togo designates Nigerian airline to airlift Muslim pilgrims

Togo has designated a Nigerian airline, Medview Airlines , to airlift its Muslim pilgrims to Saudi Arabia henceforth.

The airline has subsequently opened an office in Lome, the capital of Togo.Togolese authorities said the move was aimed at ending the sufferings of the cou ntry's pilgrims, who usually travel by road to Ghana to take flights to the HolyLand.

The local Vanguard newspaper Friday quoted the Director General of the Togo Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Latta Dokisime Gnama, as promising to fast-track all processes that would enable the airline to stabilize its operations in Togo.

"Since you offer visas for the Hajj, it's really a big advantage. We had a big h eadache in the 2006 Hajj and that was why we said we can only partner with an airline with a base in Togo tha t will go directly to Jeddah and not first to its home country or hub before transiting.

"My issue as regards Hajj is safety. We've had to disqualify airlines in the pas t for sharp practices. So, once all documentations are complete and approvals gotten from the appropriate quarters, we'll inspect t he airplanes and all that come with them and once everything is okay, then you people are set for business," he said.