Kayode Odukoya
KAYODE ODUKOYA: IMPRESSIVE SERVICES
Bellview Airlines is today Nigeria's leading airline, distinguished by unrivalled services provided customers on its flights on local and international routes. Its owes this leading position to neither its size or age, but quality service. Kayode Odukoya, chief executive officer, Bellview Airlines, is the main brain behind the promotion of the airline which started our as a travelling agency in 1989 an within three years developed into a full blown player in Nigeria's aviation industry.
Odukoya got inspiration to go into the aviation industry when, as a youth corper, he was exposed to the enormous opportunities that abound in the industry. Within a short time, the young man has, through handwork, luck and perseverance, made Bellview a leading player in Nigeria's aviation industry. The airline operates not only the local route such as Abuja, Lagos, and Port Harcourt but also the more lucrative international routes that the national carrier, Nigeria Airways, has not been servicing effectively. Bellview operates flights to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Bombay, India; and Nairobi, Kenya. The airline is also visible in the West Coast of Africa with flights to Cote d' Ivoire; the Gambia; Ghana and Sierra Leone.
The airline recently expanded its flight operations to Amsterdam, Holland; and London, Britain; courtesy of the commercial agreement with Nigeria Airways Limited. It services these routes with its airbus twice weekly. Bellview has a fully computerised reservation system using the SITA GABRIEL II SYSTEM, to ensured easy booking and reservation. The airline also serves as the marketing company for the Gabriel Extended Travel Systems, LGETS.
Bellview delivers high quality services that ensure repeated patronage by its customers. To achieve this purpose, it relies on highly qualified staff who are mostly graduates of different academic background to promote a sense of professionalism. A recurrent training programme helps to keep all cadres of staff at tip-top shape all the time. The airline prides itself in running 97 percent despatch and 92 percent on time departure reliability record. It also flies good and well-maintained aircraft, showing very high safety standards.
Odukoya reveals that the airline's aim is to match international standards in the quality of its services. This is deflected in its in-flight services including oven-fresh meals, and crew equipped to provide comfort for travelers during their trips and deliver safety services too.
This tallies up with Odukoya's attribution of the airlines success to good management ability, quality service, and the power of self conviction that a man can become whatever he desires to be in life with dedication, devotion and steadfast commitment of the airline on a solid note. As at June 1997, it was worth $15 million and had a fleet of planes including two McDonnel Douglas DC.9 - 32 aircraft and a leased aircraft and a leased Airbus 300-600 series.
Newswatch June 29, 1998
" Newswatch 1998