The Nation Newspaper

Category: Aviation

  • Aircraft owners seek review of charges

    Aircraft owners seek review of charges

    THE Aircraft Owners Association of Nigeria (AOAN) has called on the Federal Government to review the charges paid by its members to reduce their high cost of operations.

    Aircraft owners using their equipment for private flights as opposed to business aviation or charter.

    General Secretary of the association, Mohammed Joji, said the high operating cost is a challenge facing the aviation industry.

    He said operators were burdened by multiple charges, which included five per cent ticket sale charge, landing and parking charge as well as passenger service charge and en-route navigational charge.

    According to him, aside these charges, airlines are also subjected to paying Value Added Tax (VAT) to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), noting that this is abnormal.

    “The issue of multiple charges is a major challenge facing local airline operators, because the charges are so numerous and have significantly affected airlines operations.

    “For instance, we pay five per cent charge for passenger’s ticket, which is a compulsory payment for every operator.

    “For the operators to survive in the business, there is the need for the government to harmonise some of these charges in the overall interest of the sector.

    “The charges are not good for the industry as a whole, and we urge the government to find ways of addressing this issue which has become a major challenge to us,” he said.

    Joji said another challenge was the high cost of aviation fuel (JET-A1), which sells at between N160 per litre and N170 per litre.

    He added that the aviation fuel, whose price is cheaper than the prices of petrol and diesel, was sold at N40 per litre.

    According to him, the marketers have taken advantage of the deregulation of the downstream sector to reap additional proceeds, which is illegal and immoral.

    The general secretary called on the government to develop a policy to stabilise aviation fuel supply and pricing, which had been of serious concern to both operators and stakeholders.

    He said foreign exchange issue was another challenge be-devilling the growth of the sector, adding that every part of an aircraft, including nuts, bolts and screws, were imported

  • NATCA to govt: employ more air traffic controllers

    NATCA to govt: employ more air traffic controllers

    The Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers  Association ( NATCA) has urged the government to close the gap of inadequate personnel to enhance air safety.

    In an interview with The Nation, its National President, Comrade Victor Eyaru, said besides recruiting more air traffic controllers, he said there was need for the government to send personnel for training abroad, adding that the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) in Zaria, Kaduna State does not have the capacity to offer modern training in new air traffic management technology.

    Eyaru said: “To say the least, more air traffic controllers should be recruited urgently and trained to reduce the gaps already created in the interest of air safety.”

    He called on the government to fix this taxiway to prevent aircraft accidents on ground and to increase the capacity of the airport.

    He lamented that none of the radar facilities in the country’s airspace has  backup.

    According to Eyaru:  ”In time of any failures or major maintenance work will leave air traffic controllers to revert to the less efficient procedural (non-radar) system of control which invariably increases traffic delay and losses to airline operators.Other component of the radar equipment such as Mode S has not been activated, which is meant to enhance levels of air safety.

    “The association and its members will be grateful if redundancies could be procured for the radar equipment by the Federal Government as it is the global best practice. Efforts should also be geared towards activating other important components of the Radar equipment and timely completion of the ongoing AIS Automation and CPDLC projects.

    “The government should not also lose sight of replacing the present Radar equipment with more modern ones before attaining its expiration,” he added.

    He said about 300 controllers with the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) are barely 50 per cent of the number required to optimally man the airspace.

    He claimed that many of these   vital training are not available at NCAT.

    To sustain and improve on the level of air safety, the association appealed to the Federal Government to assist in facilitating trainings in areas, such as radar control, Performance Based Navigation (PBN), aeronautic search and rescue, procedure and airspace design, Safety Management Systems (SMS) and many others that are either aborted midway or have gone moribund for years.

  • ‘Open Skies for Africa ‘ll destroy Nigerian carriers‘

    ‘Open Skies for Africa ‘ll destroy Nigerian carriers‘

    The  Implementation of the Open Skies  for Africa endorsed by African  Transport Ministers can destroy the  air transport industry, an expert,  Chris Aligbe, has said.

    He warned that the policy could  grant unrestricted access to carriers in the continent to invade the Nigerian market to the detriment of local carriers.

    The former Nigeria Airways spokesman told The Nation that unless the government  empowers indigenous carriers with market  protection measures,  allowing stronger African carriers to invade the nation’s routes would reduce capacity for troubled indigenous carriers which are grappling to remain relevant.

    He listed the demerits of the Open Skies for Africa policy to include some foreign carriers’ ability to develop hubs in some African countries to distribute their passengers into Nigeria, adding that it is for this reason that the Federal Government must position indigenous carriers through protective policies to enable them withstand the imminent competition.

    Aligbe said there was need for the government to develop strong indigenous carriers through ownership structure to enable Nigeria take its right position in the air transport sector in Africa, pointing out that the absence of a carrier has led to Nigeria losing her voice in continental and global fora where issues and policies of air transport on the continent are discussed.

    Nigeria has lost her voice to other countries, including Ethiopia, Egypt, South Africa, Tunisia and Kenya.

    Aligbe continued: ”The situation is bad  that we have no national carrier, the major flag carrier is struggling, while the domestic carriers are struggling.

    “The only flag carrier is nothing to go by in terms of continental reckoning. This has become a huge challenge because the flag carrier is a point-to-point operator and cannot take Nigerians anywhere,” he said, adding: ”We are not doing anything to curtail the  excesses  of  foreign carriers in the industry.’’

    The implementation of Open Skies Africa was okayed in January,  in Adis Ababa. Some countries that have not endorsed the big carriers in Africa have since keyed into it, pushing through the African Union meetings for its implementation.

    Aligbe said if the policy sails through, the consequence is that African carriers will have unrestricted access into the airports.

    ‘’They can fly to Asaba, Calabar, Sokoto, among others, lapping the Open Skies for Africa policy.

    “Multiple entry will be a small problem, it is a free entry into any of the airports in Nigeria. African carriers will just fly in unrestricted into our airports. That will be the death knell for most domestic carriers.”

    He said some Gulf carriers will hide under such policies to empower some African carriers to target Nigerian routes.

    Aligbe said: ”Emirates has signed agreement to build a terminal in Senegal, to build another in Angola to use as a hub into West  Africa . If the Luanda Airport comes on, Nigeria should forget it and all the foreign carriers are targeting Nigerian market .

    “Part of the agreement is that Emirates will empower TAM Angola to operate under Open Skies  into Nigeria to feed and distribute passengers into routes that  Emirates  fly into.”

     

  • Why NCAA should be restructured, by experts

    Why NCAA should be restructured, by experts

    EXPERTS have canvassed an overhaul of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority ( NCAA) to boost  civil aviation regulations.

    They said unless a major restructuring was carried out at the regulatory authority, it might not effectively discharge its  oversight duties.

    According to a report obtained by The Nation, the experts recommended that steps should be taken by the government to address the challenges facing the authority .

    The report  put together by a team of experts who examined  the NCAA after the DANA Air crash a few years ago, recommended that a comprehensive review of the act establishing the authority should be urgently carried out.

    The report recommended that all appointments in the management cadre from the  positions  of assistant general managers  to directors should be the sole responsibility of the board of the authority, based on written examinations and assessment interviews.

    It also recommended that all levels of senior management in the authority should be by tenure.

    The report also recommended that 10 per cent of annual revenue of the NCAA be mandatorily devoted to training and manpower development.

    It reads: ” That besides the short term courses and programmes of the NCAA for various classes of airworthiness and safety oversight staff, the authority should evolve a well articulated programme of development for all grades of staff engaged in regulatory oversight from airworthiness to flight safety,  technical and cabin, medical economic and consumer protection.

    ‘’Others should include airspace, ground operations, handling, aerodromes, terminals and facilitation. That emphasis on training should shift away from ageing and contract staff as is currently the practice and rather focus on permanent and newly engaged staff for purposes of replacement and succession planning.

    “That attitude in the NCAA where very senior experienced staff and contract staff seek to perpetuate themselves , monopolise training and create a picture of indispensability does not augur well for the survival of the industry.

    The report continued: “That the NCAA board should subject all its present oversight staff to programmes on appropriate work culture,  attitudinal change and internal oversight on integrity.

    “That the NCAA should develop a clear code of conduct for all its staff , the details of which must be in public domain to check excesses of staff with undue motives.’’

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Medview Airlines to begin Lagos-London, Lisbon flights

    Medview Airlines to begin Lagos-London, Lisbon flights

    Medview Airlines is set to begin flights  from Lagos  into London and Lisbon in Portugal. The Managing Director, Alhaji Muneer Bankole who made this known, said the carrier has secured approvals from aviation authorities in the United Kinfgdom (UK) and Portugal to begin the operations.

    Bankole said the airline has engaged a consultant to complete the bilateral and technical preparations for the operations, describing the deal as part fulfillment of the Air Agreement Nigeria it has with the two European countries.

    He said Medview was  moved to actualise its designation into the routes, to offer Nigerians affordable fares from the exploitative ones being offered by foreign carriers.

    He said foray into the routes would offer passengers travel options from the exorbitant fares offered by British carriers on the London route .

    He spoke just as the airline took delivery of its own Boeing 767 aircraft, to be used for the international operations as well as Hajj operations.

    The new delivery by the airline is historic as the only indigenous carrier to acquire a Boeing 767 aircraft with Nigerian pilots and cabin crew .

    Bankole said: ” I discovered that getting out of London is so expensive because we only have two British Airlines coming here; Virgin Atlantic and British Airways. Among the countries we have got designation is Jeddah and Dubai.

    “So, we are putting one on the forefront now and that would be in the next couple of months. We are sincerely working on that. The British authorities as well as the government of Nigeria have designated us to the Lagos-London route. We also got Portugal; Lagos-Lisbon route.

    “So, we are looking at the European side, but we are launching this aircraft to Jeddah on the 16th August, 2015 for pilgrimage. We hope to close the first leg on September 16, continuing through October and the aircraft would be ready for international operations in November.”

    He added: ”There are people doing the business right now. You know Heathrow Airport is the in-thing with about 73 million travellers annually while Gatwick takes about 35 million yearly. We are looking at the link of bringing Nigerians to Gatwick and we are looking at using the British rail, linking them on complementary to Victoria. Or, we are looking at Heathrow. We are there already.”

    On preparation for Hajj, he said: ” I told you I’m ready, but the only thing is that I’m busy for hajj operations now.

    “And we are also bringing B777 for the hajj operations and we would be the first in the annals of this country to use B777 and I am proud to say that the NCAA people have been trained by MedView, they are in Atlanta, United States, running for 777.”

  • SAA begins flight into Accra

    SAA begins flight into Accra

    South African Airways (SAA) has  begun its inaugural flight between Accra, Ghana and Washington DC in North America.The airline disclosed this in a statement .

    In a statement, tthe airline said the new route has strengthened SAA’s presence in West Africa during the first flight  which departed the Kotoka International Airport in Accra last week.

    Besides announcing the new Accra-Washington route, SAA also announced that it has concluded a commercial cooperation agreement with Africa World Airlines (AWA), the Ghanaian domestic carrier which will offer customers further connections into West Africa.  With Accra-Washington added to its extensive African route network serving 24 countries on the continent.

    SAA offers customers the option of a second West African country linking air travel to North America.

    “Introducing more travel options on the African continent is a major development and achievement for the airline as part of our Long-Term Turnaround Strategy, which sets growth on the African continent as one of our key objectives.

    “Besides celebrating the inaugural flight between Accra and Washington, SAA has also concluded a Commercial Cooperation Agreement with Africa World Airlines (AWA) which is off a long-term strategic nature, offering customers more travel options within the West African region

    “SAA’s decision to route some of its North American bound flights to Ghana, is based on sound business principles as there is considerable demand for passengers wanting to fly between Ghana to the U.S.A. We anticipate that this route will add considerable opportunities for the growth of tourism and trade relations between Ghana and the United States of America,” said Mr Kendy Phohleli, SAA executive, Africa Hub Projects.

    “True to our promise of improving connectivity on the continent, the agreement with Africa World Airlines will offer SAA customers from Washington and Johannesburg seamless connectivity via Accra to other destinations in Ghana such as Kumasi, Takoradi, and Tamale as well as to Lagos, Nigeria. Forming a local partnership with a domestic airline was part of our plans of strengthening SAA’s presence in West Africa,” said  Phohleli.

     

     

  • Aero gets award

    Aero gets award

    Aero Contractors has won the Safety Culture Award. It also received an ambulance from the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) and Nigeria Social Insurance Trus Fund (NSITF) for its effort.

    The award, according a statement by the airline, was won following an audit by a team of consultants from NECA/NSITF on Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) policies, procedures and culture.

    The statement reiterates the airline’s high safety and security standards in the market.

    The airline, the statement said, is known for its adoption of cutting-edge technology and for offering comfort, flexibility and quality services to its customers.

    On the award and the kind gesture from NECA, the Acting Managing Director of Aero, Capt. Russell Leefoon said: “Aero won the Exceptional Safety Culture Award for 2014, after a thorough audit from a respected and professional team of Safety Consultants from NECA/NSITF on the airline’s Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) policies, procedures and Culture.

    “We are delighted that our hard work to ensure highest safety standards are being recognised by reputable organisations like NECA and NSITF.’’

     

  • Experts push for airport management firms

    Experts push for airport management firms

    Aviation experts  have called for the setting up of management companies to improve the profitability of the over 22 airports managed by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) .

    The Chief Executive Officer of Bi- Courtney Aviation Services Limited, Mr Christophe Pennick; the Chief Executive Officer of Belujane Konsult, Mr Chris Aligbe and the Chief Executive Officer of Centurion Securities, Group Captain John Ojikutu (rtd), in separate interviews, said airport management companies have become imperative in the face of inefficient running of the airports by the FAAN.

    The 22 airports, according to them, sre too humongous to be managed by FAAN, which doesn’t have sufficient expertise to run them and make profit for the government as is the practice in other parts of the world.

    According to Aligbe, pairing some airports for effective management by the proposed companies will ensure better services and development for some terminals hitherto described as unviable.

    FAAN, he said, is saddled with too much task that it may not be able to focus on providing the required services, and at the same time run the terminals to return profit to government.

    The management companies, he said, would focus on enhanced non aeronautical sources of revenue for the airports while FAAN would focus on operational and technical areas.

    Aligbe said : ”There is an urgent need to fix the entire airports in Nigeria to make them viable. One of the ways of achieving this is for the government to install the relevant air navigation equipment to enable airlines fly into them even at nights. This is one of the ways to better run the airports if the facilities are in top gear.

    “The next major problem is the way the airports are run. We need the right model on how to run the airports. The decision by FAAN to acquire more airports including the 22 it is currently managing is wrong. What FAAN needs to do is stop the central managing of the entire airports. This is not the best approach.”

    He continued: ”That is not what FAAN should do. Even if you fly 10 management experts into FAAN, it cannot centrally manage 22 airports. The central management system cannot bring about efficiency in  airport management , even if they say they have a regional structure, they all still report to the headquarters . It is facade,  the airports cannot be freed from the stranglehold of centralised management.

    “Where the regional manager of an airport takes decision on what he wants to do in terms of development of such an airport. When a manager tries to utilise any means to earn revenue and utilise it for that airport, it will not work.

    “These are issues of internally generated revenue. Airports are not run that way, if we need to have good airports in this country, we must concession them. It must be done in a way that government will take concession revenues and royalties from where it will reorganise the system.

    “Then FAAN, will be restructured to be one, a holding company, the holding company will oversee government interest in the concessioned airport and to ensure the implementation of the terms of the concessions. This will involve terms. There are various strategies to airport concession. The airports need to be paired for income generation and development. You pair the airports. For instance, you take Benin and Lagos as one. You take Kano and Maiduguri  and other airports.”

    Pennick on his part said it is better to allow an independent airport management company to manage the airports because It is not proper to allow FAAN play the role of service provider and regulator of airport services .

    He said allowing FAAN to become airport operator, regulator and competitor is not healthy for the business of air travel.

    He said: ”I think FAAN should be an airport management company and NCAA should be the only authority. FAAN should be more focused to regulate services and manage the airports. FAAN should only provide framework for how the airports should be managed by private companies. It would not make sense for FAAN to become both regulator of the airport and service provider it would be unfair as a competitor.”

     

  • NAMA conducts test on Kano Airport project

    NAMA conducts test on Kano Airport project

    Preparatory to the inauguration of the Kano Safe Tower Project, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has  conducted a  site acceptance test (SAT)  on the installed equipment at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano.

    The SAT, done using a procedure book, is intended to ascertain conformance with stated and specified functions of the equipment within the environment.

    At the event in Kano, the Managing Director of NAMA,  Ibrahim Abdulsalam, who  declared open a four-day awareness training on the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Contract/Controller-Pilot Data Link Communication  ( ADS – C/CPDLC)’ project, to be inaugurated soon, described the two projects as strategic in the agency’s effort to transform air traffic management services.

    He listed the benefits of the project  to include use of electronic or paperless flight progress strips by air traffic controllers; effective and efficient flight planning; reduction in air traffic control workload; availability of a radar monitoring system for enhanced air traffic situation awareness; automated data storage for effective billing; availability of meteorological information online and real time and vertical wind shear alerting system among others

    Abdulsalam listed the benefits of the ADS-C/CPDLC  to include extended range communication to  ensure effective air traffic management delivery within the Nigerian airspace; reduce  air traffic control and pilot  workload; enhance safety through accuracy and efficiency in communication between air traffic control and flight crew; reduction in flight delays, flight times, fuel burnt and C02 emissions; provision of cost effective surveillance and data communication; elimination of  air–ground communication blind spots within the airspace and the provision of effective coverage over the oceanic airspace.

    Managing Director of Avsatel Communications Limited, Project Contractors,  Mr Georg Eder, expressed confidence that the airspace would experience the needed transformation in its flight operations with the quality of equipment deployed by his company which he described as “world-class”.

    The Safe Tower Project, which was conceived since 2006, was aimed at automating air traffic management services at the four major airports in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja and Kano. While others have since been commissioned, that of Kano suffered a series of setbacks, leading to the rebuilding of a completely new safe tower for Kano airport.

    The conduct of the site test,  which is the last leg of activities culminating in the launch of the Kano Safe Tower project, is therefore, significant and one of the steps taken by NAMA to continue deploying new technologies in air traffic management for the  airspace.

     

  • AIB to release report on ground collision

    AIB to release report on ground collision

    Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) has said it will  release the preliminary report of its investigation into the collision of Emirates B777-400 and Hak Air B737-400 that occurred at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos on July 6.

    AIB spokesman, Mr Tunji Oketumbi, who said this in a statement, said the bureau has, however, raised eight safety recommendations addressed to the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on how to improve safety at the airport.

    The Emirates B777-400 was taxing for take-off when its wing tip collided with the Hak Air aircraft, which was parked at the apron of the airport’s General Aviation Terminal (GAT). No one was injured, but the B737-400 sustained substantial damage.

    A similar incident involving two aircraft belonging to First Nation Airways occurred at the same airport on July17, when a A319 taxing into the terminal hit another parked A319 aircraft at the apron.

    AIB is also conducting investigations into the serious incident involving Aero Contractor at the airport on July 21, aborting its Abuja bound flight.

    The aircraft, a Boeing 737, lost a tire on take-off, which necessitated the crew to make an air return.

    Also being handled by AIB is the investigation into the serious incident involving a hawker 125-800XP aircraft belonging to Swat Technology Limited with registration Number N497AG in Port Harcourt on June 11, where the aircraft veered off the runway on landing at the airport. The aircraft sustained substantial damage but there was no injury to the passengers and crew.