The Nation Newspaper

Category: Aviation

  • Delta orders 40 Airbus

    Delta orders 40 Airbus

    Delta Airlines is to buy 40 Airbus to be delivered between 2015 and 2017. The deal, which comprises 10 wide body A330-300 and 30 large domestic narrow body A321 jets, is the latest step in Delta’s prudent fleet renewal to enhance profitability.

    “This Airbus agreement is another opportunistic fleet transaction for Delta in which we acquire economically efficient, proven-technology aircraft,” said Richard Anderson, Delta’s chief executive officer.

    “These A330s and A321s will provide tremendous flexibility for Delta to optimally manage our capacity over the next five years while further improving the flight experience for our customers and returns for our shareholders.

    “Disciplined capital deployment is a cornerstone of Delta’s comprehensive financial plan,” said Paul Jacobson, Delta’s chief financial officer.

    “These Airbus aircraft will generate free cash flow and improve our return on invested capital from the time they enter service,” he added.

  • NAMA begins calibration of Navaids

    The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has begun calibration of navigational equipment at some airports and en route stations to enhance air safety.

    Its Managing Director Mr Nnamdi Udoh, said the agency spends about N200million yearly to calibrate navigational aids at the 26 airports.

    Calibration means the flight checking of navigational equipment to ascertain their accuracy and efficiency.

    The exercise, Udoh said, would last for 14 days, explaining that the calibration of the navaids would assist in putting the aids in proper shape at these airports and en-route stations.

    Udoh appealed to airlines to support the agency in its safety drive by clearing their outstanding debts.

    The calibration, which kicked off in Lagos with the routine calibration of the two Instrument Landing Systems (ILS), Very High Omni-directional Radio Range/Distance Measuring Equipment (VOR/DME) and the Path Approach Precision Indicator (PAPI) of the airport.

    Equipment being calibrated include- the recently installed ILS/DME,CVOR/DME at Enugu airport,Makurdi and Kanji.

    The newly installed air field lighting system at Makurdi will equally be flight- checked by Flight Calibration Services of the United Kingdom using DA42 multi-purpose platform aircraft.

    Other navigational aids being calibrated are Conventional Omni-Directional Radio Frequency (CVOR), Instrument Landing System (ILS), Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) Very High Omni-Directional Radio Frequency (VOR) all located in ,Uyo Abuja, Kano and Portharcourt.

    Similarly ,Communication radio coverage check for Lagos and Kano area control centres will be undertaken during the calibration exercise.

  • ‘Industry’s major challenge’

    Non-compliance with aviation rules by operators is a major challenge facing the industry, the Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Capt. Fola Akinkuotu, has said.

    He spoke in Lagos at the opening of a two-day seminar on Aviation Law and Regulation, organised for judges and other stakeholders, in collaboration with Socio Economic Rights Initiative, a civil society organisation.

    He said the sector does not suffer from a dearth of laws and regulations to check operators but that players were reluctant to comply with prescribed standards and practices, adding that the NCAA would ensure compliance to standards and recommended practises of the International Civil Aviation Organisation ( ICAO).

    He said the essence of the event was to educate participants on the intricacies of industry practices, saying once issues are brought to them, they would have fuller understanding of how to handle them without violating the internationally set standards.

    Akinkuotu said the seminar would provide the result to propel the sector, noting that industry as an international business without domestic standards, requires standard legal framework to function properly.

  • Low cost carrier coming

    Low cost carrier coming

    Barring any last minute hitch, a low cost carrier will grace the Nigerian skies very soon, promoters of the project Mr Alex Van Elk, has said. He said the new carrier would stimulate competition among domestic airlines and would crash fares on the domestic scene of the industry .

    Towards this end, the promoters are mobilising investors to secure aircraft for the operations. The pioneer Managing Director of Arik Air, Alex Van Elk said he is passionate about the huge potentials in Nigeria aviation industry, adding that he is poised to float a profitable low cost airline in Nigeria.

    The Dutch born international aviator said he was mobilising French investors for the business. He declined to disclose the name of the new airline for strategy reasons, saying it would be operational in the next few months.

    He said: “We have made contacts with the Nigerian authorities and they are quite pleased with our plans and assured us of government’s support,” stressing that the airline would succeed because it would be devoid of the mistakes associated with most Nigerian airlines which usually lead to their early exit.

    He listed such mistakes as poor accounting, acquisition of aging aircraft, lack of good reservation systems and heavy cost of overheads as well as ambitiouss route networks. The emerging low cost carrier he said would not venture into unprofitable routes and would be run professionally with the right caliber of staff.

    He also disclosed that the airline was consulting with mega carriers in Europe, Asia and Africa for interlining arrangements, adding that the responses had been very encouraging.

    Elk further said the promoters, which were comprised both Nigerian and French investors had made contacts with Air bus industrie, a French aircraft manufacturer, for lease of a brand new A319 for the take-off of the new airline.

    He assured that the fare would be affordable, noting that there would be no in-flight refreshment.

    Said he: “We will only serve water on board for an hour flight but for those who will want to have something extra they will have to buy.”

    Mr Elk also said his target would be to run effient service for the first one year locally and launch regional operations afterwards.

    On whether the airline would operate intercontinental routes, he said: “We don’t have such arrangement in our plans rather we will seek code share and interline collaborations with global carriers in Asia, Europe and Africa.”

     

  • Arik, Chanchangi, IRS, Medview battle for Lagos-Yola route

    Arik, Chanchangi, IRS, Medview battle for Lagos-Yola route

    Four airlines Arik, Medview, Chanchangi and IRS are battling to have an edge on the Lagos-Yola route.

    The rivalry became obvious last weekend, when Chanchangi Airlines began flight operations into the route, with its newly acquired Boeing 737-500 aircraft. The route was hitherto dominated by Arik Air and Medview Airlines.

    Chanchangi entered the route following IRS’ suspension of its flights on the route for operational reasons.

    To fill the void Chanchangi started operations on the route with 103 passengers on its inaugural flight.

    Arik and Medview, investigations reveal are jittery over Chanchangi’s entry into the route.

    Chanchangi Group Public Relations Manager of Mr Olu Balogun said the airline operation on the route was a new beginning for it.

    He described the route as lucrative affirming that Chanchangi is mobilising for the competition ahead by other carriers which fly into the route.

    Balogun said the Yola flight became inevitable as a result of the acquisition of additional aircraft three weeks ago.

    He said the airline will start flight operations to Port Harcourt International Airport before the end of the month while another aircraft will arrive in the country in November.

    He said: “We are set for the competition that our operations will bring to the Lagos-Yola route. This should be expected because of the high passenger traffic on this route. We are calling on more airlines to commence flight into this route.”

    Speaking on competition on the route, the Managing Director of Medview Airlines Alhaji Muneer Bankole said the carrier is offering unique services that other airlines cannot offer.

    He said the airline has just acquired additional aircraft in order to give passengers the best comfort that they deserve with a reduced air fare stressing that the motive of the airline was to ensure that passengers have seamless travel experiences across the country.

    “Our strategy is simple. Good treatment of passengers is the key. Passengers are key to our heart and we show the passengers that we love them,” he added.

     

  • NCAA reads riot act to hajj operators

    The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority ( NCAA) has read the riot act to operators designated for the air lifting of Muslim pilgrims for this year’s Hajj in Saudi Arabia.

    The Director-General, Captain Folayeke Akinkuotu warned the airlines to abide by the regulations, adding that failure to do so could lead to sanctions.

    Capt Akinkuotu warned stakeholders against disregard of the law on Hajj and that of the industry, saying that the NCAA would not hesitate to ground any defaulter.

    He said: ”Safety and security is key. NCAA will not accept any short coming in terms of operational deficiency. The equipment and crew must be airworthy at all times and passengers be treated with dignity.”

    Capt. Akinkuotu charged the National Hajj Commission and airline operators on the Hajj to ensure proper planning and orderliness.

    Last month, NCAA said it was not ground any domestic airline. The director-general said NCAA would want airlines to remain afloat, noting that they should obey industry regulations.

    He said as a regulator, he would access airlines from the point of view of adherence to the industry laws.

    He also said the authority would provide the enabling environment for airlines to operate and succeed, adding that the way to go is to accept compliance with the law.

     

     

  • NAMA chief harps on quality service

    The Managing Director Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nnamdi Udoh, has urged Servicom officers in the industry to ensure quality in service delivery to airlines and the passengers.

    He spoke in Lagos during the quarterly Servicom networking meeting of all agencies in the Ministry of Aviation.

    Udoh, who lauded the recently introduced passengers’ Bill of Rights by the regulatory agency – the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), frowned on the shoddy handling of passengers by the airlines in terms of late departures and cancellations of flights at the airports and charged the industry Servicom team to brace up to the challenge.

    He said NAMA has already keyed into the Zero Complain principle where the ‘customer is the focal point of the agency’s operations’.

    The Chief Servicom Officer in the Presidency, Ms. Nnenna Akajemeli, noted the meeting was essentially critical, adding that it would yield results.

    She explained that Servicom officers in the various agencies have an onerous duty of not only reminding staff about their service obligation to the customer, but must also ensure that people do their jobs right, compliant with the service charter whose bottom line is that high service standards are met.

    She also charged desk officers to work proactively, especially in an industry like aviation which is essentially service driven.

    The General Manager, Servicom, NAMA, Mrs. Adejoju Lewis, said continuous service delivery has become a moving target in positioning NAMA as an excellent sole service provider of air navigation in the ever dynamic global aviation industry.

    Also speaking, the Servicom Nodal Officer in the Ministry of Aviation, Mr. Sulola Johnson, charged Servicom officers to ensure that services are delivered promptly and satisfactorily, saying that desk officers should take up the challenge of re-orientating staff members to know that the customer has the right to be served well.

  • Oduah seeks military partnership

    MInister of Aviation Princss Stella Oduah has called for collaboration between civil and military aviation to enhance safety quality.

    She made the call in Abuja at the while receiving the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Alex Sabundu Badeh.

    Oduah said her ministry would consider the request of the Air Force to rehabilitate and reopen the Mubi and Kaduna Airstrips in Maiduguri and Kaduna to ease military operations in the fight against Boko Haram Oduah said:”For us, it is very crucial to have proper collaboration between Civil and Military Aviation. It is the only way we can all work in peace; and when we work in peace we need efficient airports and operations that will be hitch-free and seamless.”

    She called for regular fora where stakeholders could address challenges that affect air safety and security, adding a situation at the airports where there are different and conflicting command and control centres, is not healthy for the system.

    “I think it doesn’t tell well of us that we are in a country where the Air Force Commandant is saying one thing and the Airport Manager or Director of Operations is saying something else, and this is not good for our passengers. And because we are in civilian times and we are also dealing with international passengers, we have to be seen as coordinating and collaborating well.

    “We must have a collaboration platform in all our airports because this will narrow the Command and Control centres, “ she said, adding that it is important to have a clear line of command in airport operation. “We need each other for the Nigerian airspace to be safe and to have an efficient aviation sector”, Oduah said.

    Earlier, Badeh told the minister that the Force has no objection to housing a Perishable Cargo terminal within the Makurdi Air Base.

    He commended the Ministry of Aviation, through the NCAA for granting the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), Kaduna the status of an Aviation Training Institution and for availing the Force the use of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria to train its pilots and Air Traffic Controller (ATCs).

    He disclosed that AFIT is currently building Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) which President Goodluck Jonathan would soon be requested to unveil to Nigerians.

    He said the Force remains grateful to the Minister for granting it permission to reopen the Mubi airstrip which will boost the fight against terrorism and insurgency in the North.

    “I want to thank you for granting us the permission to reopen the Mubi airstrip. We gave reasons in our letter; this fight against Boko Haram, if you need to carry troops, the army will need to go from Yola to Mubi and it is three hours. It is too long a time to go and give succour or to go and protect people who need help.

    So it is important to reopen it for military operations and quick evacuation”, the Air Chief declared, and appealed for the resurfacing of the runway and that in Kaduna airstrip.

     

  • Stowaway’s action stirs fresh security debate

    Stowaway’s action stirs fresh security debate

    How did he get into the wheel of the Lagos-bound Arik Air plane undetected at the Benin Airport in Edo State last Saturday? Some say thay saw him going under the plane, yet nothing was done to fish him out until the plane took off and landed in Lagos. Did he do it alone or was he aided? KELVIN OSA OKUNBOR reports.

    SOMETHING must have wrong. What went wrong remains the question. If nothing had not gone wrong, tenager Daniel Ihekina, would not have accessed the wheel well of an Arik Air plane to stow away.

    Since that incident, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and Arik Air have been bickering over what went wrong. None wants to accept blame.

    While FAAN is blaming the airline for the lapse, Arik is pointing fingers at the authority. It challenged the authority to explain how the teenager beat security checks at the Benin Airport in Edo State to hide in the wheel well of a plane.

    Arik said: ”We are worried by the incessant security lapses at our airports. We are appealing to the management of FAAN to immediately address the problem.”

    FAAN Managing Director George Uriesi said the authority has taken steps to ensure that all airports are secured through the phased airport perimeter fencing that started a few years.

    He said the government’s assessment tests have been carried out to block leakages, adding that FAAN is training its personnel on how to secure the airports.

    FAAN’s General Manager, Corporate Communication (FAAN), Mr Yakubu Dati, said perimeter fencing remains one of the cardinal areas in the airport infrastructure project, saying since 2011, the authority has worked out a schedule for the fencing.

    He cited airports where the operational and non-operational areas have been completed, to include Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, Margeret Ekpo International Airport, Calabar, and the Port Harcourt International Airport.

    Dati said the authority had acquired some operational vehicles for its security personnel to carry out surveillance on the airside, to prevent interference.

    The personnel were being trained, adding there is huge investment in technology.

    A security expert Babatunde Olu said FAAN should de-emphasise physical security and focus on intelligence gathering and use of technology.

    “The security protocols implemented at any airports are not only those things you can see with your eyes, or hear; a lot evolve from a well-articulated and approved national security programme, which is a resultant document based on a painstakingly documented security risk assessment and safety management system.”

    He said the training of security staff and other security operatives was also required.

    Last year, security agencies devised ways of securing the airports. The personnel from FAAN, security unit, Nigeria Police, Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigeria Customs Service, State Security Service, National Civil Defence Corps and the Nigeria Air Force promised to redouble their efforts at improving security.

    Deputy Commissioner of Police, Airport Command, Mr Haliru Gwandu, said the synergy among the agencies must be strengthened to keep potential unauthorised persons at bay from the airport.

    Gwandu called for more logistics for the Police to do their job, especially in perimeter patrol, arrest of miscreants and other unlawful interferences on the land and airside.

    He appealed to the authorities to put the right pegs in the right holes to avoid compromise among security agencies, adding that security is everyone’s duty.

    Other participants called for the deployment of the latest security technologies to assist airport security agencies achieve success in protecting the airports and its teeming passengers.

  • NCAA pledges fairness in procurement bid

    The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) will be fair in considering the bids for the 2013 Procurement Project, its Director of Administration Aba Ajembi, has said.

    Ajembi, who is chairman of the Bid Opening, said the process would open in line with the Public Procurement Act of 2007.

    Addressing reporters in Lagos, he said he was overwhelmed by the large number of people who expressed interest in the process.

    The bids, he said, were divided into several categories including Information communication technology, building and renovation projects as well as and supply of vehicle spares and other items.

    “By expressing your interest and coming to witness the bidding process, you have demonstrated your confidence in NCAA’s ability to deliver and follow due process,” he added.

    The bids opening, he said, had reached a stage after many months of preparation by the agency.

    What the bidders had done, he said, was part of participation in national development, adding that by submitting their bids, the bidders are exercising their democratic right.

    “On the part of NCAA, whatever we do, people must have confidence in us. People must trust us. People must also know that when we ground aircraft for example it is for safety and for the sake of the flying public. If you are doing business with us, is rest assured that fairness will be our watch word and due process and transparency will be the other of the day in line with Public Procurement Act of 2007,” he added.

     

    On his part, a representative of the Director General of NCAA, who is also the company Secretary, Barrister Pollie Okoronkwo, said “your coming shows that you value us and that you want to do business with us .We would not only follow due process but we would also ensure that the process is transparent.”