The Nation Newspaper

Category: Aviation

  • Arik, Emirate Touch Aviation Services sign lease agreement

    Arik, Emirate Touch Aviation Services sign lease agreement

    Arik Air and Emirate Touch Aviation Services Limited have signed a lease agreement for the airlines’ two Boeing 737-300 aircraft.

    The Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance (ACMI) agreement was signed in Lagos last week by the Chairman of Arik Air, Sir Joseph Arumemi-Ikhide and Director-General, Emirate Touch Aviation Services, Prince Isa Bayero.

    Under the terms of the agreement, Arik Air is leasing its two B737-300 aircraft (5N-MJA and 5N-MJB) to Emirate Aviation Services for cargo operations.

    Sir Arumemi-Ikhide said the event was significant because it marked the first time the airline was going into such an agreement with a Nigerian company. “We are pleased with this lease agreement. As a world class airline. Our mission is to build alliances and partnerships and increase capacity in the industry.”

    Prince Bayero said he was elated to partner with the leading indigenous carrier in Nigeria and hoped this would help increase capacity in the industry as envisioned by the founders of Arik Air.

    “This is a landmark agreement that will stimulate the growth of cargo operations in Nigeria and points beyond,” Prince Bayero said.

  • ‘Why illegal currency operators were banned’

    ‘Why illegal currency operators were banned’

    THE Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has cited security concerns as the reason it banned illegal currency exchange at the Murtala Muhammed International Airports, Ikeja, Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

    According FAAN’s General Manager, Corporate Communication, Mr Yakubu Dati, last week’s foiled robbery at the car park of the Lagos International Airport, was targeted at illegal currency exchange operators, otherwise known as black market operators at the car park.

    Dati urged passengers and genuine airport users to use banking facilities and licensed bureau de change operators at the airport for their transactions.

    He said in a statement: “The recent ban on illegal currency exchange at all our airports is informed by security concerns, following the armed robbery attack at the general car park of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport on March 13, 2013, during which some people at the car park were injured.”

    That attack was apparently targeted at illegal currency exchange operators (black marketers) at the car park, some of whom lost huge sums of money to the armed robbers. Similar attacks had taken place at the airport few times in the past, leading to loss of lives.

    The authority has the statutory responsibility of ensuring safety and security at the airports and can no longer tolerate such breach of security at our airports, which are classified as national security zones, as a result of the activities of illegal currency operators.

    We also wish to advise passengers and genuine airport users to make use of banking facilities and licenced bureau de change, located within airport terminals, for all their currency exchange transactions. This is the standard practice at airports all over the world, aside from the fact that the focus of the Transformation Agenda in the aviation industry is to ensure that services at all our airports comply with acceptable international standards and practices.

    This clarification is necessary to debunk mischievous insinuations already being made in some uninformed quarters that the Authority’s recent ban on illegal currency transactions at our airports is calculated to marginalise some sections of the country.

    Nothing could be from further the truth. The Authority’s action is a pre-emptive security measure designed to forestall more dangerous security breaches at the airports, in view of the current security situation in the country.”

     

     

  • Concerns over safety as crisis hits airlines

    Concerns over safety as crisis hits airlines

    The suspension of the licence of Dana Air for the second time in nine months has raised fresh concerns over safety in the airspace.

    The licence of Dana, which returned to business in December, last year, after a six-month lay-off, was withdrawn on Saturday because of a fault with one of its planes.

    The plane was to leave for Lagos when it developed battery problem.

    The Ministry of Aviation is investigating what led to the Mc Donnel Douglas 83 aircraft battery fault for not being fully charged before its take off. Amid the probe, some industry watchers said there is need to re-examine the Dana’s books before it is allowed to return to operation.

    It is believed that the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) hurriedly re-issued an air operator certficate to the airline last year, despite a huge public outcry.

    To stakeholders, the Ministry of Aviation and NCAA must carry out an overhaul of the industry to set things right.

    Acting General Secretary of the Nation Union of Air Transport Employees( NUATE) Comrade Motajo Abdulkareem said it was time NCAA and its new leadership undertook overhaul of airlines to ascertain their health, adding that the grounding of Aero and Dana could create pressure for the operators, which may not be able meet passengers’ needs.

    The timing of the crisis, he said, may cause anxiety among passengers.

    Motajo urged the Aviation and NCAA to convoke a stakeholders’ forum on the industry’s challenges.

    Acting General Secretary of the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria ( ATSSSAN), Comrade Olayinka Abioye, sought autonomy for NCAA, adding that the Executive should be stopped from ‘’unduly’’ interferring in the industry in line with global best practices.

    Last year, the Technical and Administrative Review Panel set up by the Federal Government to investigate the Dana June 3, last year crash, gave a damning verdict on the airline’s maintenance record.

    The committee headed by Group Captain John Obakpolor (rtd), stated that airline’s technical log book did not confirm with standards.

    The committee observed that in many instances, NCAA inspectors, blamed the lapses on insufficient manpower and training, urging the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in the aviation sector.

    The stakeholders are calling on NCAA’s Director-General designate Captain Fola Akinkuotu to tackle the challenges facing the sector. He was a staff member of the Nigeria Airways Limited where he worked for five years as an aircraft engineer before he was deployed as duty engineer to the Presidential Fleet.

    Later, he proceeded to the United States to train as a commercial pilot and flight engineer.

    Upon graduation, he worked as chief pilot at the ADC Airlines, former managing director, IRS Airlines and technical pilot, training and director, Flight Operations in former Virgin Nigeria Airways. He is expected to bring his vast experience to his job if he is eventually confirmed by the Senate.

    Stakeholders in the industry are anxious that Captain Akinkuoto’s experience would see him through the rigorous task of regulating civil aviation in Nigeria.

    Last year, the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation recommended the revocation of the air operators’ certificate of Dana Air. The committee also recommended that the MD 83 aircraft type flown by Dana should be phased out, as the NCAA has no certified engineer to handle such planes.

    The committee also recommended 15 years as age limit for passenger aircraft and 20 for cargo planes.

    The recommendations sparked a row. NCAA claimed that the MD 83 aircraft was still flown by many airlines in other countries.

    The NCAA listed the countries still operating the aircraft to include: Afghanistan, Argentina, Congo, Denmark, Egypt, Greece, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Kenya, Romania, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan, Ukraine and the United States.

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Arik Air to rebuild hangar

    Arik Air to rebuild hangar

    Chairman of Arik Air, Sir Arumemi Ikhide, has said the airline plans to rebuild its an aircraft maintenance hangar in Lagos in partnership with Lufthansa Technik, the Boeing Company and Bombardier, the Canafian aircraft manufacturer.

    Ikhide explained that this month, Arik Air will sign an agreement with Lufthansa on the deal.

    He explained that when completed, the hangar will not only carry out major repairs of Arik Air aircraft, but other new generation aircraft in the fleet of other domestic airlines in the country.

    Speaking in an interview, after receiving the President/Chief Executive Officer of Canadian aircraft manufacturer, Bombardier, Mr Pierre Beaudoin, who visited the airline in a facility tour, Ikhide explained that the relation between Arik Air and the company could best be described as the greatest assistance from multiple lateral organisations.

    He explained further that at inception, Arik Air got the first set of Bombardier Aircraft the CRJ from the company, which is the best regional aircraft that Nigerian passengers are excited over.

    He spoke of plans to consolidate the relationship between the airline and Bombardier to involve other areas of airline operations, not limited to aircraft acquisition.

    He said very soon, when the number of aircraft type manufactured by Bombardier increases In the fleet of the airline, discussions on maintenance facility could be explored .

    Ikhide called on the Federal Government consider as priority acquiring the Bombardier aircraft type for domestic operators, in the window of purchase it is facilitating, as the aircraft type of better for the Nigerian environment in terms of cost, and other factors.

    The Arik Air boss expressed gratitude to the Bombardier President for his support to the airline, affirming that the robust engagement with the airline has accelerated its growth and development despite the inherent challenges of the Nigerian environment.

     

     

     

    Ikhide said that the utilisation of Bombardier aircraft, has assisted Arik Air in the development of new routes, even as he said the aircraft type is loved by many Nigerians.

    He said :” We are very happy that the president of Bombardier is visiting Arik Air, the company are the initiator of Arik Air, they gave us the opportunity to bring in the first set of brand new airplanes into the Nigerian airspace after almost 25 years by any domestic airline,.

    They have helped to create a new model of how to get new airplanes for the Nigerian market.

    Like I told the minister of aviation, what Bombardier has done through the government if Canada is the better than any foreign aid you can get from any government of the world.

    The aircraft type has been a forerunner for our business in the area of route development.

    Bombardier products are very good, that is why we have told the Nigerian government not to look the other way, but to acquire Bombardier aircraft for domestic airlines.”

    He further said :” We are on the last lap of signing an agreement on Match ,19, 2013 with Lufthansa Technik in Hamburg, Germany, this is to enable us rebuild our maintenance hangar, that will take care of the repairs of our Bombardier aircraft, the company is buying into it, even, Boeing is buying into it.

    The hangar is going to be rebuilt, and it will take care of major repairs of aircraft, manned by Lufthansa personnel for the repairs of new generation aircraft of all airlines.

    This will be affordable for everybody.”

    In his comments, the Bombardier , President said :” This is a good visit to Arik Air, we started the partnership from the very beginning, and we helped to realise the vision of Arik Air of providing aircraft for safe flying in Africa.

    The airline has done very well, and we are very proud of Arik Air to partner with them.

    The African market is very interesting for us, what we see, is the need for Arik Air to lead other airlines to develop the regional network. In Africa there exists the challenge of regional connection, we are convinced that Arik Air as a regional leader, it could do much more.

    I am very impressed with the quality of work st Arik Air, the safety procedures , this is key to our partnership.”

    as worked tirelessly to strengthen the relations between Nigeria and Sierra Leone. He stated that the award ceremony was established in line with the directive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

    Receiving the merit award from the Sierra Leone High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Henry Macauley, Arik Air’s Freetown Manager, Mr. Femi Asun, said the honour would spur the airline to do even more to promote relations between Nigeria and Sierra Leone.

    Arik Air started operations toFreetown in June 2009 following the demand from both communities for direct air links between Sierra Leone and Nigeria ending years of limited access between the two countries. The airline now operates three weekly flights between Lagos, Nigeria and Freetown, Sierra Leone on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

    Arik Air’s Executive Vice President/Managing Director, Mr. Chris Ndulue said of the new award:

    “We are extremely pleased with this merit award by the Nigeria High Commission in Sierra Leone. It is recognition of our effort to stimulate travel, ease the movement of goods and personnel, and provide affordable air travel between Nigeria and Sierra Leone is appreciated by the government and by the people of the two nations.”

     

  • British Airways’ Airbus A380 makes debut in Oct.

    British Airways’ Airbus A380 makes debut in Oct.

    British Airways’ first Airbus 380 will fly on the “Red Carpet Route” from London to Los Angeles, with tickets on sale since last week for Nigerian passengers travelling to Los Angeles through London.

    The home of Hollywood, according to a statement, will be the inaugural destination for the first A380 to be operated by a UK airline. The double-decker superjumbo is due to be delivered to British Airways in July and seats are on sale for flights from October 15, this year.

    In celebration, the airline is launching with an offer from London to Los Angeles. Fares start at £499 return in World Traveller (economy) with a special £380 upgrade available for customers wanting to move up to World Traveller Plus. Club World return fares start from £3,800 for two people (£1,900 each).

    London-based actress Gemma Arterton said: “Working in film means that I spend a lot of time travelling around the world, often to Hollywood. It’s essential to arrive feeling fresh and ready for the day ahead, as I often hit the ground running, and I prefer to travel in style with British Airways.

    “It’s very exciting that the A380 will be flying to Los Angeles. I think the red carpet route will be very popular.”

    The second A380 route will be to Hong Kong, and customers can book flights now for travel fromNovember 15, 2013. Prices start from £559 return in economy or, for an additional £380, customers can upgrade to World Traveller Plus. Club World tickets again start from £3,800 for two people (£1,900 each).

    A380 enthusiasts eager to be on the very first commercial services should note that dates for these will be announced once plans for training flights are completed.

    Keith Williams, British Airways’ chief executive, said: “This will be a very special premiere. The A380 is a great aircraft that has been developed with huge amounts of British engineering ingenuity. London and Los Angeles are two world-leading cities, and we are proud to be the first airline to connect them with the A380.”

    The arrival of the A380 has entailed a multi-million pound redevelopment of British Airways’ Heathrow engineering base to support maintenance of the world’s largest commercial aircraft type. This included two 24-tonne roof ‘eyebrows’ being lifted into place in one of the hangars to raise the height of the entrance to accommodate the A380’s 24-metre tail-fin.

  • Concerns over appointments in agencies

    Concerns over appointments in agencies

    FORMER general manager Administration, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr Bitrus Ogba, has spoken in support of Aviation Minister, Princess Stella Oduah’s appointments into some agencies.

    He said contrary to insinuations, she was not engaged in ethnic cleansing.

    He said it was unfair for professionals to allege that people of certain ethnic groups were marginalised in recent appointments, adding that the minister has been more considerate in upholding the principles of fairness and geo-political spread as opposed to appointments done by some of her predecessors in office.

    Ogba spoke against the background of last week’s public hearing organised by the National Assembly to investigate allegations of lopsidedness in appointments into aviation agencies without recourse to the principle of federal character.

    Ogba said: “When the people of the southwest allege that they were marginalised by the appointment of the Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah, I get amused. And when I hear that the appointments she made were dominated by people from the southeast, I get bewildered.

    “If you check it, you will discover that Oduah’s appointments were the most balanced in the industry since 1999 because it gave full representation to every part of the country. But I know why the southwest is surprisingly crying marginalisation. In the past they used to dominate every appointment made in the industry. And even now, if you get the list of all the workers in all the aviation parastatals, you will find out that they have the highest number of appointments.

    The President of Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), Comrade Benjamin Okewu, said last week the unions would continue to insist that appointments to aviation agencies should refelect the principles of federal character to checkmate lopsidedness.

    Last year, the National Uinon of Air Transport Employees(NUATE), through, Comrade Adbulkareem Motajo, kicked over the appointment of some general managers into the FAAN, saying their appointment fell short of the stipulated requirements into public service.

    But, the Media Assistant to Oduah, Mr Joe Obi, said the minister approved appointments to enable government to have the right persons to actualise the government’s transformation agenda.

  • ‘Western-built jets recorded lowest accident rate in 2012’

    The 2012 global accident rate for Western-built jets was the lowest in aviation history, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has revealed.

    According to IATA Director-General, Mr Tony Tyler, about 100,000 flights arrived daily at their destinations.

    He said the industry’s record safety performance in 2012 was the best in history.

    The increasing safety rate for commercial jets was attributed to team work by many stakeholders in the global aviation sector.

    He said: “Airlines, airports, air navigation service providers, manufacturers and safety regulators must work together to ensure every flight is as safe as possible. Their dedication and cooperation has made air travel remarkably safe. Nevertheless, there is still work to do. Every accident is one too many and each fatality is a human tragedy.

    “Africa is a continent divided on performance. Airlines on the IOSA registry are performing at or above industry average rates. But the continent’s overall performance is far from satisfactory. It should be as safe to travel by air in Africa as it is in any other part of the world,” said Tyler.

    In May last year, IATA, with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and other organisations agreed to be committed to an Africa Strategic Improvement Action Plan aimed at addressing safety deficiencies and strengthening regulatory oversight in the region by 2015.

    The plan was endorsed as part of the ‘Abuja Declaration’ by the Ministerial meeting on Aviation Safety and Security of the African Union in July and endorsed at the Assembly of the African Union in January this year.

  • NAMA to protect low-flying planes in Niger Delta

    Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) plans to deploy automated data surveillance broadcast (ADSB), a state-of-the-art technology in airspace navigation, to boost safety of aircraft flying at lower altitude in the Niger Delta region.

    Its Managing Director Nnamdi Udoh said such a deployment became necessary because of the increase in the number of aircraft flying into and out of the Nigeria.

    The agency, according to the NAMA boss, “is striving to sustain an environment that promotes air safety, particularly in surveillance for pilots to fly with less communication – where pilots can fly more directly to their airports of destination. This, in the aviation parlance is called direct air navigation.”

    He said the agency was doing a lot in manpower development, because the “sophisticated equipment deployed by the agency would be manned by Nigerians.

    The NAMA boss said contrary to the notion that there is no surveillance in the Niger Delta, the agency’s radar captures flights in that region and would soon deploy (ADS-B) to capture low flying aircraft, such as helicopters to enhance safety and revenue.

    NAMA, he said, handles at least 500 aircraft and 300 helicopters that fly around the country’s airspace daily.

    The 500 aircraft, Udoh explained, is aside the numerous foreign aircraft that flies in the nation’s airspace en route other countries.

    He said the increasing number of aircraft that use the nation’s airspace will continue to challenge the infrastructure, including radio communication between the pilots and air traffic controllers.

    The NAMA boss explained that because of the increasing traffic in the airspace, the agency has taken steps to improve air navigation infrastructure and the total radio coverage of the country.

    He said the agency has been approached by many private airstrip and aerodrome operators to provide air traffic services, which is evidence of improved infrastructure and recurrent training of its personnel.

    This year alone, NAMA, he explained, has trained about 300 air traffic controllers both in United States, South Africa and Egypt in many areas of air traffic management.

    Udoh said the agency would continue to invest in the training of its personnel, which is key to ensuring that Nigeria meets the minimum acceptable standards in air traffic services.

    He explained that it is wrong for anybody to insinuate that the airspace is unsafe, stressing that it will be unprofessional for any air traffic controller to suggest so. He affirmed that no pilot will embark on any flight without receiving air traffic instructions from the control tower.

    He wondered why more foreign airlines will like to fly into the Nigerian airspace if it is not safe, explaining that without radio communication, which could have problems of congestion, pilots can still land their aircraft.

    NAMA is also planning to migrate from ground-based air navigation to satellite-based navigation among critical air safety personnel, investigations reveal.

    Migration to satellite based navigation, according to experts, is expected to reduce the work load of some air navigation personnel, including air traffic controllers. This is because an aircraft fit with the latest technology is supposed to fly without any guidance by air traffic controllers until it gets near the aerodrome of arrival.

    When the new air navigation system comes on stream, NAMA would require fewer air traffic controllers en route to carrying out advisory air traffic services to aircraft in flight.

  • Etihad Airways completes passenger services transfer

    Etihad Airways completes passenger services transfer

    Etihad Airways’ ‘Big Switch’ to its new Sabre Airline Solutions ‘SabreSonic’ Customer Sales and Service (CSS) system has been completed with minimal operational disruption across the airline’s global flight network during the cutover period.

    Etihad Airways’ President/Chief Executive Officer, James Hogan, said: “The cut over to the new SabreSonic Customer Sales and Service system has been an outstanding operation involving thousands of Etihad Airways’ staff and months of hard work.

    “To have achieved a cutover of this magnitude with such minimal disruption to our operations and customers is testament to the excellent teamwork between Etihad Airways and Sabre Airline Solutions.

    “We now have a passenger services system that is world class, and the ten year deal with Sabre means that we can continue to enhance and improve it year on year, which will ensure we’re always ahead of the game.”

    Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Sabre Holdings, said, Sam Gilliland: “Over the past few days, teams from Etihad Airways and Sabre have worked diligently on the successful migration onto our SabreSonic Customer Sales and Service system. The success of the migration is directly related to the outstanding project management by Etihad Airways and Sabre.

    “We are confident that SabreSonic will deliver outstanding value to Etihad Airways through increased revenues, the ability to personalise the travel experience to their customers and improved operational efficiency. We welcome Etihad Airways to our community.”

    The mammoth cutover operation involved hundreds of members of Etihad Airways’ staff who initially implemented, tested and configured the new software. They then worked on transferring all existing 530,000 bookings into the new system and restructuring the airline’s website.

     

     

    The SabreSonic CSS cutover team reworked the business processes, rewired all of the links into the airline’s operation and back office systems, and transferred all of the network connections, before doing a final check to ensure the system was ready to go live.

    SabreSonic CSS is state-of-the art in every way and transforms Etihad Airways’ reservations, inventory, eCommerce, distribution, and departure control activities, as well as providing customers with significantly enhanced mobile and communications access.

    The transformation, involving the training of more than 6,700 Etihad Airways and third party staff, is the most challenging IT and business-critical initiative Etihad Airways has ever undertaken and is at the centre of a US$ 1 billion technology agreement with Sabre Airline Solutions.

    The new SabreSonic CSS enables customers to take greater control of their journey and have more choice about how they interact with the airline. Customers can also complete transactions, such as purchasing upgrades at check-in, more easily than ever before.

    In addition to Etihad Airways’ Abu Dhabi hub, 23 other airports around the world cutover to the SabreSonic CSS platform during the weekend with the implementation in the remaining destinations set to continue until the end of March.

    Etihad Airways’ cutover took place a month after its equity partner Virgin Australia made its own Big Switch to SabreSonic CSS. airberlin, another member of the Etihad Airways equity alliance, also uses a wide selection of Sabre products.

    Mr Hogan added: “The bonds between Etihad Airways’ alliance airlines continue to strengthen and it is extremely beneficial that Virgin Australia and Etihad Airways both now have the Sabre CSS system and others also use Sabre products. It is a further example of the synergies that tie Etihad Airways and our equity partners together.”

  • Prospective airlines may crash fares on domestic routes

    Prospective airlines may crash fares on domestic routes

    Fares on the domestic route may crash soon. New airlines are planning to enter to enter the market. These airlines are grappling to scale the hurdles of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) in securing the Air Operators’ Certificate (AOC), a major requirement for airlines.

    According to a source, NCAA has been inundated with requests from many operators and investors interested in coming into the industry.

    Investigations revealed that the NCAA may soon grant approval to at least 10 airlines.

    Active domestic for now are Arik Air, Aero Airlines, Dana Air, Medview Airlines, Chanchangi Airlines, IRS Airlines, and Overland Airways. First Nation Airways, Associated Aviation and Air Nigeria have suspended their operations.

    It was learnt that some operators are concerned that should the NCAA open the floodgate for more players in the sector, air fares may likely drop, as the new entrants are said to be working hard to secure the environment-friendly aircraft that would be economical to operate.

    Since the NCAA certified Dana Air to return for operations, with the issuance of its new air operators’ certificate in line with the revised Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (NCAR), fares on the domestic route have fallen.

    The reduction in air fares on major trunk routes, including, Lagos -Abuja, Lagos-Port Harcourt, which operators describe as the golden triangle, have led to serious competition, among airlines, with flexible booking offers.

    Apart from Dana Air’s return, the addition of Medview Airlines as well as the return of Chanchangi Airlines have led to reduced fares on the Lagos-Abuja routes, where some carriers had near monopoly status.

    Investigations by The Nation revealed that online booking for airlines has offers a range of fares between N14,000 and N20,000 on the Lagos – Abuja routes in the following airlines, Medview, Dana Air, Aero and IRS Airlines last week, as opposed to the over N25,000 and N30,000, some carriers were offering last year.

    Observers claimed that the higher fare regime last year was predicated on the limited number of airlines in operations at the time.

    Investigations also revealed that evening fares were relatively lower than early morning fares on the Lagos-Abuja route.

    A source hinted that the probable return of First Nation Airways, Associated Aviation, and Air Nigeria, may lead to more competition among players, with fare reduction, as the selling point of the airlines.

    It was learnt that some domestic airlines are concluding business discussions with Brazilian aircraft manufacturer – Embraer, to acquire regional jets, which are fuel efficient and environment friendly to reduce operating costs.

    The decision to acquire Embraer jets, it was learnt, comes on the heels of plans by the manufacturer to set up a maintenance facility in Nigeria, which will reduce the cost of aircraft maintenance, to enable the airlines to charge lower fares and operate efficiently.

    Airlines that are working in this direction, it was gathered, include Associated Aviation, which is set to return soon with lower air fares.

    The NCAA, it was learnt, is excited over the plan.

    An industry expert, who pleaded not to be named, has urged the minister of aviation to distribute the 30 aircraft to be facilitated by government to domestic airlines that are seeking revaluation of their AOC, from the NCAA, insisting that such option is more feasible than setting up a national carrier.

    The expert hinted that giving such aircraft to smaller airlines that operate into secondary airports, as feeder carriers will assist to checkmate the dominance to the big players, thereby bringing about reduction in airfares.

    He affirmed that giving the aircraft to such carriers after due diligence on their managers based on industry knowledge and business plan, will achieve more result than starting afresh a national carrier, which survival remains uncertain.