The Nation Newspaper

Category: Aviation

  • Iberia upgrades Lagos-Madrid service

    Three months after increasing the number of Lagos-Madrid flights from three to four per week, Iberia has announced additional enhancements to the service connecting Nigeria and Spain, including more convenient flying times and improved entertainment options.

    This schedule is more convenient for passengers staying in Madrid and those bound for any of Iberia’s more than 40 destinations in Europe, 30 in the rest of Spain, and 22 in the Americas; in fact, some 60 per cent of Lagos-Madrid passengers fly to other cities, which shows the importance of this time change.

    In addition, Business class passengers will be offered iPads to access Iberia’s wide range of in-flight entertainment options, which improves the quantity and quality of this service to our highly valued Iberia business class Passengers.

  • Unions hail zero per cent tariff for airlines

    Unions hail zero per cent tariff for airlines

    The Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) have praised the government for the zero per cent tariff on aircraft and spare parts import.

    They said the measure would airline operators to bring in new aircraft for their operations.

    National President, ATSSSAN, Benjamin Okewu, said the policy had provided an opportunity for operators to bring in aircraft that can stand the test of time.

    He said it was an opportunity for the operators to refleet their aircraft and reduce their fares, pool resources and source for loan with one digit interest from the international financial organisations to bring equipment that will enhance the air transport system in the country.

    He said: “For airline operators, they should capitalise on this noble opportunity to refleet their stock of aircraft. In doing that, they must take into consideration the routes they are flying. The route must determine the type of the aircraft to be brought in.”

    Okewu noted that tarriff has been the major constraint on the part of the airline, especially in the last five years when it became obvious that local airlines were on the verge of going down, as a result of high tariffs on parts, which led to calls by the unions to grant waivers to the aviation sector.

    The ATSSSAN boss lamented that a cartel has hijacked the oil sector, making it difficult to have JET A1 refined in the country to the detriment of the airlines, adding that aviation fuel accounted for about 40 per cent of the running cost of an airline.

    He called for the building of dedicated refineries for JET A1, as aviation has continued to play a vital role in driving the economy. ”As a stop gap measure, the government should instruct the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to produce the required quantity that is needed in the country,” he said.

    On the construction of five new international airports by the Federal Government, Okewu was optimistic that the long-awaited plan have started taking off, describing it as good.

    Comrade Mohammed Safiyanu, the National President of NUATE, said the removal of tariff on aircraft and spares import have been the desire of the union and the Airlines Operators of Nigeria (AON).

    According to Safiyanu, airline operators have argued that the cost of importation of an aircraft and its parts have been responsible for the high cost of fares, adding that the zero tariffs will go a long way in crashing air fares on the domestic routes.

    The NUATE chief, however, called on the government to look into the possibility of refining petroleum products in the country especially the JET A1 to reduce airfares in the country.

    “We saying that the refineries must be made to work and refine these products in the country, especially JET A1. This will make more people to fly instead of going by road,” Safiyanu said.

    On the five new airports approved for construction by the government, the union leader said it was a good development if only the existing ones could be maintained along with the construction of the new international ones.

    He advised that work going on at the old airports should not be abandoned while constructing the new terminals, adding that there was hope for the country’s aviation sector.

    Also speaking on the issue, Arik Air described it as a heart warming concession that would assuage the high operating costs of domestic airlines.

    The Executive Vice President/Managing Director, Arik Air Mr Chris Ndulue, praised the concession and that it would not only enhance safety, but also assuage the high operating costs incurred by airlines.

    He praised the President for mustering the political will to incorporate the tariff waiver in the 2013 budget , thereby giving vent to the long sought relief for domestic airlines that have been reeling under the cumbersome Custom procedures for imported aircraft and spare parts.

  • MedView gets domestic licence

    The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has issued an Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) to Medview Airlines to start scheduled flight operations.

    The airline has been pursuing the licence for about two years.

    The airline’s certificate was to operate scheduled cargo, charter and passengers’operations.

    The AOC, a mandatory prerequisite before any airline can begin operations, was signed by the Director-General, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr. Harold Demuren.

    The certificate, with registration number MVA/AOC/10-12/05, was issued on October 19.

    During the presentation, Demuren challenged MedView management to contribute its qouta to the development of the sector, warning that the agency would not tolerate any unprofessional conduct from any airline.

    He said unlike in the past when the AOC could be got easily by intending carrier in the industry, NCAA would ensure that anybody issued the certificate must be those that duly deserve it.

    He emphasised that the agency would not relax its rule to achieve safety for passengers and aircraft in the sector.

    Besides, the Managing Director of the airline, Alhaji Muneer Bankole, commended the agency for its oversight function. He described the mandatory demonstration flight of 50 hours by NCAA as a step in the right direction.

    He explained that the essence of the 50-hour demonstration flight was to ensure that the applicant could carry out scheduled operations with the safety standards, adding that the carrier was the fifth airline to be certificated by NCAA under the new recertification programme of NCAA.

    Bankole said the airline would start its inaugural flight in the first week of next month after its in-house orientation scheduled for this week.

    As part of its Unique Selling Proportion (USP), Bankole said on-time departure and arrival would be its watchword as he observed that most of the carriers currently flying in the industry were not time conscious, adding that its safety and in-flight services would be distinct from others.

    He said: “What we achieved today was not a child’s play. First, I want to commend the NCAA and the Director-General, who probably in his wisdom, decided to enforce the compliance. It is a good thing for this nation and the industry. Today, we are the fifth airline that will get this certification by NCAA. I’m talking here about recertification since this AOC has started.

    “Demonstration flight, we will not condemn it. It is the best because you don’t carry commercial passengers when you are not sure that your aircraft is safe for flying.

    “They insisted that we must fly 50 hours and we flew 50 hours and 35 minutes and it is on record that we gave them seven hours 35 minutes extra.”

  • Aviation roadmap, one year on

    Since assuming office, Princess Stella Oduah has left no one in doubt that she is on a serious mission. She inherited an industry, as Minister of Aviation, on the verge of collapse. The absence of a well articulated aviation policy, excessive bureaucracy and bad management is its albatross. Attempts to formulate a national policy dates back to 1986. African ministers responsible for civil aviation met in Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast in October 1988 to fine-tune common positions. This heralded the historic Yamoussoukro Declaration (YD) of 1988. It became imperative to harmonise the National Aviation Policy of 1989 with the Regional Aviation Policy contained in the Yamoussoukro Declaration of 1988 which was reaffirmed in 1994. Princess Oduah waded through these policies and came up with the Aviation Road map. The Road-map provided the institutional framework for the provision of infrastructure, monitoring and control of the industry. One year down the road, critics are no longer in doubt about government’s determination to implement the road-map.

    Princess Oduah showed she meant business when shortly on assuming office, she stopped the exploitative collection of N2, 500 passenger service charge (PSC) introduced unilaterally by the operators. Her mission to restore aviation to its rightful place as a vehicle for economic progress was not open to negotiation. In the words of Henry Longfellow, “In this world a man must either be an anvil or hammer”. Those who dared to stand on her way have confessed that beneath her soft spoken mien is an iron lady.

    When she engaged the British authorities on the airfare disparity saga, she stood eyeball to eyeball with our erstwhile colonial masters, to the admiration of her compatriots. Known for walking where angels fear to tread, Princess Oduah inherited a sector that had virtually negotiated away its soul to powerful forces in the guise of public private partnerships (PPP), concessionaires and other drain pipes. At least, four ministers had fought the ‘aviation cabal’ to no success. For a woman who has conquered the private sector and successfully established a business conglomerate with interest spanning oil and gas, agriculture, engineering, logistics, trading and philanthropy, fate had prepared her for a time like this.

    Worried by the decay at airports and terminals built over 30 years ago, the minister embarked on massive reconstruction and remodelling. The Kaduna and Kano Hajj terminals were remodelled and commissioned in record time. Work is on-going at the Sokoto terminal. Within three months of mounting the saddle, she began work on 11 airports in the first instance, out of the 22 earmarked. From Lagos to Yola, Port Harcourt to Enugu, the quality and pace of work took the aviation sector by storm. She restored our national pride and implored Nigeria’s standing in the comity of nations. Some ‘aviation stakeholders’ are, however, seething that the minister deviated from the normal practice where money is shared among ‘stakeholders’. With a threat to teach her a lesson, they alleged that the minister was remodelling the airports without approval. They also claimed that contracts were awarded without due process and that the (BASA) funds were being spent without regard for laid down procedures. Unknown to them, due process was followed and approvals received from relevant authorities before embarking on the projects. Furthermore, the contractors were using their money to fund the projects without a kobo taken from the BASA funds!

    Unperturbed, the minister rolled up her sleeves for move work as she embarked on the Aerotropolis project. This concept which has been embraced internationally is about building cities with complete infrastructure around airports. Similar to Schipol in Germany, Amsterdam in Netherland and Heathrow in the United Kingdom, this new business module is yet another window to attract foreign investment and grow the economy.

    To harness the benefits of the critical infrastructure being put in place, Princess Oduah went on an international investment road show. The investment road show being a key element of the road map for transformation of the air transport industry is already yielding results.

    The Chinese have already signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Nigeria to finance the construction of 11 new state-of-the-art airports out of which six will be for perishables. The conferment of the award of the public officer of the year 2011 on Princess Oduah by Leadership did not come to many as a surprise. As a workaholic who is not given to vain glories, she is a great believer in nation building. In his treatise, James Thomas notes: “To be a great thinker and so always master of the situation, one must of necessity have been a great thinker in action. An eagle was never yet hatched from a goose’s egg.”

    On October 22, the first of the 11 remodelled terminals was commissioned by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Senator Anyim Pius Anyim.

    Stakeholders, hitherto with doubts, had a change of mind when they saw the magnificence of the new terminal. With that, the wind was taken out of the sail of the minister’s critics.

    But the minister cannot be deterred by such distractions! She has placed her hands on the plough and there is no looking back. As the remaining 10 remodelled airports await commissioning in quick succession in the next two months, work will soon begin on the remaining 10 airports in the second phase of the remodelling project. The airport landscape has become one huge construction site and Nigerians owe it all to Princess Oduah.

     

    •Yakubu Dati is the General Manager (Corporate Communications of FAAN)

  • FAAN eyes 8.5 million passengers

    As part of the new business plan by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), passenger movement at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, is projected to increase from 6.7 million in 2011 to about 8.5 million by 2016. This is the expected fallout of many factors, including the on-going airport remodelling, as well as the expected increase in the number of domestic airlines.

    According to the Regional Manager of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, Mr Edward Adedamola Olarerin, the airport authority will embark on a continuous programme of infrastructure upgrade, as well as innovation and customer focused service delivery, which is expected to drive the development and growth of the sector.

    Olarerin explained that with the anticipated increase in the number of domestic airlines, which will operate into the Murtala Muhammed AIrport, the 8.5 million passenger Mark will be realisable as government remains focussed in improving operational infrastructure at the airport.

    He explained that the airport authority is anticipating an increase in its revenue stream from aeronautical sources, including retail outlets and other sources, which is a fall out of the on going improvement in infrastructure and services.

  • Firm seeks buyers for aircraft

    Firm seeks buyers for aircraft

    As the global airline industry is going through crisis, leading to the liquidation of many, indications have emerged that Malev Hungarian Airlines has approached Arik Air to buy some of its airplanes.

    Investigations revealed that Malevolent Hungarian Airlines, which is in liquidation, is seeking buyers for two of its aircraft: Boeing 737 – 800 , but the offer was rejected by Arik Air on the grounds that the aircraft first generation types ranging from eight to 10 years.

    Arik Air’s rejection of the offer to buy the aircraft, it was learnt, is predicated that the aircraft type is at variance with the aircraft type on the fleet of Arik Air.

    It was further gathered that at the time of the liquidation of the Malevolent Hungarian Airlines, it had 22 aircraft in its fleet, which are being kept.

    There are also indications that some of the aircraft could find their way to Nigeria through other carriers, which source for aircraft held in storage by either liquidated carriers or airlines, which are ready to dispose their airplanes when in crisis.

    The desire to acquire used aircraft from foreign carriers has become fashionable among Nigerian carriers because of the prohibitive costs of getting new airplanes either from the shelf or on order from major aircraft manufacturers.

    Another factor that accounts for this is the seeming difficulty of Nigerian carriers to get lessors release aircraft to them because of high cost of lease rentals and insurance, which has increased, after the crash of Dana Air and the collapse of Air Nigeria, making Nigeria one of the high risk countries among aviation investors.

  • SAHCOL for Hajj operation

    The Skyway Aviation Handling Company Limited (SAHCOL) has received approval to provide ground handling services for outbound and inbound operations of the 2012 Hajj Operations, the spokesman of the company Mr Basil Agboarumi has said.

    By this, SAHCOL is expected to provide ground handling services, covering ramp, passenger and baggage to four airlines for the Hajj Operations. They include Marx Air, Kabo Air, Med View and Meridian Airlines.

    He explained that the services would be provided at the designated airports for the Hajj , namely, Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt, Maiduguri, Minna, Yola, Sokoto, Katsina, Ilorin, Gombe and Kaduna.

    Out of the 85, 000 pilgrims that would go through these airports, SAHCOL is expected to provide handling services to 65, 000 pilgrims.

    Meanwhile, SAHCOL has already deployed personnel and equipment to these stations to allow for a hitch-free Hajj.

    “The firm is geared towards ensuring efficient and speedy delivery of aviation ground handling services to its customers, thereby making SAHCOL a reference point where efficiency of a successful flight is born,” SAHCOL said in a statement.

    Since the takeover of SAHCOL by the SIFAX Group in December 2009, SAHCOL has invested in personnel development and state-of-the-art equipment, fleet replacement, and massive infrastructural development, which have helped reposition the company to meet the needs and expectations.

  • ‘Why aviation sector is in crisis’

    ‘Why aviation sector is in crisis’

    FIFTY-TWO years after Nigeris’s Independence, its aviation sector is still in a sorry state, according to President, Aviation Round Table (ART) Captain Dele Ore.

    Speaking with reporters in his office in Ikeja, Lagos, Ore said some policies executed by the government in the sector could not stand the test of time. He said instead of the government to allow the managers in the industry to do their jobs, it appointed non-experts, adding that, as a result of this, the industry has been in a traumatic state.

    The former pilot with the defunct Nigerian Airways said: “I think in the last 52 year,s as far as aviation is concerned, I can say that it has been very turbulent to the extent that there are several areas where you can ask questions, such as: have we really learnt anything? And the answer is in the negative. We are not learning. I am going to start simply by recalling that in the last 52 years, we have had 34 ministers in the aviation industry and if we want to do a little bit of mathematics, it is merely one minister for every 18 months.

    “What kind of policy can you put in place that could be enduring? It cannot endure and that is the bane of the industry.The industry would have been doing much more better if we allowed managers to do their jobs; instead we send ‘damagers’ to take over from them. So, invariably, we are working with ‘damagers’ instead of working with managers in the industry and it is such a pity”.

    Ore, however, said the first disservice the government did to aviation was the liquidation of Nigerian Airways, pointing out that, since then, it has been motion without movement. He said stakeholders and the government were just dancing in a circle in the industry.

    According to him, since the liquidation of Nigerian Airways, airlines in the private sector had been coming and going. He said at a time Nigeria had about 28 airlines, but now the viable ones are about five.

    “The first and most disastrous disservice that we did to aviation was the liquidation of Nigerian Airways.Aviation has not been the same since then; so that was the beginning of the problem for aviation because by the time you killed Nigerian Airways or we assassinated it or we murdered it, so many things died with it. That was when training also stopped, developing manpower stopped and if you don’t have a continuous stream of manpower to replace ageing ones; that is a source of problem,” he said.

  • Dana Air begins test flight amid victims’families’complaints

    Dana Air begins test flight amid victims’families’complaints

    DANA has begun a test flight ahead of its planned resumption of operation amid complaints of neglect by families of victims of its crahed plane in Lagos on June 3.

    There are concerns over the airline’s failure to settle owners of properties the aircraft damaged in Iju-Ishaga, a Lagos suburb.

    Owners of the warehouse and duplex the aircraft crashed into, Pastor Daniel Oluranti Omowumi, said last week he lost over N505 million in the crash. He claimed that Dana Air offered him N500,000 as palliative which he rejected. He said since then, he had not heard from the airline. He described its management’s attitude “as inhuman, insensitive and ungodly.”

    Pastor Omowumi, who briefed reporters last week, said he waited till now to seek redress over the insensitivity of Dana Air to his plight as a mark of respect for the 153 passengers who perished in the crash.

    He said the attitude of Dana Air management in not responding to his plight after its aircraft destroyed his life investments was enough indication that it should not be allowed to operate in a civilised environment, where the rights of individuals are taken seriously.

    Dana Air last week embarked on a test flight ahead of its resumption of operations. One of its aircraft was spotted in the air in Lagos to ascertain the airworthiness of the airplane having been on ground for four months, after the crash.

    The aircraft, it was learnt, had on board officials of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), whose mission was to ensure that the carrier met the requirements to resume operations.

    Dana Air spokesman Tony Usidamen confirmed the test flight, saying that it was one of the requirements set for the airline to resume operations.

    A source hinted that staff of the carrier have since been recalled in readiness for operations, adding they are putting processes in place for a hitch- free resumption of flights.

    The source said the carrier may resume flight this week , if all goes well. He said the insurers are working round the clock to resolve issues of compensation to family members who lost their loved ones to the crash.

    Pastor Omowunmi said since June 20, following the request of the airline, he sent a statement of claims through his solicitor, Messers Dele Adesina and Co. to its management. But, four months after, the airline was yet to respond.

    He said: “I have waited till this moment so that families of our dear Nigerians and other nationals killed in the crash could be attended to by Dana Air. Today, I have come to realise that the management of Dana Air are killers and satanic.How could you destroy all that I have worked for in my life, yet be comfortable to turn deaf ears to my plight and homeless family. My lawyer clearly indicated in my letter to Dana Air that my property serves as my residence and business premises, as I use the place as a furniture factory, warehousing goods for people and running a fish pond.”

    He vowed to embark on actions to seek redress, which are not limited to court actions to enforce his rights and that of his family .

    He, however, called on President Goodluck Goodluck Jonathan, the Lagos State Governor and the minister of Aviation to put pressure on Dana Air management to discharge their responsibility to him as required under the law.

    He listed the property damaged by the Dana Air aircraft to include a six- bedroom duplex, four-bedroom bungalow and two standard warehouses all located at N0. 8/10 Popoola Street, Iju/ Ishaga, Lagos State.

    Besides, he said four fish ponds that were fully stocked were also damaged, alongside other items, including 517 panel doors, imported educational materials, imported kitchen utensils, furniture making machines and other equipment.

    Meanwhile, DANA Air has reassured all affected residents that compensation would be paid by its insurers in accordance with the law.

    Usadimen said: “ DANA Air would like to reaffirm that all claims are being paid by our insurers in accordance with the law. Cogents efforts to provide temporary relief to the displaced residents were made on July 3, 2012, when the airline presented cheques to affected families. But, some declined the offer citing personal reasons.”

  • ‘Desist from reforms that strangulate business’

    ‘Desist from reforms that strangulate business’

    If the Federal Government must carry out reforms in the aviation sector, such efforts must not strangulate the operating environment by pushing operators out of business, but it must address operational challenges, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Widescope International Logistics Limited, Mr Segun Musa has said.

    According to the freight forwarders chairman of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja, Lagos, until the Federal Government establish a cargo village at the Lagos Airport, efforts to sanitize the cargo section of the industry will not yield the desired results.

    He explained that as is the practice in other parts of the world, the establishment of a cargo village at the airport will boost trade facilitation, as such a facility will not only earn revenue for government, but will help to organize the business of freight by air for goods coming in and out of the country.

    Musa, who spoke in an interview, explained that the major challenge operators in the cargo and freight arm of the aviation sub sector face range from exclusion by government officials while putting policies in place that will shape operations at the airport.

    He explained that it is only valid for government to carry along stakeholders in the sector, when fine-tuning policies and programmed that will assist to order the business of trade facilitation.

    Musa also faulted the insufficient capacity of financial institutions in Nigeria, including banks to fund serious aviation projects including loans to acquire aircraft, affirming that the banks rather than focus on their core business of funding businesses, have deviated into other areas.

    Musa said it appears out of place for banks to be setting up subsidiaries to run their customers out of business, thereby shrinking the competitive space for players that do not have the available capacity to fizzle out.