The Nation Newspaper

Category: Aviation

  • FAAN laments damage of facility

    FAAN laments damage of facility

    The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has raised the alarm over the wanton destruction of convenience facilities at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

    Such attitude by passengers the managing director of the airport authority, Mr George Uriesi warned is at variance with the transformation agenda of government of making the airports safe, convenient and secured for either inbound or outbound passengers.

    Uriesi who spoke at a one day conference on viable options for airlines financing explained that some passengers have continued to damage facilities that were installed at the refurbished toilets at the Lagos Airport, affirming that it would be proper for such passengers to seek clarification on how to utilise the highly sensitive facilities with sensors.

    He explained that the resolve of government is to deliver facilities at the airports that are world class, as is the practice in other airports across the globe, but expressed dismay that rather than key into this revolutionary move, passengers have demonstrated a shabby culture of damaging the toilet handles.

    Such actions by passengers he said will act as a disincentive for the airport authority , which is poised to fast track the renovation of the terminal , even as he said some section of the terminal will be completed for use before the end of the year.

    Uriesi also spoke of plans to complete the remodelling of the terminals at Benin  and Owerri airports before the end of the year, affirming that the delay in completing the projects on schedule were due to extraneous factors, which were not antiquated at the commencement of the project.

  • Operators to access Bombardier jets

    Operators to access Bombardier jets

    To boost domestics operations, the Federal Government is facilitate the acquisition of brand new Bombardier regional jets by airlines.

    This is part of the benefits of the investment tour by officials of the Ministry of Aviation and some agencies that visited Canada, China and the United States.

    Under the plan, an investment tracking desk has been opened at the ministry to enable officials react within a few days to questions asked by potential investors, who may wish to carry out due diligence.

    The choice of regional jets, it was learnt, is based on their suitability for short distant operations which is the forte of domestic airlines.

    Regional jets, according to experts, apart from lowering operating costs in terms of fuelling, are ideal for routes, where the passenger traffic oscillates depending on a myriad of factors.

    Only Arik Air uses such in Nigeria.

    Bombardier regional jets are used mainly for short haul flights in developed aviation economies where passenger traffic is encouraging, unlike in Nigeria where domestic operators deploy massive aircraft, including Boeing and Airbus aircraft types on short haul routes, which are meant for medium and long haul routes.

    The Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr George Uriesi, said Boeing Company would also be visiting Nigeria to carry out an audit of the aircraft and airlines to the ascertain their air worthiness.

    The company, he said, is expected to give a specific evaluation of every aircraft operating in the country to raise the bar of air safety.

    The idea is to have an idea of the status of every aircraft and airline in the country with a view to having a full brief of the situation, which will remain confidential to the company and the ministry of aviation he said.

    He said a clause of non disclosure was signed with the aircraft manufacturer to ensure that the technical safety information is managed effectively.

    The company, Uriesi said, would partner with Nigeria in setting up a maintenance and repair overhaul facility, by lending its expertise to project.

  • How to save domestic airlines, by experts

    How to save domestic airlines, by experts

    How can domestics airlines operation be saved from going insolvent? It is by providing them low interest loans from foreign lenders, some operators have said

    The Chief Executive Officer of Overland Airways, Captain Edward Boyo and the Managing Director of Aero Airlines, Captain Akin George said high interest rates by local lenders were killing airlines.

    Boyo and George lamented the low funding of the sector, which they affirmed is hampering aircraft acquisition

    Boyo said until operators are able to manage the right equipment, in terms of aircraft suitable for some routes, the industry would continue to struggle.

    The airlines, he said would only experience organic growth if the relevant agencies, including the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), carry out due diligence on would-be airline operators before commencement of flight operations.

    Most operators, he said, often ran into problems because they do not do an analysis of the expected yield in their operations, arguing that the inability of operators to understand the cost benefit analysis in the sector, has led to the collapse of many airlines.

    He said: “Airline operators must get their economics right before venturing into services and ensure that issues such as maintenance, personnel, market capacity and revenue management must be taken into consideration.

    On government’s role to grow the industry, Boyo said: “Government should continue to invest in improving security and ensure that there is improvement in oversight capacity and regulatory services. Government should implement waivers on taxes and import duties on aircraft’s spares.

    “Government should also consider the establishment of aircraft hangar, and ensure that there is a deliberate policy aimed at growing the domestic market. The government must implement the domestication of the Cape Town Convention, which ought to make it easier for lessors of aircraft to repossess their airplanes and also facilitate the acquisition of modern ones less cumbersome for Nigerian airlines.”

    On his part, George said: “Without trying to make the issues complicated, airlines need to have access to funding. It is pure and simple. If government could do that, the problems will soon be over for domestic carriers and their managers.

    “If you have access to funding to sort out your problems, you need to reduce your costs. The main costs are the government taxes. Once that is taken out, government could go a step further by improving infrastructure at the airports. Infrastructure itself is cost to the airlines; if government could improve that it takes out the other costs.

    “If we have access to funding to do our business, we make more money, reduce the cost of operations, and then the equation is balanced. The idea is that everybody wants this to happen overnight, it is not going to work that way.

    “What government needs to do is to ensure that measures put in place to improve the business and operating environment for airlines must be long lasting. Not quick fixes. That will not solve the problems of the aviation sector.

    “In Nigeria, we like to do things over and done with, when we rush for quick fixes we tend to forget that whatever we do affects our neighbours. And that is why the ministry of aviation must take a holistic look at how to generally improve the industry,” he stated.

    He said everybody would wish that aircraft maintenance is done in Nigeria, because of the cost implications, which also allows operators to bring in the expertise into the country. And when you get technically minded-people, when you go back home, it not only affects aviation, it also affects the country as a whole. Our aim is to increase the pool of Nigerian airlines with the required technical expertise to carry out aircraft maintenance locally.

    “But, it will always remain a high cost business, because aviation is not cheap, and we should not be looking at everybody doing aircraft maintenance at home. That is not to mean that it should also be made unnecessarily expensive and that is what we are doing at this time. Make it relatively not too expensive, but the business the airlines that have the capacity could make some profit from.

  • Crash victims’ families plan suit to stop Dana’s operation

    WILL it be business as usual for dana Air following the restoration of its operating licence?

    The signs are that the airline still has a lot to contend with before returning to business.

    The airline’s operation was suspended following the crash of its flight D-992 in Iju-Ishaga, a Lagos suburb in which 153 persons died.

    Some of the victims families, it was learnt, are planning a suit to stop the airline from resuming operations.

    The airline has to grapple with how to rebuild passengers’ confidence on the use of the McDonnel Douglass 83 type aircraft for its operations. The plane had lost two engines few minutes to landing at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

    Some passengers, who spoke to The Nation, expressed reservations over their patronage of the airline, if its management sticks to the use of the aircraft.

    They urged the airline management to consider choosing another aircraft type , which they said would boost passengers’ confidence .

    Another challenge the airline may face is the delay in the payment of compensation to families of victims that died in the crash.

    According to the Director-General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr Harold Demuren, the airline has only paid 62 of the 153 families that died in the crash. He gave reasons why the delay.

    Demuren cited the slow pace of identification of victims bodies; the need to ensure that documentation is tidy by appropriate identification of the right person to pay and prevention of multiple claims.

    He said the payment of 91 other families may take some time because of litigation, as some families in the United Kingdom, United States and other parts of the world have gone to court over the crash.

    Demuren also confirmed that Dana because of its aircraft type may have to go through recertification before it resumes operations so as to allow the authorities ascertain that everything is technically fit with the aircraft.

    He said : “ We cannot say how soon Dana will resume operations . We cannot say, the airline has been working hard, but, we have to ensure that everything is in order, especially ensuring that most of the dead are buried. We have to ensure that there is no default in the payment of claims to family members, who have lost their bread winners to the crash.

    “You know Dana has a peculiar challenge, they have a homogenous fleet. We have to recertify their aircraft and ensure that everything is okay with the aircraft type before they can resume operations.”

    Other hurdles include the readiness of the carrier and its insurers to pay the outstanding $70,000 to families that lost their relatives to the crash.

    Dana had sent most of its workers home a month after the crash because of increasing overhead costs and may now require more time to put its house in order to regain their loyalty ahead of the resumption of flights.

    Some loyal passengers of the airline, it was learnt, have however been inundating the carrier with proposals of how to ensure successful operations.

    Part of the suggestions is for the airline to consider buying new aircraft other than McDonnel Douglass 83, which they consider too controversial after the crash.

    A source close to the airline however, hinted that Dana is working behind the scene to re-launch its flight in a manner that may spark a revolution in the aviation industry.

    Part of the plans of the airline is to acquire newer planes in line with the passengers demand.

    There has been mixed feeling in the aviation industry over the lifting of the suspension on DANA Air. While the Airline Operators of Nigeria ( AON), the umbrella body of domestic carriers described it as a welcome development, some families of the bereaved had flayed the directive lifting the ban on the airline,
    Speaking on the development, the chairman of AON, Dr Steve Manhonwu described it as evidence that the government is listening to the clamour of stakeholders.

    Manhonwu said : “: With this early lifting of the ban, it is proved beyond any reasonable doubt that the government has listening ears and has the milk of human sympathy in the system. Please do not forget the reports of Sosoliso and Bellview Airlines so that their disorganised staff should come back to the basis.”

    The 558 staff of the airline also expressed appreciation to the Federal Government for lifting the ban Speaking through the chief executive officer of DANA Air, Mr Jacky Hathiramani said : “ The provision of safe, reliable world class air transport services has always been our focus at DANA Air, and we will continue to adhere strictly to safety procedures as required by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Act and other relevant local and international regulations, as we resume flight operations shortly.”

     

  • Aviation road show: A postscript

    To cynics, the aviation road show was unnecessary. But they forget one thing; a drastic problem requires a drastic solution. The roadshow was necessary at that point in time because of the June 3 Dana plane crash in which 153 persons died. The road show was meant to address the negative impact of the crash and not  a jamboree as insinuated by critics.

    With the Senate holding a public hearing on the crash, the ripple effect of that action on the industry could best be imagined. The insurance premium paid on haul by local operators went up astronomically and lease fees also went up by over 100 per cent as many aircraft leasing organisations began to shun the Nigerian market because of the perceived unhealthy climate.

    Funding from international agencies equally became threatened and the resultant impact was over 60 per cent drop in local and regional capacity. The development also led to over 25 per cent increase in fares. An hour flight which hitherto cost between N22,000 and N28,000 now oscillates between N30,000 and N32,000 on economy class.

    First Nation, Chanchangi, and Air Nigeria went on voluntary grounding; Aero and IRS are running skeletal services. Dana’s operating has just been restored, but its fate remains unknown with the flying public.

    Only Arik Air is operating at full capacity and even with increased flight schedules, the situation at our airports remains chaotic. As a minister desirous to make an impact, Princess Stella Odua thought of and came up with the investment road show so as to re-brand the industry to attract local and foreign investors. The local leg  of the road show was held in June, in Abuja.

    The investment basket tagged: ‘Aerotropolis’, is designed to attract investments into the industry, airport infrastructure, aircraft maintenance and other ancillary sectors  like hotels and catering.

    After the Abuja meeting, it was time to move to the international market. This informed the visit of the minister and her heads of parastatals to China, Canada and the United States (US). Though the trip was widely criticised, investigations showed that the initiative may just be the needed tonic to transform the ailing industry.

    According to reports, The  Boeing Corporation which products account for over 80 per cent of the available passenger fleet in the country and Bombardier signified interest in helping to overhaul the existing domestic fleet through a renewal plan that would also seek to set up solid aircraft repair and maintenance organisations (AMOs) in the country.

    Boeing, an American based manufacturer of long range jumbo airplanes, indicated eight key areas it would participate in the ministry’s novel project, ‘Aerotopolis’ . Some of the areas are: maintenance centre, fleet renewal for local  airline operators, and training. Its Director of Sales, Lawrence Pollivier, who led the Boeing team, promised that his organisation would also help to carry out technical assessment of all Boeing air planes operating in the country and equally assist in developing aviation data base for the country .

    Bombardier, a medium range Canada-based aircraft builder, will also embark on AMO and aircraft acquisition programme to help Nigerian airlines acquire brand new bombardier aeroplanes. Its Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Helene V. Gagonon , said the company was ready to invest in the country as soon as all the necessary arrangements were put in place for the project’s take off .

    The minister’s delegation also secured the commitment of a leading international Bank, Citibank, to provide fund for companies that would participate in the Aerotropolis,  in addition to providing financial advice for the project.

    Its head of global investments, Mr Ray McGuire, said the bank would be involved in various phases of the aerotropolis project, adding: ,”aerotropolis offers huge opportunities for major infrastructural development second to none in the sub-continent around the airport community”.

    In China, the team had fruitful meetings with investors. Prominent among organisations willing to invest in the project are the China State Construction  Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) and Huawei Technologies .

    The CSCEC ‘s Vice President, Yu Zhende said Nigeria must develop its aviation to position it as a major hub on the continent. He spoke of his company’s readiness to partner with the country in the aerotopolis project, adding that as soon as all necessary agreements that would guarantee the investments were formalised,  his company would move in because funding would not be a problem.

    On its part, Huawei presented a proposal for information technology (IT) infrastructure for airport terminals across the country. It was a joint proposal with its partners, SITA, a leading IT solutions provider in the industry.In time, and the results of the road show will  manifest and end all talks about its significance.

  • NAMA completes TRACON

    The total radio coverage of Nigeria (TRACON)on VHF has been completed, Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Mazi Nnamdi Udoh has said.

    He said the Kano phase of the VHF coverage, which has been delayed for sometime, has just been completed to complement the Lagos phase, which had earlier been completed and put into operation.

    ‘’We now have seamless airspace and in addition to this, we are operating area radar control as from next week (this week).”If you are taking off from Lagos, you don’t have to change your squak (code used by a pilot to communicate with the air traffic controller) to Port Harcourt, Abuja or Kano.

    The controller will transfer you seamlessly to the next radar and maintain the same squak to land. Prior to this, we were having procedural aerial control but now, we are going to use surveillance aerial control,” he said.

    He said with the completion of TRACON, the country is strategically positioned to conquer the African airspace.

    “If you are looking at Cameroun, Togo, Niger, Chad, you will see that we are strategically positioned to embrace that section of the airspace. And all we need is to have some kind of wide aerial multi-lateration system to link up the other countries. All we need is one system and a switch and all the systems in Africa will talk to one another.

    “You don’t really have to physically see the infrastructure. It’s like roaming a phone; something is there that is making you connect anywhere you go. It is doable; it can be achieved overtime. The major thing, like the Director General of NCAA, Dr Demuren said was the political will and the support of AU and ICAO and other relevant bodies,” he said.

    He noted that the European airspace could not be compared with that of Africa because, ‘’we cannot compare Africa with Europe, which has a smaller airspace. Seamless Africa airspace is something that is do-able. It is something we can achieve over time’’.

    On the manpower need of NAMA to keep the system working, Engineer Udoh said: ‘’ Nobody keeps manpower in store. We are training and re-training retired people. We are using them to create succession plans because nobody ever thought technology will go the way it is today. So, we are going to continuously recruit and retrain’’.

  • Medview opts for scheduled flights

    the number of indigenous carriers will soon increase with the coming of Medview Airline.

    Medview is famous for the yearly flight operations to Saudi Arabia for Muslim pilgrims.

    Sources close to the airline said, over at the weekend that one of the aircraft to be used for the flight operations, a Boeing 737-400 is, expected to arrive in the country from Buckarest, Romania. The second aircraft will come on later.

    The source said the inspection unit of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had gone to Romania to inspect the aircraft, which was approved for operations by the regulatory .

    It was learnt that the airline hopes to fly to at least four routes – Lagos-Abuja, Abuja-Port Harcourt, Maiduguri-Yola and Lagos -Port Harcourt.

    Last week, the Managing Director of Medview Alhaji Munir Bankole and other management team were at the Murtala Mohammed Airport Two (MMA2) inspecting the vacant offices within the complex, ahead of commencement of operations.

    Bankole in an interview said the team was at the complex to inspect offices that would be used for its daily operations.

    He said: “As you can see, we are here to inspect the offices for the commencement of our daily flight operations to some airports in the next couple of weeks. We have undergone the necessary inspections as stipulated by NCAA, but I can’t tell you categorically when we will start, but we are starting very soon.”

    Bankole explained that one of the Unique Selling Proportions of the airline would be on time departure and adherence to the safety rules of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and NCAA.