The Nation Newspaper

Category: Aviation

  • Experts unveil vision 2030 for aviation sector

    Experts in the aviation sector have unveiled working document christened ‘ Vision 2030’ which seeks to use air transport as a catalyst for the development of the air transport industry.

    The document unveiled by Mr Nick Fadugba , Chief Executive Officer of African Aviation and Captain Roland Iyayi, Chief Executive Office, Topbrass Aviation is hinged on initiation of deliberate government policies to bring about stronger indigenous carriers; modern airport and airspace infrastructure as well as adequate regulatory and legal framework to protect private investment.

    They spoke at a recent   Aviation $ Airport Correspondents Conference in Lagos.

    Fadugba said  the aviation sector if well positioned could serve as a vital catalyst for Africa’s economic growth and social advancement.

    He said Africa needs a safe, reliable, efficient and portable air transport industry that facilitates business, trade and tourism across the continent and between Africa and world.

    Fadugba identifying the challenges said aviation safety, security, training, regulatory oversight, infrastructure, liberalisation, modernisation, funding, efficiency, affordability and profitability all need to be improved significantly.

    Read also: IATA: infrastructure, funds, others frustrate Africa’s aviation

    He said a situation in which over 90 per cent of international air traffic to and from Nigeria is carried by non-Nigerian airlines is damaging to the economy in several ways, such as the huge capital flight from Nigeria, the continued deterioration of the Nigerian aviation industry and the loss of skilled aviation employment opportunities.

    He supported the federal government’s plan to launch a new national carrier with minority government shareholding if it is one transparently and skilfully established.

    To succeed, he said the new national carrier needs a sound business plan, strategic industry partners, adequate funding, an experienced management team, well trained staff, a fleet of modern aircraft, a comprehensive route network, on-time performance, good customer service and no government involvement.

    He recommended that African governments and regulators need to provide an enabling environment, while African airlines should work together through inter-lining, codesharing, joint ventures and mergers and acquisitions so as to form stronger carriers that can compete effectively and can grow and prosper.

    Iyayi on his part  said without operator friendly policies airlines cannot grow.

    He said the regulatory body, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), should go beyond regulation and drive policies that will ensure the sustainability  of the industry .

    Chairman, Air Peace, Allen Onyema while frowning at the granting of  multiple designation and multiple entry points to foreign carriers  by government said Nigeria must begin to have deliberate policies to protect Nigerian investment.

    Also speaking, industry analyst Mr Chris Aligbe urged Nigerian carriers to enlist in the African Airline’s Association ( AFRAA) to enable them push for international aero politics for the protection of indigenous carriers.

    Also speaking, President Aviation Roundtable , Dr Gbenga Olowo said it was time Federal Government reviewed its bilateral air service agreements (BASAs) it signed with foreign countries to make them reciprocal and support the growth of Nigerian airlines.

    He said government must wake up from its slumber and come up with sustainable policy frameworks to grow the aviation sector.

     

    Olowo said Nigeria needs a stable legal and regulatory frameworks to grow the industry.

    Olowo decried the multiple entry points for foreign airlines, describing it as “disastrous and deliberate annihilation of the domestic market.”

    He said a situation where some airlines fly to multiple airports in Nigeria without any Nigerian airline reciprocating is “a negative balance of trade.”

    “The essence of regulation is not only about safety. We have failed with economic regulations. This is a major weakness,” he said.

     

  • Air Peace pilot breaks silence over burst tyre incident

    Four days after an Air Peace Boeing 737- 300 made an emergency landing at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja , Pilot – in – Command of the flight, Captain Simisola Ajibola, yesterday  broke her silence on the matter, debunking claims that she landed the airplane without tyres.

    Ajibola told The Nation in Lagos that one of the tyres only pulled off after the nose wheel of the aircraft collapsed following hard landing.

    She said the clarification was imperative because of different versions of the incident flying around.

    READ ALSO: Hard landing: Air Peace says aircraft was airworthy

    Ajibola said: “The report about initial landing without tyres is not true. The incident happened after we touched down.  I didn’t go into the air without tyres; we were not on a descent without tyres.

    “Some reports say we called for emergency while in the air; that is not true. It was after we landed that we asked for emergency services. So whatever happened; happened on the runway that day.”

    The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) has already launched a probe into the incident.

    Its spokesman, Tunji Oketunbi said the bureau would soon release a preliminary report on the matter.

    He said: “It is a cumbersome process. Some components have been retrieved from the airline to help with the investigation. So it will take some time but we are doing everything possible to ensure the report is out sooner than expected.”

  • Medview Airlines involved in serious incident, says AIB

    The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) yesterday said a Boeing 737-500 belonging to Med-View with 27 passengers and six crew members on board was on July 23 involved in a serious incident on the Abuja-Lagos route.

    According to the AIB, the cabin altitude warning of the aircraft was activated at 32,000 feet above sea level, which was followed by deployment of oxygen masks, necessitating the crew to carry out emergency descent procedure.

    In a statement, AIB said:” The Accident Investigation Bureau, Nigeria, has been notified that an aircraft, operated by Med-View Nigeria Limited, Boeing 737-500, with registration marks 5N-BQM, was involved in a serious incident en route Lagos from Abuja on July 23, at 3:07 p.m local time with 27 passengers and six crew members on board. There was no fatality.

    Read also: Hard landing: Air Peace says aircraft was airworthy

    “From the information gathered so far, cabin altitude warning came ON at FL 320 followed by deployment of oxygen masks, which necessitated the crew to carry out emergency descent procedure.   “Our team of safety investigators have commenced investigation.

    “As the investigating agency, AIB needs and hereby solicits your assistance. We want the public to know that we would be amenable to receiving any video clip, relevant evidence, or information any members of the public may have of the accident, that can assist us with this investigation.

    “The bureau will appreciate that the general public and press respect the privacy of the people involved and not assume the cause of the accident until formal report is released.”

     

  • Hard landing: Air Peace says aircraft was airworthy

    Less than 24 hours after a Boeing 737-300 aircraft belonging to Air Peace experienced hard landing at runway of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the airline said Wednesday that its aircraft was airworthy.

    The airline said ongoing in house investigation into the accident revealed that nothing was wrong with aircraft, but attributed the accident to possible pilot error.

    In a statement signed by its Safety Manager, Godfrey Ogbogu, he said the pilot landed the airplane harder than intended, which affected the nose wheel.

    REad also: Air Peace aircraft makes emergency landing at Lagos airport

    The statement reads:” The landing incident of Flight P4 7191 at Murtala Muhammed International Airport on Wednesday, July 23, 2019, has nothing to do with the airworthiness of the airplane.

    “Our preliminary in house investigation indicates that in a bid to make a positive touchdown as required by procedures during such weather operations, the pilot landed the airplane harder than intended which affected the nose wheel.

    “There are issues with the airworthiness of the aircraft as Air Peace Limited assures of best maintenance practices at all times and spares No resources to that effect.

    “The management wishes to assure the flying public that Air Peace has never stopped appraising its safety practices and procures as demanded by industry standards.”

    Meanwhile, the runway where the aircraft carried out hard landing has been cleared for normal flight operations.

     

  • NAMA requires N50 billion to fix, update airspace facilities

    THE Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) will require about N50 billion in the interim to fix inadequate and ageing airspace communication and ground-based equipment, an investigation has revealed.

    The huge sum, a source close to the agency hinted would be used to fix satellite and ground-based navigational equipment such as Very High-Frequency Radio (VHF Radio); Category Three Instrument Landing Systems; Distance Measuring Equipment and other critical air navigation infrastructure.

    Besides fixing dilapidated space-based equipment, the agency is also expected to spend huge sums to provide secondary source of power – Solar panels -for its highly sophisticated ground-based en route navigation located at remote locations nationwide.

    Though the agency is self- sustaining, its budgetary provisions for capital projects cannot match the huge cost of its equipment profile, aviation sources said.

    According to one of the sources, over N50 billion is part requirement to fix gaps in air navigation infrastructure for members’ states of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

    Nigeria as a member is required to fix critical gaps in their air space infrastructure through a programme christened Aviation Systems Block Upgrade (ASBU).

    Member states of ICAO are obliged to comply with the ASBU to upgrade and modernize their air navigation infrastructure.

    The severity of deficit in infrastructure experts say, are categorized into Block Zero, Block One and Block Two.

    Investigation showed that NAMA may have begun moves to deal with complaints by pilots over poor communication in the Nigerian airspace.

    This includes the completion of sectorization of the upper airspace otherwise known as Lagos Flight Information Region and the Kano Flight Information Region.

    Read also: NAMA seeks IATA collaboration on training

    Some pilots recently asked NAMA to take urgent steps to address the communication challenges in the air space with a view to averting air accidents.

    Chief Pilot of Med-View Airline, Captain Stephen Fevrier, said that pilots are flying in an unsafe airspace in the country owning to poor communication system.

    He said: “I came to Nigeria about 12 years ago and the first thing that we were told to learn as pilots is to say break-break when you get into the airspace and that is because the airspace is congested. I must say that the airspace is still congested and unsafe for pilots to fly.”

    According to him, when flying from Lagos to Abuja, pilots often lose contact with the Lagos control tower 200 miles into the airspace which should not be.

    He said that the same situation occurs between Port Harcourt and Abuja, pointing out that even coming into Nigerian airspace from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, pilots hardly communicate effectively with the control tower in Kano.

    Also speaking, Arik Air Safety Manager, Captain Jide Bakare, said that the biggest issue that Nigerian pilots are currently grappling with is the problem of communication in the airspace.

    Bakare said: “There are so many issues but communication is one of the biggest challenges that we face as pilots in Nigerian airspace.”

    However, an official of the agency, who pleaded not to be named, said though there were challenges of communication in the airspace, foreign aircraft and airlines were not avoiding Nigerian air space.

    He said that requests for more flight frequencies by some airlines including Emirates, Ethiopian Airlines do not align with reports that airlines are avoiding Nigeria.

    He said no pilot or airline would embark on a suicidal mission to fly into any country’s airspace if her skies are not safe.

    A few months ago, the   Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) decried what it called the deplorable state of control towers at some airports.

    It described the situation as a   threat to safety of flights.

    The body listed the airports with deplorable control towers to include Kaduna, Maiduguri, Ilorin, Yola, Sokoto, Benin and Katsina

    Its President Abayomi Agoro said communication between air traffic controllers and pilots remains a huge challenge.

    Besides the poor control towers, he said there was need to look into other challenges air traffic controllers grapple with, including the Abuja Airport Tower Elevator that dropped from its topmost floor to the ground,  a sore point in the aviation industry.

    Agoro said more worrisome is the threat to the health hazard to air traffic controllers, who go through the agony of climbing 232 flights of stairs daily.

    The NATCA boss also spared a thought for the poor controller pilot Very High-Frequency Radio coverage of airspace. He said it is a far cry from the required international standards, but it was still work in progress for NAMA.

    He said NAMA was experiencing enormous loss of revenue in foreign exchange because many foreign aircraft find it a lot convenient to avoid the airspace and, consequently, operate in contiguous airspace.

    He said: “Over the years, it has been quite herculean for air traffic controllers to communicate effectively with pilots. The limited or inadequate number of air traffic controllers in the country to effectively man all air traffic control units across the country is not only hampering service delivery, but leading to a situation where the staff are overworked and may lead to significant safety implication.”

    Also, Flight Crew Association of Nigeria (FCAN) Coordinator Captain Robert Roland urged stakeholders in the sector to address issues related to poor or non-existent communication.

  • Breaking: Commotion as man climbs aircraft at Lagos Airport

    There was palpable anxiety at the Lagos Airport on Friday when an unknown man carrying a bag climbed the fuselage of an aircraft.

    The aircraft which had passengers on board was parked at the apron preparatory for taxing through the taxiway into the runway for take-off .

    After beating security on duty to gain access to the apron, the man climbed the parked aircraft through the dude to hang at the compartment housing the fuel tank.

    Passengers onboard who recorded the unauthorized activities were confused, shouting and unsure of what might happen.

    Read Also: Passengers stranded at Abuja international airport

    Officials of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria ( FAAN) said the man has been arrested and taken to an isolated area around the Lagos Airport called Tango City.

    The incident provoked questions about the porosity of the Lagos Airport where rising cases of stowaways and other unauthorized activities are commonplace.

    It has also raised concerns about the vulnerability of the premier gateway without adequate perimeter and security fences.

  • Much ado about foreign airlines’multiple entry points

    The multiple entry points granted foreign carriers by government is generating ripples in the sector. If unchecked, the ‘unbridled invasion policy may sound the death knell of struggling indigenous carriers. According to experts, a review of the policy will save local carriers, curb capital flight and address lopsidedness in Nigeria’s bilateral air services agreement, KELVIN OSA OKUNBOR reports.

    A coalition to stop the Federal Government from granting multiple entry points to foreign airlines is gathering momentum.

    The coalition, comprising industry groups, experts, members of the National Assembly, airlines’ association and other stakeholders, is clamouring for a review of the policy given the perceived lopsidedness in bilateral air services agreement (BASA) among Nigeria and over 80 countries.

    The lopsided air treaties, according to the group, include Multiple Entry Points Policy granted foreign carriers; Dual Designation Agreement and Open Skies Agreement.

    Multiple entry by foreign carriers into the country, experts argue, is not only depriviang indigenous carriers potential passengers traffic on such routes, but denying  them opportunities to sign interline deals  to distribute such  passengers.

    Nigeria is the only country in Africa that grants foreign carriers unfettered access into its domestic market.

    Despite its supposed market potential, Nigeria yearly loses over $5.6 billion to remittances by foreign carriers on sale of tickets by over 30 airlines that operate in her airspace.

    Experts say such humongous sum could be retained locally if the government puts in place protectionist policies  for her carriers; as is the case in other countries.

    One of the measures, experts say the government can exploit to  balance the lopsidedness in its agreements is designation of strong flag carriers to reciprocate flights operations on routes flown by foreign carriers.

    Continuous implementation of these agreements, experts say, will undermine the growth of the domestic transport market.

    Of the over 30 foreign carriers that fly into Nigeria British Airways,  Virgin Atlantic Airways,  Lufthansa German Airlines, Air France / KLM;  Emirates Airlines, Qatar Airways; Etihad Airways,  Turkish Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, Egypt Air, South African Airways, RwandAir and Kenya Airways enjoy multiple entry points into Nigeria.

    Speaking in a recent interview,  Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) Director-General Captain Muktar Usman said the government was doing its best to empower domestic carriers to reciprocate the bilateral air pacts it signed with many countries, but there was need for the indigenous carriers to demonstrate capability on the routes.

    He said yearly, Nigeria loses over $5.6 billion which is for 50 per cent of the over $10 billion taken way from Africa annually by foreign airlines.

    Usman said Nigerian carriers  have not been able to meet the needs of the market. He  said: ”We have lost a lot and we have been losing a lot by not taking advantage of those bilateral air service agreements because we do not have strong, viable carriers that will be able to effectively compete with foreign airlines.”

    Some Nigerian carriers designated by government in some international routes including  Arik Air; Medview Airlines; AeroContractors; DANA Air; Air Peace, Overland Airways do not enjoy multiple entry privileges in the countries that are approved to fly into.

    In an interview, Chairman of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) Captain Nogie Meggison urged the government to reconsider granting approval for multiple entry points to foreign carriers, saying the arrangement is killing indigenous airlines.

    Industry critic and Chief Executive Officer, Centurion Securities, Group Captain John Ojikutu (rtd), says granting multiple entry with an increase of frequencies around the country to foreign airlines, gives the carriers an edge over domestic carriers traffic wise.

    Ojikutu, however, canvassed a strategy that would benefit the domestic airlines if government can implement it.

    According to him, government instead of granting multiple designation should limit the routes to just two per airline with one in the North and another in the South but not Lagos and Abuja as the airline should pick either or.

    He said: ”Ethiopian Airline now operates 23 weekly flights to four Nigerian viable airports, British airlines operate 21 weekly flights to two Nigerian airports and the Middle East airlines of Emirates, Qatar and Turkish Airline operate over 30 flights weekly to three destinations, where is the domestic market for our airlines if the foreign airlines are given multiple designation within our country?”

    He went on :” Why can’t government increase the frequencies to whatever but limit each airline to a maximum of two routes; one in the North and one in the South? But no airline should be allowed to fly both Lagos and Abuja, it has to be either one or the other.”

    Senate intervention

    The Senate last week  advocated the protection of Nigerian airlines from what they described as unfair competition from their foreign counterparts.

    It  resolved to invite the indigenous airline operators to explain to the Senate the challenges they are facing in the aviation industry as well as summon the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transport, the Director-General of Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and Managing Director of FAAN to explain why foreign airlines are allowed to fly multiple routes within Nigeria to mop up passengers; a practice not allowed in other countries.

    Ifeanyi Uba, who brought the motion to the Senate, decried that foreign airlines are now designated to multiple routes within Nigeria, noting that this development threatens the survival of local airlines.

    He said: ”For example, Ethiopia Airlines operates in five cities namely; Enugu, Kano, Kaduna, Abuja, and Lagos; Turkish Airlines operates in four cities: Abuja, Kano, Lagos, and Port Harcourt and Emirates Airlines operates two frequencies daily into Lagos and one to Abuja.”

    He noted that besides multiple designations, foreign airlines are now being encouraged to do multiple frequencies into the country and within the country, a practice which he said is not allowed in other countries.

    “For instance, Turkish Airlines has just started Istanbul to Abuja, Abuja to Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt to Abuja, then Abuja to Istanbul. Lufthansa and Air France are also doing same, thereby running indigenous airlines out of business.

    “Concerned that while Emirates has two frequencies into Lagos and one to Abuja, it has announced plans to introduce a third flight in and out of Lagos to start very soon, making it three flights daily to Lagos.”

     Reactions

    A group of aviation professionals, the Aviation Round Table (ART), has praised the move by the Senate to protect Nigerian airlines from unfair competition in relation to their foreign counterparts.

    Its President, Gbenga Olowo, said the move, albeit belated, was a welcome development.

    Olowo said the ART had always advocated the protection of Nigerian carriers by the Federal Government and its agencies and would continue to do so until it gets the desired results.

    He said: “The Senate will have to revert a lot of the recklessness that have taken place in our Bilateral Air Services Agreements (BASAs).

    “We, in ART, have continuously said that what we are doing to our domestic airlines is prodigal.

    “Nigeria has been doing a lot of regulations on safety and has been getting pass marks, but in the area of economic regulations, we have been very reckless.

    “Economic regulations, as far as BASA is concerned, is coming up with policies that will first of all protect your own airlines and local businesses.”

    Olowo said, unfortunately, the opposite was what was in place in Nigeria, compelling the country’s airlines to be suffering lack of reciprocity and negative balance of trade.

    He noted that Nigerian carrier, Air Peace, which asked for government protection following its recent flight operations to Sharjah-Dubai, was justified to seek for assistance due to the hostilities meted to Nigerian carriers by foreign governments.

    “ADC tried London and failed; Bellview tried India, Amsterdam, London, Dubai and failed; Medview went to Dubai and failed and now Air Peace is making another good effort to break into these lucrative routes.

    “So, if our government is serious, especially the aviation ministry and the economic regulations department of the NCAA, they should agree with the protection Air Peace is asking for, which is very simple,” Olowo said.

    According to him, what Air Peace is asking for is the elimination of unfair competition that affected its predecessors on the international routes.

    Olowo said for instance, Etihad and Emirates Airlines had multiple frequencies into Abuja and Lagos, stressing that in order to balance the scale, Air Peace should be granted same rights into the United Arab Emirates.

    He said: “Right now, they are doing seven, and our economic regulators have to reduce it to three so that the market will be free for competition.

    “Otherwise, those doing seven can drop tariff and will knock off their competitor from Nigeria. So, if you want to help your own, you have to make the reciprocity even.”

    Olowo advised the Senate to make the hearing public and also extend invitation to the ART and other aviation professionals in order to achieve its purpose.

  • Controversy rocks FAAN’s recruitment

    Aviation unions and other stakeholders have faulted the recruitment criteria  used by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), alleging that it was skewed in favour of a section of the country, instead of reflecting the federal character.

    The recruitement was aimed at closing the gap in FAAN’s Aerodrome Fire Rescue Safety  and Aviation Security Unit.

    The unions claim that the choice of Kaduna as centre for the recruitment was not only wrong, but also a grand plan to pave the way for candidates from a section of the country.

    The unions, in a petition dated June 28, signed by the National Union of Air Transport  Employees (NUATE) Secretary-General, Ocheme Abah, and sent to the Managing Director of FAAN, Captain Hamisu Yadudu, raised the alarm over what they called “scandalised level of disconnection from the public civil service rules and disregard for technical, safety and security requirements”.

    NUATE noted that the catchment areas provision in the civil service rule for lower cadre employees was  jettisoned while maximum age requirement for recruitment was thrown overboard as well as technical and physical fitness.

    NUATE expressed the fear that strides achieved over the years in the sector would be rubbished by what it described as ‘’unpatriotic and diabolical’  aim  being foisted by vested interest in FAAN.

    The union called for an halt of the exercise to allow for a review and bring sanity to the system.

    The petition read: ”Investigation revealed that the recruitment was marred by irregularities as politicians hijacked the exercise by forcing on the agency more than half of people that turned out for the exercise.

    ‘’Some stakeholders queried the choice of Kaduna for the recruitment exercise. Other unions in the industry are to meet during the week to decide on their next line of action on the matter.”

    The Nation learnt that the over 300 persons shortlisted by the authority to close gaps are getting curious over alleged attempts by the Ministry of Aviation  to supplant names from a section of the country on the alleged orders of officials of the Aviation Ministry.

    Sources hinted that some forces loyal to the ministry replaced the names of candidates billed for training in Kaduna to ascertain their fitness for the job with their people.

    The ministry, it was learnt, had positioned some candidates for the job, in a move suspected to be usurpation of the responsibilities of FAAN.

    Aviation stakeholders and unions, it was learnt, were kicking over the exercise because they alleged it is skewed against the interest of qualified candidates.They alleged that qualifying for the training in Kaduna was not a criteria for getting the job.

    They claim that the Ministry  had pulled many candidates from various organisations, especially people from a particular section of the country, into the training to push for their qualification.

    Experts say recruitment into sensitive units in aviation, including aerodrome safety and fire-fighting units as well as aviation security should be based on background checks on the would be candidates, rather than filling the list with people from certain parts of the country.

    Silence pervades FAAN on this matter. Officials contacted by this reporter declined to comment.

    FAAN, in 2017,  inaugurated 107 Aviation Security(AVSEC) and 109 Aerodrome Rescue and Fire Fighting Services (ARFFS).

    The  personnel   recruited were  expected to complement security at the airports and beef up the capacity of the fire-fighting arm of the agency.

    Over 1,000 additional aviation security and aerodrome rescue fire- fighting personnel are said to be needed in the unit to cover the gap created following the retirement of ageing workforce.

  • Onyema: why our airlines fail on international routes

    Many domestic carriers fail on international routes because they do not get the support of the government in playing ‘’aero politics’’, Air Peace Chairman, Allen Onyema has said.

    Onyema said unless indigenous carriers got the backing of their government, they would not be able to compete favourably with foreign carriers.

    Speaking at the weekend when the airline inaugurated its Lagos- Dubai route, he called on the government to support indigenous carriers through policies that will not stifle them out of operations.

    While appreciating the government for exempting airlines from paying the Value Added Tax (VAT) and custom duties on aircraft/spares import, he said a situation where the government designate foreign airlines on multiple routes and grant them more frequencies into Nigerian cities was not only killing our airlines, but also unhealthy for the sustainability of the industry.

    He urged the government to get more involved in playing aero politics to sustain indigenous carriers on designated international routes.

    Onyema said: “If we must succeed on this Dubai route, the government must support us. We cannot do it alone. We can only do our best but the rest lies with the government. The government must stop unfair competition in this sector. The United States government did it when the Gulf carriers swooped on them, so the policy of multiple designations and frequencies for foreign carriers is detrimental to our economy. Our airlines will not grow under this policy. The government must help us grow the sector and not stifle it, but I know the President is a nationalist who is ready to support our carriers. Aviation is a very tough business. I plead with Nigerians and the government to support Air Peace. We promise to give Nigerians modern equipment and unparalleled services.”

    He  said Air Peace will not be able combat aero politics without the support of government, lamenting that many Nigerian carriers had been unable to sustain their operations on the route.

    “I have the plan to sustain the operations, but if I am not supported by the government, there is little or nothing I can do. If, for instance, the government allows more frequencies of other airlines from United Arabs Emirates (UAE) into Nigeria, how will Air Peace compete? Air Peace can only be successful with support from government,” he said.

    Onyema, who disclosed that the airline has signed an interline agreement with a company that will distribute its passengers with Air Arabia to onward destinations from Dubai, revealed plans to start Johannesburg, Guangzhou and London routes soon, adding that before the end of the year, it plans to increase its B777 fleet to six.

    “We are not are not just doing Sharjah operations alone, we’ve signed agreement with a company, whereby our passengers can be distributed through Air Arabia to their final destinations other than Dubai. The next route we are launching by August 30 is Johannesburg, South Africa has audited Air Peace, we have started setting up our structures there. We are already looking for a partner airline. We want to have alliance with other airlines  to succeed. We are close to signing the agreement. The next is India. We might start that route by September. The Federal Government has written to the Indian government and they have told it what to do. We must employ their citizen, with military experience, as chief security officer for the flight. We are planning to discuss with Air India for partnership.

    “The next route would be Guangzhou. China will not allow an airline to operate without necessary equipment and aircraft. You must show tail registration of your aircraft; so, we have presented our papers to their government. Before the end of the year, we would have six Boeing 777,” he added.

    Earlier, Mohammed Dansanta Rimi, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the UAE, urged the airline to offer good services to its customers, adding that on-time departure and arrival are key to sustaining the operations.

    “The only thing the government can do is to provide diplomatic and political support. I call on Nigerians to also support this airline,” he said.

    Also, Country Manager, Air Peace in UAE, Reham Mustafa, expressed happiness that the plans to create jobs for people became a reality on Saturday, pledging the airline’s unwavering and quality services.

  • ISAGO has standardised ground handling, says SAHCO MD

    The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Skyway Aviation Handling Company PLC (SAHCO), Basil Agboarumi, has highlighted the critical roles being played by IATA’s Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO) in ground handling and airline operations in Africa.

    Agboarumi, a keynote speaker at the just-concluded maiden edition of the GSE & RAMP-OPS Africa in Casablanca, Morocco, said ISAGO has standardised ground handling operations through its audits, ,thereby ensuring aviation safety across the world.

    Speaking on the theme ‘Effectiveness of ISAGO in managing ground handling services for airlines benefits for Africa’, he said ISAGO audit has eliminated Multiple Audits per Ground Service Provider (GSP) and Individual Airline Auditing Systems, increased safety in aviation by ensuring standards, which have led to reduction in air accidents unlike what obtained before.

    He said the introduction of ISAGO audit had given room for audit sharing, thereby reducing  the number of redundant audits and improving operational safety, standardisation across multiple operations, reduction of incidents in ground operations and enhancing company’s image/reputation.

    Apart from ensuring safety, ISAGO has other benefits, some of which include promotion of efficiency and quality service delivery through innovations and technology, lowering costs by eliminating multiple audit, which enables ground operators and airlines to focus on operations, to ensure implementation of Safety Management System (SMS), he added.

    The chairman of the conference, Paul Drever, said the event was held to bring together the buyers, users and manufacturers of GSE and to explore how to move the sector forward.

    He discussed the challenges in airside operations in Africa, how GSE is used on the continent and how it could be improved on.

    The event, which took place in Sofitel, Casablanca, had other speakers from across the world. They include David Burgess of Swissport, Tafadzawa Zaza o f Air Zimbabwe, Dimitrios Sanos of IATA, Danny Vranckx of Aviaco GSE. There were exhibitors of world known GSE’s, such as Air Marrel, Blissfox, Mulag, and T ranstec Overseas.

    Topics were addressed by various speakers at the conference. They include: How potable water reduces fuel consumption, Thebenefits of an alliance and how small changes can bring rewards, Ramp of the future, Leveraging technology to improve airside supervision and safety, Increasing  safety efficiency through aviation training.