The Nation Newspaper

Category: Aviation

  • Air Peace for Monrovia-Abuja-Accra routes

    AIR Peace plans to kick off flights from Lagos and Abuja to Roberts International Airport, Monrovia, and from Abuja to Kotoka International Airport, Accra from  August 6.

    The development is coming days after the airline renewed its International Air Transport Association Operation Safety Audit (IOSA) certificate.

    The certficate was received by the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the airline, Allen Onyema.

    In a statement, the airline’s Corporate Communications Manager, Mr. Chris Iwarah, said the new routes were part of the third phase of the carrier’s network expansion on the West Coast of Africa.

    Air Peace launched its first regional flight out of Lagos to Accra on February 16, last year.

    Last February 19, the airline added Freetown (Sierra Leone), Banjul (The Gambia) and Dakar (Senegal) to its route map.

    The new routes, Iwarah confirmed, will also connect Accra and Monrovia. The carrier added that many domestic routes, including Makurdi, Warri, Port Harcourt NAF Base and Kaduna, would soon join its network under its no-city-left-behind project. Air Peace also confirmed that it would soon reopen its Asaba and Sokoto operations.

    Iwarah said: “We are pleased to announce that Monrovia, Liberia and Abuja-Accra will be joining our route network on Monday, August 6, 2018. We will also be inaugurating our Abuja-Accra service, besides connecting Accra and Monrovia on the same date. This is our way of expressing our sincere gratitude to members of the flying public who have continued to support and endorse the Air Peace brand. The launch of the new services will afford air travellers on the Lagos-Monrovia, Abuja-Monrovia, Accra-Monrovia and Abuja-Accra routes the option of a truly efficient, customer-centric and exceptional alternative.

    “Since the launch of the first and second phases of our regional flight operations to Accra (Ghana), Freetown (Sierra Leone), Banjul (The Gambia) as well as Dakar (Senegal) on February 16, 2017 and February 19, 2018, we have received pieces of positive feedback confirming how our operations have transformed air travel and eliminated the challenges of connectivity on the West Cost of Africa. “

    We are determined to offer our valued guests an even greater experience in safe, on-time and efficient flight services. The inauguration of our Monrovia routes would bring our regional network to five important destinations. Lome, Abidjan, Niamey, Douala, among other cities, will also come on board soon.

  • Airport business summit for Abuja

    The fifth Airport Business Summit and Expo for Africa opens in Abuja tomorrow.

    It will examine ways to preserve perishable goods and close the gap in agricultural goods production.

    The theme of three-day event, according to its organiser, Fortune Idu, is: “Repositioning the airport business to sustain aprovide a platform for experts to share their thoughts on  challenges in the sub-sector.’’

    About  200 delegates  are expected to attend the event.

     

  • Air Peace launches Monrovia, Abuja-Accra services August 6

    Air Peace said on Wednesday that it plans to commence flight services from Lagos and Abuja to Roberts International Airport, Monrovia and from Abuja to Kotoka International Airport, Accra effective August 6, 2018.

    The development is coming days after the airline secured the renewal of its International Air Transport Association Operation Safety Audit (IOSA) certificate.

    A statement issued by the airline’s Corporate Communications Manager, Mr. Chris Iwarah said the new routes were part of the third phase of the carrier’s network expansion project on the West Coast of Africa.

    Air Peace launched its first regional flight out of Lagos to Accra on February 16, 2017.

    About a year later on February 19, 2018, the airline added Freetown (Sierra Leone), Banjul (The Gambia) and Dakar (Senegal) to its route map.

    The new routes, Iwarah confirmed, would also connect Accra and Monrovia. The carrier added that many domestic routes, including Makurdi, Warri, Port Harcourt NAF Base and Kaduna, would soon join its network under its no-city-left-behind project. Air Peace also confirmed that it would shortly reopen its Asaba and Sokoto operations.

    Read Also: Air Peace decorates first woman captain 

    Iwarah said : “We are pleased to announce that Monrovia, Liberia and Abuja-Accra will be joining our route network on Monday, August 6, 2018. We will also be inaugurating our Abuja-Accra service, besides connecting Accra and Monrovia on the same date. This is our way of expressing our sincere gratitude to members of the flying public who have continued to support and endorse the Air Peace brand. The launch of the new services will afford air travellers on the Lagos-Monrovia, Abuja-Monrovia, Accra-Monrovia and Abuja-Accra routes the option of a truly efficient, customer-centric and exceptional alternative.

    “Since the launch of the first and second phases of our regional flight operations to Accra (Ghana), Freetown (Sierra Leone), Banjul (The Gambia) as well as Dakar (Senegal) on February 16, 2017 and February 19, 2018 respectively, we have received pieces of positive feedback confirming how our operations have transformed air travel and eliminated the challenges of connectivity on the West Cost of Africa. We are determined to offer our valued guests an even greater experience in safe, on-time and efficient flight services. The inauguration of our Monrovia routes would bring our regional network to five important destinations. Lome, Abidjan, Niamey, Douala, among other cities, will also come on board soon.

    “On the domestic side of our operations, unserved and underserved destinations, including Makurdi, Warri, Kaduna, Port Harcourt NAF Base and Bauchi are in line to experience our spectacular flight services. We are also going to restart our flight operations to Asaba and Sokoto. Preparations for our long-haul flights to London, Houston, Dubai, Sharjah, Mumbai, Guangzhou and Johannesburg are nearing completion and we will be announcing launch dates soon.

    “We are not just progressively expanding our route network to deliver on our goal of seamless air connectivity, we are also crystallsing our ultimate vision of bringing the world to Africa and Nigeria through the expansion of our capacity in terms of human resources and equipment. We have recruited a lot of personnel to deepen our service efficiency. We have also increased our fleet of Embraer 145, Boeing 747 and Boeing 777 to a size of 24 aircraft. We solicit the continued support and partnership of the flying public in our determination to give the best in air travel,” Air Peace said.

  • Revving aeronautical information management engine

    Nine years after its initial take-off, the completion of migration from Aeronautical Information Services (AIS) to Aeronautical Information Management (AIM) by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) is gathering momentum, reports KELVIN OSA OKUNBOR.

    SEVERAL attempts by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) to  migrate from manual handling of flight information to aeronautical data management have remained futile. This has hampered, to a large extent, the growth of air navigation.

    Besides revenue loss, the situation has made it impossible for the country to become an air traffic leader in the West African sub-region.

    Some stakeholders have blamed the development on the failure of the country to migrate to the new technology in aeronautical information data management, which has earned the country a minus in the global aviation sector.

    To further develop the industry, global aviation regualator, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), had a few years ago set 2015 as the deadline for states, including Nigeria, to migrate from the manual discharge of aeronautical information to data management.

    Adoption of such modernity, ICAO argued, would not only save valuable man hours, but will also make the management of information by airspace agencies accurate and align with global standards.

    It was against this background that Nigeria, nine years ago, started the migration through NAMA of all its AIS equipment. The project was, however, stalled due to paucity of funds.

    Findings revealed that since 2016, NAMA has started the procurement of both soft and hardware components of the equipment needed to see the project through.

    Part of the equipment is the essential tools needed by the airspace agency to issue flights plans to airlines, airports and other users of the airspace.

    According to investigations, the airspace agency is leaving no stone unturned in ensuring that the project is completed, because of the deliverables that would accrue to Nigeria.

    In an interview, NAMA Managing Director, Captain Fola Akinkuotu, said the agency had taken further steps by embarking on a comprehensive  competency appraisal of Aeronautical Information Services (AIS) Officers in airports across the country.

    The exercise, targeted at testing the officers in areas, such as Aeronautical Charts, AIS publication and operations started from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, is expected to proceed to other airports.

    Akinkuotu said: “Considering the pivotal role aeronautical information plays in safety of air navigation, and in the light of ongoing migration to AIS automation, due consideration must be given to the integrity of data being disseminated to airspace users, hence this exercise.”

    Akinkuotu said NAMA places premium on building capacity through sustained training and retraining of personnel to ensure that they possess the required competencies to perform critical functions that impact on safety and for them keep pace with modern trends in the industry.

    The competency check, which he said,  would be periodic, is in line with Annex 15 of International Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) of ICAO and is necessary “to ensure that personnel demonstrate the required competencies to handle specific critical operations”.

    Akinkuotu said the desire to complete the migration was propelled by the determination of the Minister of State, Aviation, Hadi Sirika, whom he said, had given approval to the agency to procure the relevant equipment.

    Akinkuotu said: “The Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) is one agency that has directly benefited from the minister’s wealth of experience and shrewdness in aviation business and this has shown in the level of development at the agency. Perhaps, due to the technical nature of the agency, it is on record and it has been widely reported that most of Sirika’s professional acumen have shown on the noticeable progresses taking place at NAMA. First was the minister’s understanding that NAMA desires a capable management.

    With Akinkuotu’s wealth of knowledge and support from the ministry, NAMA has been able to move to the next level. The first noticeable changes are that the issue of non-provision of acceptable condition of service, lack of training and retraining of staff, lopsided promotion and appointments, unqualified personnel being appointed to technical and sensitive positions across all the parastatals have become a thing of the past.

    Before Sirika, the AIS automation project, which started since 2009, has been moving at snails speed. In recent times and through the passion Sirika has for the sector, the project has picked up and the job has progressed continuously.

    Confirming that the project is on course, a staff member of NAMA, Comrade James Olalekan,  said: “At present, I know that the hardware equipment are being handled by the engineers and the installations are going on. With what I know in the past, they are focusing first on 11 stations as the pilot stage. After that, they will focus on another stage. Hardware equipment installation is still ongoing, until when that is completed, the indoor equipment cannot be installed.

    “In our headquarters, we have some of the equipment that have been installed about two years ago. Until when these two are completed, then we will now commence on the personnel that will operate the equipment. Because there are three aspects of any project and that is the hardware equipment, the indoor equipment and the personnel. Until when the hardware equipment is completed, then the indoor would be installed and linked to the hardware equipment. The personnel, which is the third aspect, would then be trained to handle these machines effectively and correctly. That is it.’’

    Olalekan hinted that if the government succeeds, it would not only boost NAMA’s work, but would also enhance Nigeria’s image.

    He said when Nigeria successfully migrate from running from AIS to AIM, the country will serve as a centre for most of the West African countries which will bring more revenue for the country.

    In addition, the ministry under Sirika’s watch has been very supportive in terms of facility and equipment. With such provision, NAMA has been able to impact positively on its workers and its services to airlines. Despite several challenges the agency faced in the past year, it has been able to record remarkable achievements and significant progress in certain critical areas, such as the replacement of Instrument Landing Systems (ILS) in two strategic airports, procurement of long-range radios, increase  staff training, improvement in staff welfare, among others.

    Sirika has applauded the agency for “diligence and astuteness”.

    In a letter signed by the minister’s Assistant Director of Air Transport, Richard Pheelangwah, Sirika advised the agency to “keep up” the good job it is doing in ensuring air safety.

    An AIS expert, Bashir Yunusa, said: “We are talking about the hardware and the software equipment. I know that the hardware equipment are being handled by the engineers and the installations are going on. In the past, they focused first on 11 stations as the pilot stage before they moved to another stage.

    “Hardware equipment installation is still ongoing. Until when that is completed, the indoor equipment cannot be installed. In our headquarters here, we have some of the equipment that have been installed about two years ago. Until when these two are completed, then we will now commence on the personnel that will operate the equipment. Because there are three aspects of any project and that is the hardware equipment, the indoor equipment and the personnel. Until when the hardware equipment is completed, then the indoor would be installed and linked to the hardware equipment. The personnel, which is the third aspect, would then be trained to handle these machines effectively and correctly. That is it.

    “If the government succeeds in this project, it will not only boost our work, it will also boost the image of Nigeria in the aviation industry under ICAO project. This is because a country that is running from AIS to AIM will serve as a centre for most or the West African countries. Most of the data will be received with ease and effectively too in other countries.

    “If it is done, it will also bring more revenue for Nigeria which will also boost the economy generally. In the aspect of the personnel, it will make their jobs easier and more accurate. There are many ways of doing things with AIM.’’

  • Dana Air wins award

    Dana Air has emerged the Best Customer Friendly Domestic airline in 2018 at a summit and award ceremony organised by the Association of Foreign Airlines and Representatives in Nigeria (AFARN) in Lagos.

    Dana Air also pledged to support one of the recipients of the Integrity award who appealed for support at the event, as part of the airline’s strong commitment towards the well-being of Nigerians and encouraging honesty and integrity among not just aviation workers but Nigerians in general.

    Dana Air’s Media and Communications Manager, Kingsley Ezenwa, while receiving the award on behalf of the airline said: “Every frequent flyer in Nigeria knows that Dana Air is the best in terms of on-time departures, customer service and in-flight service, but I want to seize this opportunity to correct a wrong perception. Dana Air is owned by a Nigerian, born in Jos and had his primary and secondary education in Ibadan before proceeding to the UK for his higher education.’’

    Speaking further to newsmen, Ezenwa  said, with a customer service department that works 24/7 and multiplicity of booking options available to our guests, capped with a reward programme that guarantees both flight-related and non-flight related benefits and rewards, we sure deserve the award.”

    ‘”And on behalf of the Management of Dana Air and our ever-committed and professional staff, we wish to thank AFARN for this award. We dedicate the award to our loyal guests who continue to fly the smartest way despite the recent efforts of some enemies of consistency and exceptional service.’’

  • FAAN to acquire scanners to boost security

    To boost security at airports nationwide, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has ordered for modern scanners, its General Manager, Customer Services, Mrs Ebele Okoye, has said.

    She disclosed this at the Second Quarter stakeholders’ forum held at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

    Okoye said the scanners could  detect hard drugs, ammunition and food as well as harmful liquids.

    She said: “Arrangements have been made to bring these scanners to Nigeria. They are different from what we have because they can detect anything inside a baggage without manual checks.

    “Our goal is to reduce interface between passengers and officials of agencies at the airport to curb corrupt practices and also improve service delivery at our airports.”

    According to her, the forum is one of the obligations of FAAN as outlined in the reviewed FAAN Service Charter and it is aimed at improving relationship between FAAN and the stakeholders.

    FAAN Managing Director, Mr Saleh Dunoma, represented by FAAN’s Director of Operations, Capt. Rabiu Yadudu, said the cordial relationship between FAAN and the stakeholders must be sustained for efficient and effective service delivery.

    “I enjoin us to join hands together to uplift our airports so that we can achieve our mission statement of being among the best airport groups in the world.

    “This forum is to ensure that the cordial relationship that existed is strengthened to achieve excellence at all times.

    “This is an important road map for us in the industry to ensure service improvement as feedback mechanism,” he said.

    MMIA General Manager Mrs Victoria Shin-Aba, said FAAN was  seeking ways to improve customer service, especially with the  recent inauguration of a feedback application  at the airport.

    Mrs Shin-Aba noted that the app, an initiative of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), would give passengers and the public the opportunity to register their complaints or commend the quality of services being rendered by government agencies at the airports.

    “The application also gives assurance that such complaints will be attended to and resolved within 72hours, in line with the provisions of Executive Order 1 of the Federal Government of Nigeria,” she said.

    Meanwhile, the  N3 billion contractual agreements that stalled the installation of very important airfield lighting at 1/8 Left runway of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, would be resolved, according to Dunoma.

    The Lagos airport has two runways. The 1/8 Right runway is dedicated to international airline operations because of the length and width of the facility while the 1/8 Left runway is one used by domestic carriers.

    Dunoma, represented by Director of Airport Operations, Capt. Rabiu Hamisu Yadudu, disclosed that the project was stalled eight years ago; a situation that embarrassed the government and made life difficult for domestic airlines.

    He said the Federal Government has revisited the project, adding that the facility would be completed in the next few months.

    He announced that the central taxi-way of the airport runway, which was closed 10 years ago, would be re-opened in three months.

    Dunoma, who did not disclose the contractual agreement that led to the abandoning of the project eight years ago, said: “Small contractual issues delayed the project. This facility is very important for airlines and we are doing everything possible to make sure it is fixed to save airlines from wastage of fuel.”

    The central taxi-way closure has led to difficulty for domestic airlines. A taxi-way is a ground path used by aircraft that connects a runway with another area of an airport.

    Taxiways are usually made of concrete or asphalt, and much like runway surfaces, are pretty solid – anything from a foot to five feet in thickness.

    The 18-Left runway had remained without light for over a decade, forcing domestic airlines to bring stop their operations by 7pm because of lack of light on the runway. They, however, taxi to a far distant 18-Right runway for landing and take-off.

  • AIB, UNILAG partner on material laboratory usage

    The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University of Lagos (UNILAG) on the use of its metallurgical laboratory at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja.

    AIB Commissioner, Mr. Akin Olateru, at the signing of the agreement at the varsity’s Senate Building, said the lab would be of benefit to Nigerians, students of higher institutions of learning and industries.

    Olateru said the lab would save Nigeria huge capital flights, which would have been expended on air tickets, hotels and others by researchers, stressing that collaboration with organisations would further enhance one another’s capabilities.

    He explained that the agency had written to 12 higher institutions of learning on collaboration on the use of the facility, but decried that only three universities – University of Ilorin, UNILAG and Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka replied.

    He noted that the United States’ National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) partnered public and private organisations and wondered why same could not be done here.

    He said: “I believe we can make this country great with collaborations. We need collaborations like this to help us add values to the country. We actually wrote to 12 universities, but only three responded to our letters, which is very unfortunate.

    “This is why I want to thank your leadership for the signing of this MoU because it shows the efforts you are putting in place to increase the knowledge base of this great institution of learning.”

    He, however, expressed satisfaction with the responses of the three universities, adding that there still room for any institution willing to partner it.

    He noted that the management would not compel any organisation or institution to collaborate with it on the use of the equipment.

    UNILAG Vice Chancellor, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe explained that university education is about research.

    He declared that UNILAG was  research-oriented, saying the institution collaborates with other universities and institutions across the country and beyond.

    He said varsity students had been taking the centrestage in the country while at the international level, they have been making great impacts.

    Ogundipe said: ‘The direction of research now is about collaborations and networking. I am glad that we are starting this on a good note. I want to assure you that we will make maximum use of this with our students. Our intention is to make our students known locally and visible at the global stage and I am happy we are achieving that so far. On our own, we will give this collaboration the 100 per cent support it deserves.”

  • NAMA deploys equipment in area control centres

    Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has deployed two Jotron high-powered very high frequency (VHF) long-range communication radios in Lagos West and Lagos East Area Control Centres (ACCs), its Managing Director Captain Fola Akinkuotu has disclosed.

    According to Akinkuotu, the  equipment installation last week  culminated into successful Site Acceptance Test (SAT) carried out by NAMA engineers in conjunction with their counterparts from Jotron AS, Norway.

    The facility, he said,  was deployed by the airspace agency as part of its  pledge to address Remote Control Air to Ground (RCAG) communication challenges in the upper airspace.

    Speaking during the SAT, Capt. Akinkuotu said:  “In accordance with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) regulations, it is incumbent on Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) like NAMA to facilitate safe airways, safe separations and also provide critical fall-back plans for airspace users and that is the essence of this project.”

    He described the stand-alone radios as a robust solution for emergency/backup coverage in unexpected circumstances ; INCLUDING  when there is technical failures or during routine maintenance of the main RCAG system.

    He said: “Test transmission has been conducted on the system by air traffic control officers with aircraft flying at different flight levels just as contacts have been established for a distance of up to 220 nautical miles at different flying levels of the upper airspace and this conforms with the VHF propagation predictions submitted for scrutiny during the design phase of the project.”

  • ‘Why we want to diversify helicopter business’

    A further boost for the helicopter segment of the aviation industry was last week recorded in Lagos. A new kid on the bloc,  Tropical Arctic Logistics Limited (TAL), made a daring entry into the segment, promising to revolutionalise the business by playing in the off-shore logistics section. With this, the firm hopes to diversify the business and and revolutionise the logistic value chain.

    Part of the strategies to achieve its objective, according to the firm, is to put in place a template that combines effective equipment utilisation and deployment of indigenous expertise  to have a competitive edge.

    TAL President and Chief Executive Officer, Emperor Chris Baywood Ibe, disclosed this last week in an interview with The Nation.

    According to Ibe, the firm is set to invest over $150 million on  acquisiction of six AW139 Helicopters to enable it change the narratives of the business.

    He said though the attrition rate of helicopter operators is not high in Nigeria, many operators are yet to understand the trick of the trade.

    According to Ibe, TAL carried out a forensic study of why other operators were not doing well in the business before it ventured into the hugely capital intensive sector.

    He said the firm has invested hugely in  human capital by attracting the best hands in the sector to drive the brand.

    The growing interest in the offshore  segment, he said, is the motivation behind the huge investment, especially given the limited number of operators in the industry that is high capital intensive and technically demanding.

    He said TAL has acquired the equipment: AW139, which it considered appropriate for the clients it looked forward to offer services other than in the oil and gas sector. They include excutive spot charter, banking industry, medical emergency evacuation and allied services as well as executive private aircraft charter.

    He spoke of plans by TAL to commence scheduled domestic services to revolutionise the operational landscape.

    Ibe said his desire to venture into domestic schedule operations was propelled by the lack of capacity of existing operators, which he accused of using the wrong business model.

    He queried why  operators running domestic flights should utilise bigger aircraft instead of Embraear business jets, adding that the unsuitability of equipment is responsible for the collapse of many domestic carriers.

    He said: “We did not rush into this business; we have done our business feasibility studies. In the last five years, we have carried out a study on why many airlines have failed and from the post mortem, we can say, the use of equipment, in terms of aircraft size and type is key.

    “Why should a domestic operator use a Boeing 737 aircraft for a fifty minutes flight? This does not make any commercial sense, operators should consider using Embaear business jets, for its convenience, fuel economy and less crew utlisation. This is the reason we want to venture into domestic scheduled services.”

    Speaking further, he said: “We are considering starting scheduled service operations. But we are going to use the right aircraft types and not B737 that airlines are using. It makes no sense operating B737 for 50 minute flight.”

    Ibe said the firm will save huge money by ensuring that it carries out in-house maintenance of its aircraft with assistance from its technical partners.

    He said the firm paid huge premium on safety and security because of its desire to venture into offshore helicopter logistic operations.

    According to him,  the company’s operational safety policy for  onshore and offshore operations is one of the key attributes which will achieve tremendous resonance among stakeholders.

    “This is one of the reasons why Tropical Arctic Logistics is poised to achieve incomparable heights in customer service standards,” he added.

    Ibe noted that Tropical Arctic Logistics has benefitted tremendously from the unrivalled knowledge and experience of its human capital.

    TAL, he said,  will carry out operations in accordance with the Nigerian Content Monitoring Development Board (NCMDB) policy to develop local capacity. “Indeed, apart from the technical support from our off-shore partners, Rose Aviation, based in the Republic of Ireland, TAL is a company by Nigerians and for Nigerians with international best practices.

    ”In line with our major focus on safety and efficiency, Tropical Arctic Logistics Limited  crew are certified Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) European Aviation Safety Agency ( EASA ) trained personnel in alignment with the industry and country of operation regulatory requirements,”he said.

    The firm, Ibe said, will   continue to  evaluate the business dynamics and monitor the relevant sectoral indices in order to achieve optimal growth and profitability.

    “However, we wish to assure all stakeholders that this is just the beginning of even better and greater accomplishments for the company.  The management and staff are passionately committed to implementing the transformational agenda as envisioned by the board of directors in achieving unparalleled safety records.

    “We have, therefore, positioned our company for leadership in this sector, an unparalleled feat for a company founded just five years ago. We are poised to pursue the local content policy by ensuring we carry out in house maintenance of our equipment.

    “This is achievable because our aircraft pilots and engineers have the competence to achieve this feat. We have learnt from the mistakes of other operators, and have carried out a comprehensive business plan  to guide us. We will take relevant steps to mitigate such trend,” he said.

    On diversifying into offshore helicopter operations, Ibe said: “We have looked around and could see that the future of this business is in the offshore segment of oil and gas. Though, it is technically driven, we are convinced we have the right skills set to drive the business whether it is deep water oil pipelines, marine vessels and allied services.”

  • Stakeholders hail all-female crew flight

    Passengers, government officials and aviation regulators last week were excited as Air Peace celebrated its  first all-female crew flight  comprising Capt. Sinmisola Ajibola; Senior First Officer Quincy Owen; Flight Instructor Rosemary Uagbor; Cabin Executives Chidimma Chimezie and  Opakirite George in Lagos, Abuja and Owerri.

    The all-female flight, which took off from Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, was operated days after Air Peace produced its first female Captain, Sinmisola Ajibola. The flights, the airline said, were in honour of Sinmisola, to promote gender equality in the nation’s aviation industry and project Nigerian women as capable of standing tall among both their male and female counterparts across the world.

    The Boeing B737-300 aircraft with Captain Simisola in command and co-piloted by Senior First Officer Quincy, landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja to a spectacular water salute performed by men of the Fire Service Department of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and a rousing welcome by passengers, government officials and aviation regulators

    From Abuja, the aircraft flew into Sam Mbakwe Cargo Airport, Owerri where it  received  another water salute and warm welcome from passengers and  airport workers.

    Other females involved in the operations were Flight  Engineer, Justina Etim, who signed out the aircraft in Lagos and dispatchers Chisom Onyeakposi and Olubukola Olajiga. Ladi Amadu and Loretta Ekeh dispatched the flight in Abuja and Owerri respectively.

    Speaking at a brief welcome ceremony for the flight crew in Abuja, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace, Mr. Allen Onyema, said over 20 key positions in the airline, including those of the vice chairman, chief operating officer and chief of finance and administration, were occupied by women, whom he insisted had demonstrated excellent capacity to deliver on their tasks.

    The airline, he said, had employed about 2,000 workers since it commenced operations almost four years ago. About 1,500 of the employees, he disclosed, were women.

    “Air Peace is an airline run by women. We are very proud of giving women opportunities to excel because we believe that there is nothing that men can do that women cannot do. We want to encourage our female children that they should aspire to be whatever they want to be by emulating what our female flight and cabin crew members have done today,” Onyema said.

    He commended the government  for its support for domestic airlines; in particular, the  removal of Value Added Tax (VAT) on transportation and waivers granted on importation of aircraft spares.

    On  his part, Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, praised Air Peace for joining the league of airlines that had operated flights with only women in charge of the cockpit, cabin, engineering and dispatch.

    The minister, who was represented by the Director, Safety and Technical Policy, Ministry of Transportation, Capt. Talba Alkali, said the feat had shown the airline was gender friendly.

    He confirmed that Air Peace’s all-female flight was first  time a Nigerian airline was deploying a high capacity aircraft like the Boeing 737 with only Nigerians in charge.

    “Air Peace has made a tremendous impact on the industry and we as regulators and the ministry will continue to create an enabling environment for the airline and other domestic airlines to thrive. Today’s event is yet another testament of the safety of our airspace and we will continue to work with the airlines to make it safer,” Sirika assured.