The Nation Newspaper

Category: Aviation

  • Air Peace first all-female flight goes to Abuja, Owerri Thursday

    Air Peace female flight and cabin crew members will on Thursday take full charge of the carrier’s four-sector flights on the Lagos-Abuja, Abuja-Owerri, Owerri-Abuja and Abuja-Lagos routes.

    The feat by the all female crew breaks the dominance by their male counterparts in the near four years history of the airline.
    The development is coming days after Air Peace gave command to Sinmisola Ajibola, who made history as the airline’s first female captain and was decorated with her new rank by the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Allen Onyema on Monday, June 25.

    A statement issued by Air Peace Corporate Communications Manager, Mr. Chris Iwarah said the flight is planned in honour of the carrier’s first female captain, Sinmisola Ajibola.

    “Captain Sinmisola’s achievement is a testament to Air Peace’s avowed commitment to gender equality and promotion of Nigerian women in aviation as possessing the requisite skills to distinguish themselves anywhere across the globe in their chosen career,” the airline said.
    Air Peace explained that although women occupy most of its top positions, “Sinmisola’s elevation is a great milestone in our effort to grow capacity for women in the cockpit.”

    Read Also: Air Peace decorates first woman captain

    Sinmisola, who will be in command of the four-leg flight, will be assisted in the cockpit by Senior First Officer Quincy Owen.
    The all-female crew flight scheduled to take off from the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos at 1310 hours is estimated to arrive to a water salute at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja at 1420 hours.

    The flight will depart the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport at 1450 and arrive at the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport, Owerri to another round of water salute at 1550 hours. After a brief event at the Owerri Airport, the flight will leave at 1620 hours for Abuja and arrive at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport at 1720 hours. The flight will finally depart the Abuja airport at 1750 hours and touch down at the Murtala Muhammed Airport at 1900 hours.

  • Fed Govt to implement accident reports

    Minister of State for  Aviation Hadi Sirika has pledged that the Federal Government would ensure the implementation of Air Safety Recommendations released by the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB).

    Sirika made the pledge in Abuja last week while receiving the report.

    According to him, the report covers safety recommendations made since AIB’s inception till date, numbering about 130.

    The minister said all the recommendations had not been implemented, adding that the government’s purpose was to ensure that the recommendations were fully implemented.

    He said safety and security of aviation industry had been the focus of the current administration as contained in the road map presented to the public at the inception of the administration.

    “Since inception we haven’t had any report of this nature, but now that we have it, it behooves on us that we ensure that it be implemented 100 per cent.

    “Since we assumed duties,  we focused on all of those things that are safety and security critical to the industry.

    “In our belief and understanding and even in our road map, we set out to review all those things that would enhance safety and security of the industry.

    “I had maintained overtime that it is how safe and secure that you depart point A and land point B that is more important in aviation than all other aesthetics.

    “We all want to attract investment and make our airport more comfortable, but you have to arrive at your destination first before you enjoy comfort and you have to be well secured.”

    AIB Commissioner and Chairman of the Committee, Akin Olateru, said the Bureau had since inception in 2007, made 130 safety recommendations, adding that while 61 per cent of the recommendations had been implemented, eight per cent partially implemented, 31 per cent are yet to be implemented.

    He said AIB ‘s mandate was to investigate serious accidents and incidents with the view to prevent future occurrence, adding that the implementation of the recommendations would help the country to prevent accidents and incidents.

    A member of the committee, Group Capt. John Ojikutu, (Rtd), called on the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to ensure full implementation of the recommendations, adding that safety and security of the industry required thorough attention.

    Ojikutu also called on the government to urgently address the challenges of shortage of manpower, especially the Air Traffic Controllers to ensure safety in the Industry.

  • Air Peace decorates first woman captain 

    A pilot, Simisola Ajibola, has become the first woman captain to be decorated by Air Peace Airlines.

    Ajibola, who joined the airline  in February 2017 as a Senior First Officer (SFO),  is from a family of pilots, father and four brothers, three of whom are with Air Peace.

    Presenting the new captain to the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, for decoration, the Chief Pilot, Capt. Victor Egonu, said he predicted Sinmisola’s elevation on the first flight she operated with him.

    Decorating Sinmisola with her captain epaulettes at the airline’s corporate headquarters in Lagos, Onyema said he was proud of her achievement.

    He urged the new captain to sustain her outstanding performance in and out of the cockpit.

    He praised the airline’s pilots and their colleagues for displaying excellence in the cockpit as well as standing tall among their counterparts across the globe. Air Peace has eight women pilots in its employ.

    Meanwhile, Igbo women have urged Air Peace to quicken the launch of its international operations, saying they would mobilise their members and other air travellers to patronise the carrier on its long-haul routes.

    The women, under the aegis of Umuada Igbo Nigeria and in Diaspora, gave the assurance  in Enugu.

    The Southeast women, who conferred Air Peace with the award of “Best Air Carrier of the Year”, said they were proud of the airline’s route network expansion. Air Peace, they said, has made air travel in Nigeria seamless and reliable.

    Presenting the award to Air Peace, Founder of Umuada Igbo Nigeria and in Diaspora, Lolo Kate Ezeofor said the group was anxiously waiting for the launch of the airline’s international routes.

    The group, she pledged, would support the carrier to ensure the success of its long-haul operations.

    Air Peace Corporate Communications Manager, Mr. Chris Iwarah, who received the award on behalf of the airline, commended Umuada Igbo for recognising the carrier’s efforts to transform air travel in Nigeria and beyond.

    He assured the group that the airline would be outstanding in its international flight services. Air Peace, he said, was making a success of its vision to create jobs and transform air travel.

    He commended Umuada Igbo’s community development projects, saying they tallied with Air Peace’s goal of encouraging development through job creation and seamless air connectivity.

  • ‘Merger not solution to airlines’ challenges’

    Domestic airlines’ merger is not the solution to the  challenges operators are grappling with,  the Accountable Manager, DANA Air, Obi Mbanuzuo,  has said.

    Although the proposal has worked in other countries, according to Mbanuzuo, it still remains a mirage in Nigeria because carriers are too weak.

    Mbanuzuo, who spoke in an interview at the weekend in Lagos,  said airlines could collaborate in many areas while maintaining their individuality.

    He said airlines in Nigeria were too weak to exploit the merger option because the weaker partner in the deal could pull the other operator down.

    Mbanuzuo said operational partnership, by pooling equipment and personnel on some strategic routes, could enhance the capacity for many airlines.

    But the operational environment, he said, is not yet ripe for such arrangement because each carrier has its structural template for operations, which differs from airline to airline.

    He said there were more problems to be addressed in the sector beyond merging of airlines, adding that if the aviation sector must be positioned as a catalyst for economic development, the government should rework its policies to address challenges of inadequate infrastructure, including landing facilities at airports.

    Mbanuzo said: ”I do not think airlines merging is the answer to the problems of the industry. We have to find structural solutions to the problems.

    ”The merger proposal should generally be for two competitors. In this case, one partner or airline is bigger than the other or sees the other as a threat or as a complement to its operations.

    “For instance, if there was an airline flying mainly into the north ern parts of the country, we may decide to merge for a more pan- Nigerian airline. I think part of the reasons people are calling for merger is to make airlines stronger, but it will not  work.

    “Among the current operators, some of them are very weak, so when there is a merger, the weak one will pull the stronger down.”

    Citing some failed merger arrangements across the globe, Mbanuzuo insisted that operational co-operation among airlines was the way to go.

    He said: ”There are many cases around the world where merging of airlines  has not worked. Sometimes, airlines operate very closely but, they do not merge. Air France /KLM is a very good example. They still maintain their individual identities.”

    Mbanuzuo said airlines would perform better in Nigeria if operators and the regulator took a closer look at why the cost of operations was high.

    He said the regulator, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority ( NCAA), should go beyond prescribing the number of aircraft an operator should have in its fleet and take steps to  stimulate policies that would drive passenger traffic.

    ”There are many other things to do in the industry, but people are not do them. In South Africa for instance, there are about 40 to 50 times the number of airplanes we have in Nigeria, but our gross domestic product is higher.

    “If you look at the industry currently in Nigeria, there are more than 10 million travelers per annum, but South Africa has about 70 million travelers on domestic travel alone.

    “Their civil aviation authority has about  500 workers regulating hundreds of airplanes, but in Nigeria the NCAA has over 1,000 workers regulating how many airplanes,” he said.

    He said through a deliberate policy, the government should make air transport attractive by reducing aeronautical charges to enable them reduce air fares.

    Mbanuzuo said: ”The first thing is to make the air transport industry a mass market because many Nigerians still look at it as something for the elite.

    “Air transportation is not for the elite. If you go back to history, the United States is the largest air transport market in the world though it is projected that in the next few years China will take over.

    “In the US, the advent of carriers like JetBlue Airways, which people say are low cost carriers, made a difference. We call them low cost carriers, but they are actually mass carriers. They compete  with other modes of transportation, including  road and rail because they can sell tickets to people, who go by rail or road to fly. “

    He said airlinescould attract more passengers, if there was a cost-friendly environment. He noted that with lower fares the passenger traffic could increase.

    He said : “ That is what we need to try here in Nigeria. How can an airline with the current policies operate that way?

    ”We can’t price against road operators. As an airline operator, I would like to sell some seats on-board each flight we operate for like N5, 000.

    “I would like to do that because it extends the market. We are 180 people; why should only 10 million be flying per annum?

    “Out of the 10 million, only about three million do multiple journeys; it is too small and not right. We could drive the industry higher than it is right now if we could drive price down.”

    He said airlines were grappling with many challenges including the huge cost of aviation fuel.

    The DANA Air boss said: “Nigeria is the fifth producer of crude oil in the world, yet we don’t refine our own aviation fuel. Petrol is subsidised, but aviation fuel is not. Currently we buy between N250 and N270 per litre and each one hour flight burns an average of 4, 000 litres, which is a lot of money.

    “An average aircraft will have about 100 to 120 seats which are not always full. Divide that with the cost of fuel. We prefer fuel to be refined locally because we believe it will drive prices down.”

    He added:” Well, many of our airports are not certified, except Abuja and Lagos.

  • N505b ticket sales: NCAA, experts at war

    The release of 2017 figures for airlines’ ticket sales, which stood at N505 billion, by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is generating misgivings. Some experts and industry groups have faulted the figures, insisting that a panel should investigate the matter. KELVIN OSA OKUNBOR reports.

    Aviation sector regulator  Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is in the eye of the storm. Last year’s ticket sales by both international and domestic airlines released by the agency has pitched it against some  experts and and groups.

    The NCAA said airlines sold tickets worth N505 billion last year. It  released data on the number of passengers that flew in the year, which indicated that over 14 million passengers travelled.

    The NCAA gave figures for the number of flights recorded by airlines as well as the volume of cargo freighted, and the revenue  from these to government agencies.

    But the figures churned out by the agency did not go down well with some experts and groups. Some of them kicked, insisting that the money indicated to have been made from tickets by the airlines was not correct.

    An aviation security professional, Group Captain John Ojikutu (rtd), and President, National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies (NANTA), Bernard Bankole, accused the NCAA of  rolling out incorrect figures.

    They, therefore, urged the NCAA to come clean with the figures. According to them,  there is a discrepancy between the tickets sold by airlines and travel agents and what the NCAA described as flown or used tickets.

    The experts argued that a break- down of the ticket sales rolled out by the NCAA was not convincing compared with the figures of passengers traffic in the possession of other  agencies.

    Investigations revealed that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) keeps its figures of passenger traffic obtained from records of payment of passenger service charge.

    The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) obtains its passenger record from figures of passengers on board, given by airline pilots to air traffic controllers,

    The experts insisted that until there is harmonisation of these figures, anything released by the NCAA will not be convincing to  stakeholders.

    They have even taken their grouse a notch higher,  charging the Ministry of Aviation, National Assembly Committees on Aviation and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to set up panels to look into the figures declared as revenue from charges and ticket sales by both domestic and foreign carriers that operated into the country in the last few years.

    Ojikutu, for instance,  said the figures declared by the NCAA as ticket sales for last year  suggested a balance of over N300 billion yearly.

    He said the figures by NCAA do not add up because the parameter used by the authority to arrive at the figures was faulty.

    According to the NCAA, about 14 million passengers  bought and expended tickets last year.

    Of the 14 million passengers, four million were on international flights while 10 million travelled on domestic flights.

    But Ojikutu said the NCAA should come clean by giving verifiable figures of passengers that travelled through the airports rather than hiding under the guise of discrepancies between actual number of tickets sold and the number of flown tickets.

    He alleged that that the tickets sold for the year under review could not be less than N740 billion.

    Ojikutu said the government might have lost over N20 billion yearly due to infractions in the parameters used by NCAA to compute the figures.

    His words: “Let us give consideration of about 10 per cent for whatever concessions the airlines and NCAA want us to consider from about two million outbound passengers , which gives us 1.8 million passengers.

    “Without recourse to first class and business class passengers, if all passengers paid same fare of N350,000 per flight, the figures should give us not less than N650 billion as earnings.

    “If considered deeply, the N411 billion or N505 billion provided by NCAA for 2016 and 2017, respectively, revealed a shortfall of more than N24O billion and N150 billion, respectively, for the two years, without adding the shortfall on domestic airlines figures.”

    He also said if each of the five million outbound domestic passengers paid N18,000, again without factoring the first and business class passengers’ fares, the earnings cannot be anything less than N90 billion.

    Besides, the ticket sales earnings for each of the years, he said, could therefore not be less than N740billion,  and the NCAA’s five per cent  ticket sales charges for each of the year could not be less than N37billion.

    ”Again, the figures of about N300billion given on cargo cannot be the airlines’ earnings on freight, but the NCAA’s five per cent cargo sales  charges. These figures are again given without specifying the volume of cargo that generated the charges,” Ojikutu added.

    The expert observed that given a minimum charge of N20/kg, those earnings could only be generated from about 15million to 20 million  kg as against the over 180 million  available import and exports.

    “The figures are outrageous and show some manipulations. Overall, the shortfalls are huge and the government through the NCAA is losing an average of about N20billion annually on Ticket Sales Charge  and Cargo Sales Charge and the government has lost more than N100 billion between 2013 and 2017,” Ojikutu charged.

    He said the NCAA should be courageous enough to ask the airlines to show evidence for the balance of over N300 billion yearly on ticket sales otherwise, the agency must take responsibility for the shortfalls.

    He said if the NCAA refuses to take responsibility for the alleged shortfall, the government should   probe the matter.

    Ojikutu said the Minister of State, Aviation, Federal Inland Revenue Service and the National Assembly Aviation Committees should set up panels to look into these earnings and the shortfall could help in addressing the various inadequacies of systems infrastructure and human capital development in the prime safety areas in the sector.

    Bankole called on FAAN to declare its over N108 billion earned as Passenger Service Charge (PSC) for millions of passengers that travel through the airports yearly.

    He said FAAN could not earn so much from passenger service charge, yet it is not ready to improve facilities at the airports for airlines and other airport users.

    Bankole said: “We are not entirely in agreement with the figures rolled out by the NCAA, but at least, they are even giving figures, but FAAN is silent about the billions of naira it rakes in every year.

    “Why should FAAN not tell us what it is doing with the billions of naira it is collecting as passenger service charge for regional and international flights? Yet, the airports do not have enough facilities for the operational use and comfort of passengers. It is a shame.”

    But the NCAA has kicked its heels in, reaffirming the sanctity of its data on the industry. Its spokesman, Sam Adurogboye,  said it stood by its figures.

    Adurogboye said the figures were  verifiable and no amount of “push and shove’’ would  cast aspersion on it.

    He said the agency’s system and processes of generating and gathering data were  in line with international best practices and standards.

    Adurogboye said: “All stakeholders and the public are advised to resist all attempts to create confusion and cast doubts on the figures. This is clearly a result of crass ignorance and the purveyors being too clever by half.

    “The process of generating data is as stipulated in the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs) 2015 Part 18.12.5. All domestic and international airlines operating in Nigeria shall forward to the authority through an electronic platform provided by the authority. All relevant documents, such as flown coupons, passenger or cargo manifests, air waybills, load sheets, clients’service invoices and other documents necessary for accurate billing within 48 hours after each flight.”

    Adurogboye said as part of the billing requirements, the authority collects billable data from airlines, photocopy of flown coupons and Post Departure Manifest (PDM) of international flight operations.

    “All these are International Air Transport Association (IATA) documents, which NCAA cannot influence. The Flown Coupons contain specific information required by IATA before billings are done and issued. These are Ticket Number, Name of Passenger, Ticket Sales Charge (NG), etc. It is noteworthy that the pre-requisite NCAA  five per cent  TSC paid by passengers is indicated on the ticket. These data are warehoused by NCAA and can be verified,” he clarified.

    The NCAA spokesman also explained that the domestic billing process requires the airline to submit to the authority its PDM immediately after every flight departure. It is from the filed fares that five per cent TSC is calculated.

    He said the Automated Integrated System ensures authenticity between NCAA server and airlines.

    Continuing, he said the process of billing five per cent Cargo Sales Charge (CSC) requires the airline to submit airway bill in accordance to the Nig.CARs.The weight and rate stated on the Airway bill is used in calculating the CSC.

    “However, it is pertinent to state that the statistics available for  five per cent CSC is not the same as the harmonised figures. Cargo data captures the totalweight of the cargo (import and export) while NCAA chargeable weight is on export cargo only,” Adurogboye stated.

    He noted that foreign airlines with Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) do not pay royalty on cargo airlift, though the cargo weights are captured, but not billable.

    Furthermore, the authority, according to him, authenticates the automated data output with the hard copy data submitted by the airlines. This, he said, serves as verification and determination of the actual flown passengers.

    Adurogboye added that some categories are non-revenue passengers and are exempted  from  five per cent  TSC calculation. They are diplomats, and infants less than two years, including those whose journeys do not originate from Nigeria (ticket sold offshore).

    “In ticket sales, there are promotional, discounted, staff and low season’s fares. It is the aggregate of these that mischief makers sum up and begin to tout as figures.

    “Airline fares are not constant and they are dissimilar across routes and continental distances. It is, therefore, preposterous for anyone to attach the same fare to all passengers as the confusionists have done,” Adurogboye fumed.

    He said it was impossible for any airline to remit five per cent TSC on passengers not flown. The airlines scrutinise NCAA billing using their flown coupons before remittances of sales charge to NCAA.

    “On international flights, IATA provides support via Billing Settlement Plan (BSP) through its Clearing House, verification and direct collection of  five per cent  TSC. All the above processes attest to the sanctity of our figures.

    “The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) will continue to ensure due diligence in data collation. This prevalent distraction will not deter the Regulatory Authority from providing a robust regulation that will engender safe and secure airline operations,’’ Adurogboye added.

  • Summit holds in Abuja July 14 

    The  Airport Business Summit and Expo for Africa (ABSE) will hold in Abuja  on July 14.

    Its organiser, Mr Fortune Idu, the event billed for Shehu Musa Yar’ Adua Centre, with the theme “Repositioning the airport business to sustain air transport growth” , will draw participants and exhibitors from across the world.

    The three-day conference, Idu said, is aimed at promoting air transport.

    The expo, he said, provides a window for players to  share their  thoughts  on challenges in the airport sub-sector.

    Idu said: “The deliberation at the summit is centred on helping operators, investors and the airport business community to find a common ground to prosper. The summit provides a veritable platform for reviewing airport development policies, programmes and projects.”

    The summit is expected to attract over 200 delegates from all industries.

    According to Idu, ABSE 2018 will also host an agro logistics seminar to unveil the opportunities for using air transport to facilitate both local and international agro based export covering perishable good and processed agro products.

    The seminar will feature presentations from officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria(FAAN),Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) Plc; Skyways Aviation Handling Company (SAHCOL);  N Ethiopian Airlines; Arik Air Nigeria Export Promoting Council (NEPC), National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFADAC) and Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON).

    He said the summit would cover subjects, such as processes, procedures, packages, containerisation, standards, market  and  technologies available for enhancing agro export at the airport and possible further development opportunities.

    Idu said the forum is important for the airport sub-sector to plan  and close the gap that may hinder successful and seamless air agro export regime.

    He said: “Papers will be presented at the summit by heads of aviation industries to give insight to the future investment opportunities in Africa’s airports domain and to enable them position ahead of the development.’’

  • Dana listed in IATA registry

    Dana Air has been listed on the International Air Transport Association (IATA ) Ground Operations Manual (IGOM) registry.

    The registry is for companies and airlines, which have complied with internationally-recognised standards for ground handling.

    The IGOM, initiated by IATA, defines ground handling standards for airlines and ground service providers to ensure safe, efficient, and consistent ground service activities.

    According to IATA, ground operations are essential tasks for airlines and ground service providers to deliver turnarounds and on time departures, with safety being the number one priority.

    The IATA Board of Governors has set a target (50 per cent of member airlines in 2006) to start to implement the IATA Ground Operations Manual (IGOM) as their minimum standard for ground operations.

    Dana Air’s Accountable Manager/Chief Operating  Officer, Mr Obi Mbanuzuo, said: ‘’We are happy about our most recent international recognition as an airline that adheres to global best practices. We thank IATA for recognising our ground handling safety standards and unwavering commitment to operational excellence.

    ‘’We wish to also take the moment to reassure our ever-supportive and loyal guests of our strong desire to continue to provide safe, reliable and affordable air transport service in Nigeria.’’

    Dana Air is one of Nigeria’s airlines with over 27 daily flights from Lagos to Abuja, Port Harcourt, Uyo and Owerri.

  • Why air crash rate is falling, by NCAA

    THE Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has attributed the reduction in air crash rate to enhanced civil aviation regulations, improved air navigation equipment at airports and airside and the development of global strategies for safety in transportation.

    Its Director-General, Captain Mukthar Usman, in an interview in Lagos, said Nigeria had witnessed zero accident in both passenger and cargo flights in the last three years.

    This, he said, meant that Nigeria was aligning with the global trend where accident rates have declined sharply in the last few years.

    Usman said the NCAA would continue to pursue global strategies and programmes that will improve civil aviation regulations as they affect its regulatory processes, procedures, systems and personnel.

    He listed other factors responsible for decline in air accident rate to include maintenance of standards and recommended practices of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO);  monitoring of safety trends and indicators; implementation of targetted safety programmes; sharing of safety information by countries and effective response to natural disasters,  conflicts or other causes.

    Besides, Usman said the NCAA has taken other steps, including proper scrutiny for applicants of Airline’s Operators Certificate (AOC); economic regulation of airlines; creation of level playing field for all operators; enthroning professionalism by its personnel as well as implementation of a regime of sanctions, which has made safety violations unacceptable.

    He said the NCAA will not relent but improve on the training and retraining of its technical personnel to ensure the zero accident profile was sustained.

    Usman said the NCAA would ensure that the superstructure of safety was strenghtened.

    He said: “Nigeria will continue to participate in major global aviation events, increase consultation with airline operators and stakeholders as well as ensure compliance with international standards and recommended practices and Nigerian civil aviation regulations.”

    Usman said the NCAA will not go back on the enforcement of sanctions as the authority in the last few years sanctioned airlines, pilots, cabin crew, aircraft engineers, flight dispatchers, aircraft maintenance organisations and aviation security firms.

    He said: “Between October 2014 and December 2017, the NCAA has applied 90 sanctions. Fifteen pilots were sanctioned, five cabin crew,  four aircraft engineers, one private security outfit was suspended, four approved maintenance organisations were sanctioned in addition to five airlines.

    “There will be no going back  in our bid to attain stability in safety and the profile of the industry. I must admit that the zero accident we have recorded in Nigeria for the third consecutive year is evidence of our robust regulatory oversight, bringing about increase in passenger volume, more application for air operators certificate and lower insurance premium.”

    He said Nigeria will continue to pursue global safety and security programmes that have brought  significant reduction in accident rate for airlines.

    Usman said: “As world  aviation safety continues to increase, there has been a sharp fall in accident rate in Africa and Indian Ocean region. Between 2015 and 2016, it has decreased from 7.3 per cent to about 1.2 per cent.”

    The NCAA boss said the authority has also stepped up its game in the regulation of personnel and renewal of licenses for pilots and other technical personnel as part of efforts to improve air safety.

    He said: “We have spared no efforts at ensuring that there is continious oversight and safety surveillance, migration of licenses from the paper format to cards fitted with biometric features in addition to ensuring that twenty three airports are now compliant with performance based navigation.”

    He went on: ”We will continue to sustain the international technical safety rating of Nigeria, expressed through Category One, continue to push for the certification of more airports outside Lagos and Abuja and consolidate on the review of weather minima in eighteen airports so far achieved.”

    He said the NCAA was also working on the re-certification of over 86 heliports, helidecks and helipads to ascertain safety of flights from such platforms.

    Usman  continued: “Safety is a journey not a destination; this explains why we scrutinising 29 applications seeking to be issued air operators certificates as new entrants into the industry. Besides, we have issued three air operators certificates; we have renewed 11 and the fresh applications are at various stages of processing.”

    He said the regulatory authority will continue to raise the bar in the discharge of its duties by ensuring only qulified personnel and organisations are issued licenses.

    Usman said: “So far, over 507 screening personnel from various organisations have been certified. Over 80 aviation security instructors have been certified by NCAA to deliver security training in Nigeria.This is, in addition to four NCAA and other aviation security instructors, trained by the United Nations on counter terrorism. Over 90 applications for registration of remotely piloted aircraft system have been received.”

  •  Govt activates contingency plans at airports to curb Ebola

    To prevent an outbreak of Ebola and other communicable diseases in the country, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has activated emergency contingency plans at the Lagos, Abuja, Enugu, Kano and Port Harcourt international airports.

    The measure is part of the template designed by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) to checkmate the spread of Ebola, which is ravaging the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

    In line with the plans, thermal scanners at the arrival and departure wings of the airports are manned by Port Health officials, who check the temperature of inbound and outbound passengers.

    FAAN Regional Manager at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, Mrs. Victoria Shinaba, said the plans would ensure that any passenger with traces of any communicable disease was isolated and attended to.

    She said passengers were being screened with the prescribed scanners to reassure airport users of their safety.

    Mrs Shinaba said a few weeks ago, a mock exercise was carried out to prepare some workers on the procedure to adopt in the event of an outbreak of communicable disease.

    FAAN, she said, would continue to stick to the public health emergency procedure to ensure that international standards are maintained.

    She said sanitisers and soaps were being provided at toilets to ensure that passengers maintained high hygiene level.

    Akanu Ibiam International Airport (AIIA) in Enugu has since begun thermal and body screening of passengers at the airport.

    Its Manager, Mr.Mgbemena Orjiako, said  the airport had secured WHO’s cooperation in  sensitising airport workers.

    According to Mgbemena, the talk,which is only centred on Ebola, also extends to other communicable diseases that are possibly contracted by air or by means of air travel.

    “You know air travel is the quickest means of moving around from continent to continent. So, if there is a contagious disease of such magnitude, it can easily move from country to country. So, WHO has been here and has equally assisted us in giving talks on how to tackle it and what to watch out for and what to do to prevent the spread,” Mgbemena said.

    He said  the Port Health Authority (PHA), in collaboration with other agencies at the airport, held  emergency meetings where they carefully designed measures   to forestall Ebola at the airport.

    He said Enugu airport is  very serious on curtailing the Ebola outbreak if any, because  an international airline  flies  into the airport three times a week.

    Mgbemena said the airport had also created an area where it could keep any passenger detected to have abnormal temperature.

    “There is an  area in the arrival hall where we keep them and also check their temperature discreetly while they are coming in without their knowing. We also have sanitisers in different corners at the airport where people can wash  themselves,” he said.

    According to the manager, there is joint monitoring of the movement of passengers into the airport every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

    He said: “We pay greater attention to those moving into the airport because most passengers may be coming from Addis Ababa, but may be transiting from other areas of the world. So, we want to be very cautious and we don’t want anything to go wrong.”

  • Airlines plan fare hike as fuel price rises

    Domestic carriers, under the aegis of the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), are planning to increase fares due to soaring aviation fuel price.

    The proposed fare hike, according to AON Chairman Captain Nogie Meggison, is predicated on the challenges in the product supply, which, he claimed, has been hijacked by a cabal.

    The challenges, he said, were affecting airlines’operations, safety, dispatch reliability and optimal utilisation of assets.

    Speaking with The Nation in Lagos, Meggison said the development might  force  airlines to hike fares.

    Lamenting how fuel price hike has increased airlines’financial burden, he said, if not checked, it might become a threat to business in the long term.

    He called on the government to ensure unhindered availability of fuel at competitive rate.

    In the last five years, fuel price of has increased from N160 to N220 per litre in Lagos and sells for over N270 per litre in some northern states, including Borno, Adamawa and others.

    Fuel accounts for over 40 per cent of the operating cost of carriers.

    Sources close to AON said possible hike in fares was one of the issues when airline owners and managers met recently.

    The carriers, the sources said, were worried over the fluctuating price, which has hovered between N220 and N270 per litre.

    According to investigations, fares may go up from about N23,000 for one-way trip in economy class on the Lagos-Abuja route to about N35,000, while a seat in business class may rise from N45,000 to about N60,000 for one way trip.

    Many airlines have various cabin configurations for their online fares, ranging from economy discount, economy saver, economy flexible, business saver to business flexible.

    The fare options in one of the carriers are N27,900, N33,000, N45,000 and N79,000.

    Return flights from Abuja to Lagos on the website of one of the carriers revealed a fare offering of N23,400, N25,200, N33,300, N45,000 and N79,200 in  economy discount, economy saver, economy flexible, business saver and business flexible cabins.

    But, investigations revealed that AON may not get the endorsement of members for the hike because two carriers – Arik Air and Aero Contractors of Nigeria – are under receivership by the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON).

    As airlines run with public funds, through cash injection by AMCON and supporting banks, they are not affected by the unfriendly operating environment. But carriers are alleged to be engaged in price war.

    Other operators accuse them of charging lower fares because they are exempted from payment of air navigation and airport charges as they are run by the government.

    An operator, who was part of the AON meeting, said: “We had our meeting recently, and one of the things we discussed was fuel situation in Nigeria. We cannot continue this way. The price of aviation fuel is affecting out operations negatively. The price keeps increasing by the day. Currently, it is hovering between N220 per litre and about N270 per litre.

    “How do people expect us to remain in business and be profitable when air fares have remained static?

    “We may have no option than to agree to raise air fares except the government does something to fix the oscillating price of fuel.”

    An operator, who pleaded not to be named said: “The  marketers sometimes say they don’t get foreign exchange to import fuel. Three persons are involved – the man who gets the licence to bring in fuel. Another person,  who owns a fuel dump and  another person who receives the fuel to keep for the man, will add his cost and other supply chain challenges, including the one on the sea and on the roads. When the fuel lands, they keep it somewhere before it finally goes to airlines  who need it, these added costs make it expensive.”

    It was gathered that aviation fuel costs more in Nigeria than other oil producing countries.

    According to statistics from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Jet A1 sells for  $2.30 per gallon in Nigeria, $2.30 in Benin and $1.94  in Cameroon.

    In Luanda, Angola, an oil producing country,  it sells for  $3.75 per gallon; in Libreville, it sells for $2.05 per gallon,whereas in Khartoum, Sudan, it sells for  $2.44 per gallon.

    It is only in  Equatorial Guinea fuel sells  for $0.46 per gallon.

    According to IATA,  jet  fuel prices in some African countries are double the global average. It said higher fuel price poses a serious threat to the development of aviation in Africa.

    IATA attributed the high cost of the fuel in Africa to distribution inefficiencies and infrastructure constraints.

    In an interview, IATA Vice President for Africa Raphael Kuuchi said: “Apart from the issues of highly priced jet fuel, Africa’s jet fuel shortfall is expected to triple from 1.8 million mt in 2013 to around 5.2 million mt by 2025. As a result of the high fuel price, ticket prices are relatively high. If the fuel price comes down and costs of operations reduce, airlines are likely to bring down their fares.

    “Today, fuel prices globally average per gallon is $1.3 dollar. In Africa, it ranges between $2 and $3.77. In some places, more than twice what it is globally.

    “We have observed that  fuel price is 21 per cent more expensive in Africa than the world average.”