The Nation Newspaper

Category: Aviation

  • Dana Air, Asky sign interline agreement

    DANA Air and the Togo-based Asky airline has signed an intelligent agreement in Lagos.

    The deal entails the addition of some new generation aircraft to the Dana Air fleet.

    During the signing at Dana Air’s Corporate head office in Lagos, Group Managing Director Mr. Jacky Hathiramani said the airline had taken a bold step towards achieving its strategic route and fleet expansion programme.

    He said: “Dana Air shall be adding some brand new aircraft to its fleet very soon. We have also had advanced talks with some  notable aircraft manufacturers and very soon, some of aircraft outside the country on maintenance will also be arriving. This is part of our desire to provide options for our guests who have also been requesting us to consider some under-served cities in Nigeria. We want to assure our guests of our commitment towards providing safe, reliable, affordable and world-class air transport services in Nigeria,’’ Hathiramani said.

    Asky Airlines Chief Executive Officer(CEO), Mr Ahadu Simachew, said: “Dana Air, having survived the sundry issues in the aviation industry for 10 years and still waxing stronger, appears to us as the most experienced and well-managed airline in Nigeria,  with a very strong, passionate  and creative management team. We are happy to have reached an agreement and we believe this is good for Nigeria and Africa.’’

     

  • FAAN tightens security at Lagos airport airside

    FAAN tightens security at Lagos airport airside

    The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has deployed 10 Hilux patrol vehicles to tighten security at the airside of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

    The airside is the area of an airport with direct access to the aircraft. Entry to the place is controlled.

    In an interview in Lagos, FAAN’s General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Mrs Henrietta Yakubu, said the deployment was part of measures to enhance efficiency and security at the airport.

    She said: ”The authority will like to assure airport users and the public that we will continue to upgrade our facilities, processes and procedures, in consonance with our core values of security, safety and comfort.”

    In a related development, FAAN has automated the car park at the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos.

    Mrs Yakubu said  within one month of the  exercise, it has recorded 68 per cent increase in revenue.

    She said the exercise had blocked some of the leakages in the system.

    She said with the automation, rowdiness and  traffic gridlock  caused by the manual collection at the park had disappeared.

    Mrs Yakubu  said  FAAN would review the performance of the exercise by the end of this quarter and make adjustments where necessary. He noted that so far, the new system had been in favour of both FAAN and the public.

    FAAN started the automation of the GAT car park on January 8, a development that has eliminated the manual collection of toll which was in place for about two decades.

    She said: “FAAN decided to overhaul the whole system and see how we could make it orderly because we were getting a lot of complaints from our passengers and airport users that they were not getting space to park their vehicles.Then, we were wondering if all the people that parked their vehicles at the car park were airport workers and travellers. Also, we are in an era of technology where people no longer do things manually, but automated. That was what prompted FAAN into doing the automation.

    “And since we started, there has been a lot of sanity at the car park. There is a lot of orderliness, progression. As soon as you go into the airport, you just go into the car park without any issues. In time past, there were lots of queues. Once you get into the airport, if you are not dropping, you are encouraged to go to the car park and do your business there, rather than parking on the road and create traffic jam.”

    Despite the automation of the car park, Mrs Yakubu said FAAN would still continue with the planned construction of a multi-storey car park within the GAT terminal, stressing that such would further enhance revenue generation for the agency.

    “As you know, FAAN just completed the construction of a multi-storey car park at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos. Plans are on ground, too, for the car park at the GAT. When we commence the construction, everyone would see it,” she said.

    On the evacuation of aircraft at the Lagos Airport, she said the exercise had been completed in Lagos while the team would move to Kano airport for the same exercise and, subsequently, move to Ilorin, Kaduna and others.

    She added that FAAN was also working on the toilets at the international wing of the Lagos Airport.

    “The Wing D toilet fittings have been removed and replaced. Once we are done with Wing D, we shall move to Wing E. We are doing overhaul of the facilities so that we can have new toilets for users,”she said.

  • Air Peace sets new record as B777 aircraft arrives

    Air Peace sets new record as B777 aircraft arrives

    Air Peace has set a new record with the arrival of its newly acquired Boeing B777-200 aircraft, becoming the first and only Nigerian airline to procure and register the brand of airliner in the country.

    The development is coming weeks after the airline took delivery of two Embraer 145 aircraft on January 31 and February 9 respectively and made history with the setting up a subsidiary, Air Peace Hopper to organise its short-haul operations in line with its no-city-left-behind project.

    The 274-capacity aircraft, which touched down at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos at about 3.45 pm on Friday, is the first of two Boeing 777 airliners Air Peace recently acquired in preparation for its Dubai, Sharjah, London, Guangzhou-China, Houston, Mumbai and Johannesburg services. The airline is finalising talks to add two more B777 aircraft to its fleet soon.

    The aircraft with registration mark 5N-BVE bears “Ifechukwu”, the middle name of the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace, Mr. Allen Onyema.

    The aircraft, which was flown in by the Chief Pilot of the airline, Capt. Victor Egonu and Capt. Simon Donoghue, arrived to a rousing welcome by an excited team from Air Peace led by Onyema and and enthusiastic crowd of top aviation personnel as well as security operatives.

    Speaking on the arrival of the aircraft, Onyema assured that Air Peace, which launched its its Banjul, Freetown and Dakar services on February 19, 2018 would soon start flights to Dubai, Sharjah, Guangzhou-China, London, Houston, Mumbai and South Africa.

    “Air Peace is ready to begin operations on these routes as soon as we get the cooperation of our aviation agencies, our home governments, and the outside governments of the countries we are going to. As soon as we get their cooperation, we will make it happen, ” Onyema said.

    Read Also:  Air Peace boss attributes High Safety Rating in Aviation to NCAA

    The feats Air Peace had recorded in just three years of its flight operations, he insisted, were a proof that Nigerian airlines could compete with and even outperform the legacy airlines if there was a level-playing field.

    His words: “This is the first time a Nigerian carrier is acquiring a B777. What we have had in the past were through leases which were not favourable to the airline operators. So, I don’t believe that Nigerian airlines cannot compete favourably with others. What we have been lacking is the necessary support.

    “Within the last three years, we have been able to increase our fleet size to 24 aircraft. That is rapid growth and we are still growing stronger.”

    Onyema dismissed insinuations that Nigerian airlines were not safe, stressing that Air Peace spent up to $2.5 million annually in maintaining a single aircraft on its fleet.

    “So,” he contended, “in terms of safety, we can assure our guests of the very best because even our technical partner is a firm from the United Kingdom.

    “Air Peace cannot be said to be weak or indebted and if there are airlines that are going through that, they should come out and name them instead of generalising.”

    The Air Peace boss said he remained opposed to the Single African Air Transportation Market (SAATM) initiative, insisting that Nigeria had little or nothing to gain from it.

    Onyema explained that most African airlines that would take advantage of the SAATM window to operate in the country lacked attractive destinations Nigerian airlines would reciprocally operate into.

    He added that some of the countries on the African continent were imposing high charges in a bid to discourage Nigerian airlines from operating into their routes.

  • DANA Air passengers retrieve luggage from aircraft

    DANA Air passengers retrieve luggage from aircraft

    …AIB yet to handover aircraft to airline

    …Carrier canvass post trauma offer

     

    Fresh facts emerged on Thursday that the luggage of the 44 passengers that boarded the DANA Air MD 83 aircraft flight Flight 9J0363 from Abuja to Port Harcourt on Tuesday has been retrieved.

    The retrieve of the luggage a source close to the airline hinted came on the heels of complaints by some of the passengers who boarded the aircraft which overshot the runway of Port Harcourt Airport due to heavy rain.

    The source hinted that the Accident Investigation Bureau ( AIB), the agency saddled with the probe of air accidents and serious incidents is yet to release the aircraft to the airline.

    The source said the delay in releasing the aircraft may be unconnected with detailed probe into the serious incident.

    A team of investigators from the AIB , led by its director of operations, Captain Dayyabu Danraka is in Port Harcourt to unravel the remote and immediate cause of the incident and make recommendations to forestall future occurrence.

    Investigations revealed that DANA Air is reaching out to some of the 44 passengers for possible post trauma treatment.

    The offer for post trauma treatment , including possible payment of medical bills for those that may have sustained injuries is to reduce the pain of the affected passengers.

    A source close to the airline said some of the passengers were impressed with the professionalism of the pilot in controlling the aircraft into the bush

    Meanwhile, Council Protection Council (CPC) has called for calm among passengers and other stakeholders

    According to a statement by signed by CPC, Director General, Babatunde Irukera, the relevant aviation authorities have secured perimeter scene of the incident with ongoing probe on the damaged aircraft.

    Irukera said the Council is in communication with DANA Air and the NCAA as it awaits detailed investigations by the AIB in compliance with the standards and recommended practices of the International Civil Aviation Organization ( ICAO)

    He said : “Thankfully, all passengers and crew were safely evacuated without injury. The Consumer Protection Council congratulates relevant airport and aviation authorities, as well as the airline for this safe evacuation and management of what could otherwise have been trag ic.

    “The Council further calls for calm as we await more information and a detailedinvestigation by the Accident Investigation Bureau in compliance with ICAO standards. In addition, the Council has been in communication with the airline and NCAA.

    “The Council understands that Dana Air has provided logistic support and accommodation to passengers. The Council insists this must comply with minimum standards in accordance with prevailing Regulations under Part 19, Nigerian Civil Aviation Rules (NCAR).

    “An open, transparent, sensitive and responsive approach by the airline and relevantauthorities is vital to sustaining confidence and assuring consumers. The Council welcomes this openness and attention to consumers, including providing medical or psychological support where necessary.

    “The Consumer Protection Council in collaboration with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, other aviation agencies and service providers remains available to all passengers in the sector to answer questions, provide assistance and required assurances at this and other times.”

  • FAAN tightens security at Lagos airport airside

    FAAN tightens security at Lagos airport airside

    The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has deployed 10 Hilux patrol vehicles to tighten security at the airside of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

    The airside is the area of an airport with direct access to the aircraft. Entry to the place is controlled.

    In an interview in Lagos, FAAN’s General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Mrs Henrietta Yakubu, said the deployment was part of measures to enhance efficiency and security at the airport.

    She said: ”The authority will like to assure airport users and the public that we will continue to upgrade our facilities, processes and procedures, in consonance with our core values of security, safety and comfort.”

    In a related development, FAAN has automated the car park at the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos.

    Mrs Yakubu said  within one month of the  exercise, it has recorded 68 per cent increase in revenue.

    She said the exercise had blocked some of the leakages in the system.

    She said with the automation, rowdiness and  traffic gridlock  caused by the manual collection at the park had disappeared.

    Mrs Yakubu  said  FAAN would review the performance of the exercise by the end of this quarter and make adjustments where necessary. He noted that so far, the new system had been in favour of both FAAN and the public.

    FAAN started the automation of the GAT car park on January 8, a development that has eliminated the manual collection of toll which was in place for about two decades.

    She said: “FAAN decided to overhaul the whole system and see how we could make it orderly because we were getting a lot of complaints from our passengers and airport users that they were not getting space to park their vehicles.Then, we were wondering if all the people that parked their vehicles at the car park were airport workers and travellers. Also, we are in an era of technology where people no longer do things manually, but automated. That was what prompted FAAN into doing the automation.

    “And since we started, there has been a lot of sanity at the car park. There is a lot of orderliness, progression. As soon as you go into the airport, you just go into the car park without any issues. In time past, there were lots of queues. Once you get into the airport, if you are not dropping, you are encouraged to go to the car park and do your business there, rather than parking on the road and create traffic jam.”

    Despite the automation of the car park, Mrs Yakubu said FAAN would still continue with the planned construction of a multi-storey car park within the GAT terminal, stressing that such would further enhance revenue generation for the agency.

    “As you know, FAAN just completed the construction of a multi-storey car park at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos. Plans are on ground, too, for the car park at the GAT. When we commence the construction, everyone would see it,” she said.

    On the evacuation of aircraft at the Lagos Airport, she said the exercise had been completed in Lagos while the team would move to Kano airport for the same exercise and, subsequently, move to Ilorin, Kaduna and others.

    She added that FAAN was also working on the toilets at the international wing of the Lagos Airport.

    “The Wing D toilet fittings have been removed and replaced. Once we are done with Wing D, we shall move to Wing E. We are doing overhaul of the facilities so that we can have new toilets for users,”she said.

  • ‘Flights into Kano ‘ll deepen intra-country connectivity’

    Air Peace flights on the Lagos-Kano-Abuja-Kano route will boost intra-country connectivity, its Chairman, Allen Onyema, has said.

    Onyema spoke during AirPeace’s inaugural flight on the Lagos-Kano-Abuja-Kano route.

    He said the carrier had fulfilled its promise to link all parts of the country to boost economic activities.

    Onyema said the nightmares caused by delays and flight cancellation on the route would be over, as Air Peace would up the ante with the new service.

    He said the flight was an achievement in the airline’s vision to unite Nigeria through air travel and lift the economy through trade facilitation and job creation.

    “This historic event accords with our strategy to expand our operation in the North and connect other unserved or underserved cities of the nation. Kano has long been recognised as the economic capital of the Northern Nigeria. We are, therefore, hopeful that the extension of our flight services to the state will greatly and positively impact on the economy of the region,” Onyema said.

    Besides the launch of the Kano route, the airline has also added Yola and flights on the West African Coast in Freetown, Sierra Leone, Banjul, Gambia and Dakar in Senegal.

    He said last year, the airline expanded its fleet to 24 airplanes.

    The airline, he said, is positioned to transform air travel experience in Nigeria,West Africa sub-region and beyond.

    He said: “We are reputed for our time performance and uncompromising stand on matters of safety. We promise to leverage the experience of our skilled staff and excellent business model to end the era of delays on the Lagos–Kano-Lagos and Kano-Abuja-Kano routes.”

    He appealed for patronage and support as the airline operate twice daily from Lagos into Kano and back, once from Kano into Abuja and back and try to deliver new experience for travellers on the Kano route.

    “We are determined to forge a mutually beneficial relationship with the good people and residents of Kano and its neighbouring states,” Onyema assured.

    Emir of Kano Alhaji Lamido Sanusi Lamido, represented by Jakadan Hausa Alhaji Ibrahim Sambo assured the airline of the the Kano Emirate’s continued support for it to succeed on the Lagos–Kano route.

    He advised the airline not to delay its passengers and ensure it sustains the operation with good service.

    He said Kano people were happy that Air Peace has found the city worthy to fly into.

     

  • Gulfstream G500 Jet makes its debut

    The all-new Gulfstream G500 business jet has made its debut with the visit to the country of Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation’s senior executives.

    They were in Nigeria to give customers an opportunity to experience firsthand the new aircraft’s cutting-edge technology, unparallelled comfort and superior craftsmanship.

    The Gulfstream G500 business jet was on display at the ExecuJet Terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.

    At the event attended by senior leaders from diverse sectors, Commercial Counsellor Brent Omdahl, reaffirmed the strong economic ties between the United States and Nigeria.

    “The U.S. Foreign Commercial Service continues to facilitate long- term business relationships between companies from the United States and Nigeria. We are excited to welcome this stellar group from the Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation to share their experience and expertise with Nigerian business executives,” Omdahl said.

    He further said: “Private aviation is a growing industry in Nigeria, which is home to more than 20 Gulfstream business aircraft, most of them large-cabin, long-range jets capable of connecting companies and business owners with their corporate interests around the globe.

    “The Gulfstream G500, for example, can fly 8,149 km at nine-10ths the speed of sound, easily carrying passengers from Lagos to London or Moscow. At Mach 0.85, the aircraft can travel 9,630 km, linkingLagos with Caracas or Mumbai.

  • Dana Air, Asky sign interline agreement

    DANA Air and the Togo-based Asky airline has signed an intelligent agreement in Lagos.

    The deal entails the addition of some new generation aircraft to the Dana Air fleet.

    During the signing at Dana Air’s Corporate head office in Lagos, Group Managing Director Mr. Jacky Hathiramani said the airline had taken a bold step towards achieving its strategic route and fleet expansion programme.

    He said: “Dana Air shall be adding some brand new aircraft to its fleet very soon. We have also had advanced talks with some  notable aircraft manufacturers and very soon, some of aircraft outside the country on maintenance will also be arriving. This is part of our desire to provide options for our guests who have also been requesting us to consider some under-served cities in Nigeria. We want to assure our guests of our commitment towards providing safe, reliable, affordable and world-class air transport services in Nigeria,’’ Hathiramani said.

    Asky Airlines Chief Executive Officer(CEO), Mr Ahadu Simachew, said: “Dana Air, having survived the sundry issues in the aviation industry for 10 years and still waxing stronger, appears to us as the most experienced and well-managed airline in Nigeria,  with a very strong, passionate  and creative management team. We are happy to have reached an agreement and we believe this is good for Nigeria and Africa.’’

     

  • Air Peace boss attributes High Safety Rating in Aviation to NCAA

    Air Peace boss attributes High Safety Rating in Aviation to NCAA

    The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Nigeria’s major carrier, Air Peace, Mr. Allen Onyema has said that Nigerian aviation industry has improved significantly in the area of safety over the years.

    Onyema however attributed this to the strict adherence to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) recommended practices by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

    He said NCAA in the last four years under the management of the current Director General, Capt. Muhtar Usman has improved the safety rating of the Nigerian civil aviation industry.

    For instance, since the last accident involving Associated Aviation in 2013, there has not been any accident or major incident involving commercial airlines operating in Nigeria.

    According to Onyema, this explained why Nigeria has had successive ICAO and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) audits with 96.4 percent pass mark for safety.

    “Talking about regulation, I think Nigerian airlines are well regulated. The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority is doing a wonderful job on that. It is not easy; sometimes you don’t feel comfortable with the way they are doing it but they have to do it. The kind of regulation NCAA brings to bear on Nigerian airlines cannot be compared to any other; even in advanced countries.

    “For instance, we had a bird strike on our first day in Kano and the pilot made air return back to the airport. We sent our British engineers to Kano to rescue the aircraft. Then we sent another aircraft to Abuja to go and airlift the passengers. Do you know that after the British engineers rectified it, NCAA insisted on being on the flight when we carried out a test flight? I was happy when I heard that,” Onyema said.

    On Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), the Air Peace boss said that is no level playing field, which he said led to the outcry by the Nigerian airline operators.

    He said that currently the treaty does not favour Nigeria because other countries use high charges to discourage Nigerian airlines from operating to their cities, but when they come to Nigeria they pay relatively less charges than what they level against Nigerian carriers.

    Onyema remarked that what Nigerian airlines are demanding for is observation of principle of reciprocity by the federal government.

    He decried that most of African countries over charge Nigerian carriers but pay pittance as charges whenever they fly into the country.

    He also noted that Nigeria is a large market to these airlines; that while airlines from other African countries operate multiple flights daily to Nigeria; the country’s carriers can only operate once a day because these countries do not have the population and high number of air travellers.

    “When we say that this Single African Air Transport Market does not favour us, it is not because we cannot compete. It means that it does not favour us at this stage, except a level playing field is created. This is not only happening in Nigeria, when Emirates was eroding the US market, the airlines in America cried out and their government did something about it and put policies that tried to stunt the spread of the Gulf airlines into America.

    That is how it is supposed to be. Bombardier, Canada aircraft manufacturer came up with their new product, CS 300, which would have been competing vigorously with Boeing B737s, Boeing cried to their government and US came out with 300 per cent import duty on the Bombardier aircraft type. This is in order to protect their own. So we must try and protect our own in this country. If we don’t protect our own airlines they will continue to struggle.

  • How to deepen intra – country connectivity, by Air Peace

    How to deepen intra – country connectivity, by Air Peace

    …As airline flags off Lagos- Kano- Abuja – Kano flights

    Air Peace said on Monday that the commencement of flights on the Lagos – Kano – Abuja – Kano route will go a long way to deepen intra – connectivity for passengers who have found it difficult to move from one part of the country to another.

    This gap , the airline has been filled as it now operates scheduled flights on the Lagos – Kano – Abuja – Kano route.

    Speaking at the inaugural flight in Kano, Chairman of Air Peace, Chief Allen Onyema said the carrier has fulfilled its promise to link all parts of the country by air to boost economic activities .

    Onyema said nightmares associated with delays, cancellation of flights on the Lagos and Abuja Kano routes will now be a thing of the past, as Air Peace is set to up the ante with new service.

    Onyema stated that the launch to Kano was a significant milestone in the Airline’s vision to unite Nigeria through air travel and lift the nation’s economy through trade facilitation and massive job creation.

    According to Onyema : “Today’s historic event accords with our strategy to expand our operation in the North of Nigeria and connect other un-served or under-served cities of the nation. Kano has long been recognized as the economic capital of the Northern Nigeria. We are therefore hopeful that the extension of our flight services to the state will greatly and positively impact on the economy of the region.”

    Onyema disclosed that the Kano launch would be followed with the commencement of flight operations to Yola in Adamawa State on February 15, and Freetown, Banjul, Dakar on February 19.

    He added that last year, the airline hugely expanded its capacity to serve the flying public with the increase of its fleet to size of 24 airplanes.
    The Air Peace Chairman also said on January 31 and February 8 the airline took delivery of two of the six Embraer 145 aircraft it recently acquired to serve cities with air transport difficulties under its new subsidiary, Airy Peace Hopper

    The airline, he stated is more positioned to transform air travel experience in Nigeria, West Africa sub region and beyond.
    In his words, “We are reputed for our time performance and uncompromising stand on matters of safety. We promise to leverage the experience of our skilled staff and excellent business model to end the era of endless delays on the Lagos–Kano-Lagos and Kano -Abuja-Kano routes.”

    He appealed for patronage and support as the airline operate twice daily from Lagos into Kano and back, once from Kano into Abuja and back and try to deliver a whole new extinction the Kano route.
    “We are determined to forge a mutually beneficial relationship with the good people and residents of Kano and its neighbouring states,” Onyema assured.

    On his part, the Regional Manager, Alhaji Muhammad Bello said that immediately the airline showed interest of flying into Kano.
    He assured the airline of the agency’s support and hope that the airline would sustain the flight on the route.

    Also speaking , Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammed Sanusi has stated that the Kano

    Emirate would continue to support Air Peace to succeed on the Lagos–Kano route.

    This is just as he advised the airline not to delay its passengers but ensure it sustains his operation with good service at all times.
    The Emir, who was represented by Jakadan Hausa, Alhaji Ibrahim Sambo spoke at a brief ceremony to mark the inaugural flight of Air Peace airline into Kano.

    He stated that there a very few airlines operating into Kano, adding that now that Air Peace is here , the people of Kano are very happy.
    According to him, “All the necessary support will be given to Air Peace to succeed. When Air Peace came to express its interest to fly to Kano, we made it a matter of importance to give them accommodation. We hope you will have affordable fare and also sustain this route.