The Nation Newspaper

Category: Aviation

  • We are investing in navigational tools, says NAMA

    We are investing in navigational tools, says NAMA

    Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) is committing huge cash in the acquisition of  facilities and surveillance equipment to ensure seamless air navigation, its Managing Director,Captain Fola Akinkuotu, has said.

    In an interview,  he said without such investment, the agency would not tackle complaints by pilots and other airspace users about communication in the airspace.

    He said the agency had embarked on massive upgrade of its facilities, especially in communication, navigation and surveillance.

    Apart from the upgrade,  Akinkuotu said the agency had embarked on capacity building  of various technical  personnel  to  man state-of-art  equipment acquired by NAMA.

    Akinkuotu, who said  NAMA was moving forward, enjoining workers to rally round the administration in its quest to take the agency to the next level.

    He urged them to demonstrate more dedication and commitment to their duties.

    He assured airlines and other airspace users of the agency’s determination to work to build upon the safety profile in the airspace.

    Akinkuotu said the focus of his administration is to continue to propel the agency to  provide customers and clients with the best service.

    He canvassed  synergy and cooperation of all stakeholders in the aviation sector to succeed.

    The NAMA boss said despite several challenges the agency faced in the past year, it also recorded remarkable achievements and significant progress in some critical areas. He listed them to include the replacement of Instrument Landing Systems (ILS) in two strategic airports.

    He listed other achievements to include increase in staff training and improvement in staff welfare.

    “Many of our colleagues received their long-awaited promotions across the line all the way to General Manager Grade level, and it was, particularly, pleasing to see three of our very own elevated to the esteemed position of substantive directors in the agency,” Akinkuotu said.

     

     

  • AIB to release six accident reports before March 31

    AIB to release six accident reports before March 31

    The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) plans to release six accident reports before the end of March, its Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer, Akin Olateru, has said.

    This, he said, would bring to 16 the number of air crash reports released since he assumed office over a year ago.

    Apart from the 10 accident reports, the AIB had also released a safety bulletin, he added.

    Olateru said the resolve to release more reports came on the heels of the backlog of reports he met at the bureau.

    When he  assumed duty, there were 27 pending reports that were gathering dust on the shelf, with some dating back to 2005.

    Olateru said:  “When  I assumed duties, I did a review. We had 27 pending accident reports. Some date back to 2005 and we were in 2017. I was wondering what really went wrong. We set everything in motion. Funding was another problem.

    “In carrying out accident investigation, you need a lot of resources – manpower and finance. We pushed everything in motion and through the support of the Minister of State for Aviation, he gave us maximum support and we did what we were supposed to do. To the glory of God, we released 11 reports by December 2017. One year, 10 final reports and one safety bulletin are some of the things we did last year.

    “You can’t have an accident and then the report would drag for years and years. There is no explanation for it. Because the whole purpose of accident investigation is to come up with safety recommendations to prevent future occurrence. There must be lessons learnt.

    “If you investigate and come up with safety recommendations, how would people learn to prevent future occurrence, if the reports are kept somewhere. This is why it is very important. Accident investigation is a very serious business and we should all support it and make sure it is a serious agent of government in ensuring that our airspace is safe.”

    Meanwhile, the Federal Government has approved the upgrade of the obsolete material science and flight safety laboratories, which would help the AIB to investigate accidents in record time.

    Olateru made this known at a training organised by the agency on accident investigation report writing in Lagos.

    Although Olateru declined to give how much it would cost to upgrade the facilities, the upgrade of the software could be huge considering that the facilities have to be input with high-technology to make it function efficiently.

    He further disclosed that the agency has two laboratories – the flight safety and the material science laboratories. The flight safety laboratory is where the Flight Data Recording (FDR) and the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) otherwise known as the black boxes of aircraft are downloaded.

  • Airlines to save $90m on local aircraft maintenance 

    Airlines to save $90m on local aircraft maintenance 

    Nigeria is set to save millions of dollars by improving the country’s capacity in aircraft maintenance, the Minister of State, Aviation, Hadi Sirika, has said.

    Local maintenance capacity for aircraft, the minister said, will not only address huge capital flight, but will create jobs for teeming indigenous professionals.

    Speaking at the weekend during the unveiling of Aero Contractors Maintenances Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility in Lagos, Sirika said the centre will save the country at least $90 million from about 30 Boeing aircraft on domestic carriers’ fleet.

    According to Sirika, the roll out of Aerocontractors 737-500 aircraft from the hangar after a successful completion of C-Check has changed the the airline’s narrative.

    C-check is a detailed maintenance check where the entire component of an aircraft is inspected for the purpose of repair and maintenance. It is heavier than A and B checks and can take up to three weeks to conduct a C-check and it requires up to 6,000 man-hours.

    According to the Minister, Nigeria experiences huge capital flight as airlines spend not less than $1.8million and $3million on C-Checks per Boeing aircraft.

    Sirika said: “It is noteworthy that Boeing 737 is the most aircraft operated in Nigeria by indigenous airlines till date. Nigeria experienced huge capital flight of nothing less than $1.8million and $3million per Boeing aircraft, which left the country’s shores for C-Checks and there are more than 30 of such aircraft operating, so, you do the arithmetic.”

    According to the Minster, Aero  Contractor was at the brink of being written off as another failed airline, but the airline management dug deep and turned around to make remarkable history as the first indigenous airline to undertake C-Check on Boeing 737 Classics.

    Aero Contractors Airline Managing Director, Captain Ado Sanusi, said the feat was necessitated by the need to maintain its aircraft locally.

    Sanusi declared that the days where domestic airlines take their aircraft for maintenance abroad were over, stressing that conducting a C-check abroad amount to loss of huge capital flight.

    According to him, Aero Contractors would be conducting the checks for all domestic airlines in Nigeria and across the West and Central Africa, affirming that the airline has bounced back to a profitable state.

    His words: “Right now, three of our aircraft are up for maintenance and for third-party maintenance, we have about six aircraft. So, the entire year is busy for us because before the end of the year, we will have a full bay maintenance facility in the country.

    “This feat is a game changer in the aviation industry for the entire country and it means that we can maintain our airplanes. We don’t have to take them out of the country. It will save us foreign exchange, turnaround time for maintenance and we can also do it according to international standards.”

    Asset Management Corporation  of Nigeria (AMCON) Managing Director,  Mr. Ahmed Kuru, said the certification by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to Aero Contractors to conduct C-checks on Boeing 737-500 series in the country would galvanize boom in the aviation industry.

    Kuru said:”This facility at Aero will save millions of dollars that Nigerian airlines and not just Aero  spend outside this country on facilities such as this. It is our belief that the facility will achieve huge savings for operators from neighboring African countries, thereby attracting the much needed funds required to strengthen our economy.”

    He continued: “I would like to solicit the support for Aero MRO by all stakeholders, particularly the relevant aviation regulatory bodies, towards ensuring that this seed that has been planted is allowed to grow in our collective interest as Nigerians.

    “We cannot continue to allow capital flight of our scarce foreign exchange towards paying for services that are available in Nigeria and would provide a source of employment for our people. I would like to direct other airlines to use this facility as such would enable Aero MRO to grow towards conducting maintenance for other aircraft types.”

  • Nigerian carriers’ plans to fly into US may spark competition 

    Plans by two Nigerian carriers Air Peace and MedView Airlines to fly into the United States in this summer could intensify competition on the route dominated by American giant Delta Airlines.

    The carriers are convinced that they could leverage on the huge Nigerian population residing and doing business in major American cities, including Houston,Texas; Washington; New York; New Jersey and Baltimore to drive traffic for their  proposed flights.

    Although bilateral approvals have been secured from the Federal Government  and the United States, the airlines are putting finishing touches to other regulatory approvals needed for the flight.

    Investigations revealed that the carriers are encouraged to begin US flights as part of fulfilling the reciprocity clause in the Open Skies Agreement Nigeria signed with the US over a decade ago.

    Though, Bellview Airlines, Air Nigeria and Arik Air were granted approval to fly into the US since 2009, only Arik Air accomplished the feat before it discontinued operations in 2016.

    Bellview and Air Nigeria did not make it to the US before they shut down a few years ago.

    Investigations revealed that issues bordering on economic recession and the inability to repatriate ticket sales out of Nigeria forced an American Carrier: United Airlines, to pull out of  Nigeria in 2016. These have cleared the way for Delta Airlines as the lone carrier on the route.

    MedView Airlines Chief Executive Officer, Muneer Bankole, said the airline is set to take the US market by the storm.

    He said the airline has evolved strategies to spike competition on the route by engaging the big players in the game.

    Bankole said:”By summer of 2018, we are going to hit the US skies in our expansion plan into the US.

    “We are putting strategies in place. We have acquired the right aircraft to facilitate the operations. We are working on our marketing to ensure that we hit the ground running.

    “With other intercontinental routes we have started operations into, we are sure flights into the US will offer Nigerian passengers the right deal.”

    He continued: “We relieve ourselves of making noise ahead of plan, we want to give you surprises that is what makes the difference between Med-View and other airlines.”

    ”So, we encourage our marketers to do more, we are lucky that we are stable, so we will continue to run it  when the summer starts. So, what I’m telling you is that come July, it is going to hit the sky.

    Air Peace Corporate Communications Manager, Chris Iwarah said the airline had already trained some pilots ahead of its international operations.

    Iwarah said Air Peace had been designated by the Federal Government to fly into Atlanta, adding that the airline would be acquiring more aircraft, including some B777s to beef up its rapidly growing fleet.

    Iwarah noted that Air Peace would deploy its B777 aircraft to service its long-haul routes, stressing that no Nigerian airline had ever used a B777 aircraft.

  • Emirates unveils winter programme

    Emirates Airlines said it is extending its popular My Emirates Pass programme to Nigerian passengers visiting Dubai this winter season.

    According to the airline, Nigerians traveling to Dubai between January and March, will get exclusive offers and discounts across the city simply  by turning the Emirates boarding pass into an exclusive membership card.

    In a statement the carrier said passengers flying to or through Dubai between January and March 2018 could take advantage of a range of offers at some of Dubai’s best known hotspots by simply showing their Emirates boarding pass and a valid form of identification.

    Commenting on the Programme, Emirates Regional Manager, West Africa, Afzal Parambil,  said the airline  has expanded the programme with more partners  to ensure that passengers  can enjoy special discounts at over 250 world class restaurants and hotel dining outlets in Dubai.

    He said:”Dubai is one of the world’s most vibrant cities with a diverse range of experiences to suit everyone and keep travellers returning time and time again. This year, we’ve doubled the number of partners in the My Emirates Pass programme to give our customers more options and even better value on their visit. Whether it’s your first time in Dubai or a return trip, there is always something new to explore.”

     

  • AIB holds training on accident reporting 

    Capacity building in the aviation industry has received a boost as Nigeria’s Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) plans to host a meeting of the Banjul Accord Group Accident Investigation Agency (BAGAIA). The four-day training participants on aircraft accident/incident report writing course this week.

    Nigeria, Cape Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone are members of the BAGAIA accord group.

    The training,  is an offshoot of the second meeting of the BAGAIA Commission which  held  between December 13 to 15,  2017 in Praia, Cape  Verde, where AIB Commissioner, Akin Olateru proposed to the Commission to host the Air Accident/Serious Incident Report Writing Training.

    The training will also cover fire investigation, managing large-scale accident and incident investigation, emergency response and record investigation, among others.

    The proposal according to the Commissioner, is  a way to ensure that AIB’s safety investigators benefit greatly.

    As the host, Olateru, an aircraft engineer disclosed that it would seize the opportunity to have 20 of AIB’s safety investigators to be part of the training

    In addition, Olateru has invited the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Presidential Air Fleet, the Nigerian Navy and the Nigeria Air Force to be part of the training as such institutions  also investigate their own incidents/accidents.

    This is part of the cooperative and collaborative initiative of the Commissioner/Chief Executive Officer in ensuring that sisters and related agencies are not left behind in the numerous capacity development programmes of the bureau.

    He said :  “Capacity development, infrastructural improvement, system and process re-engineering remain our focus in making sure that AIB contributes meaningfully to aviation safety for the common good of all. We are very pleased to be hosting the BAGAIA training as accident and incident report writing is a very important aspect to investigation.”

    According to Olateru, the agency values the cooperation and technical assistance it has been receiving from several organisations, which he said would greatly complement, “our efforts to make AIB formidable”.

    “Capacity development, infrastructural improvement, system and process re-engineering remain our focus in making sure AIB contributes meaningfully to aviation safety for the common good of all,”he said.

  • Much ado about global airlines’ safety rating

    Much ado about global airlines’ safety rating

    No Nigerian carrier made the list of the world’s greatest 409 carriers , in a survey carried out by airline safety and product rating. The survey  exempted Nigerian airlines  from its list of ‘20 safest carriers for 2018’- a situation that has put  the country’s domestic airline operations to test. Why did Nigerian carriers not make the list ? asks  KELVIN OSA OKUNBOR.

    Safety rating for global airlines is not a difficult undertaking if stakeholders  agree on the criteria  for such an exercise.

    Bu rating airlines could become a difficult curve to navigate if such safety verdict stirs unease in the air.

    Last week’s global rating rolled out by  AirlineRating.com for 409 major airlines across the globe may have raised more questions than answers on the safety status of airlines.

    “The rating classified some 20 carriers as top safest airlines” in 2018. It declared some as the least safest airlines.

    This classification may have sparked a global row as some experts contend that AirlineRating.com is  not the only body saddled with rating airlines. Germany’s Jet Airliner Crash Data Evaluation Centre (JACDEC) does likewise.

    However, the two bodies are unable to  agree on the safety status of some of the classified carriers.

    Nigerian carriers are not contesting the verdict. This is not unconnected with their seeming inability to meet the parameters set for this category.

    Criteria for Safety Classification 

    After examining  409 major airlines, considering some criteria not limited to : previous incidents ; the average age of their fleets ; audits from governments and the aviation industry’s regulatory bodies the website gave it verdict.

    It  also considered  stringent audits from the International Air Transport Association Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), which evaluated both the operational management and control systems of an airline.

    Top  20 safest airlines

    The website placed Qantas in the top 20 list for the fifth year in a row, making the Australian airline a leader in safety standards.

    It praised Qantas for its “extraordinary record of firsts in safety and operations”.

    The website listed the other airlines according to  its criteria  to include : Air New Zealand, Alaska Airlines, All Nippon Airways, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Emirates, Etihad Airways, EVA Air,  Finnair, Hawaiian Airlines, Japan Airlines, KLM and Lufthansa .

    Others are: Royal Jordanian Airlines,  Scandinavian Airline, Singapore Airlines,  Swiss, Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Australia.

    Confirming the rating, spokesman of the website, Geoffrey Thomas  said : “Our top 20 safest airlines are always at the forefront of safety innovation, operational excellence and the launching of new more advanced aircraft like the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787.

    “Qantas has been the lead airline in virtually every major operational safety advancement over the past 60 years and has not had a fatality in the jet era.”

    Thomas said the  ratings were not based simply on the number of safety incidents an airline had suffered, but how such incidents were managed.

    “All airlines have incidents every day and many are aircraft manufacture issues, not airline operational problems. And it is the way the flight crew handles incidents that determines a good airline from an unsafe one. So just lumping all incidents together is very misleading,” he said.

    But, the German body  considered Cathay Pacific as the safest airline ahead of Air New Zealand, Hainan Airlines, Qatar Airways and KLM .

    It said Virgin Atlantic, British Airways,  EasyJet and Ryanair are not as highly rated as contained in the website.

    World Least Safe Airlines

    Besides, the verdict on the safest carriers , the website also announced its lowest ranked airlines for 2018.

    It listed  Air Koryo, North Korea’s flag carrier, Bluewing Airlines, based in Suriname, Indonesia’s Trigana Air Service, and four Nepalese carriers – Buddha Air, Nepal Airlines, Tara Air, and Yeti Airlines as carriers with safety record.

    Investigations reveal that there   are currently more than 100 airlines  banned from European Union airspace.

    The affected airlines are not only  facing operational restrictions but are unable to meet European safety standards.

    They include airlines from : Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Mozambique, Sierra Leone and Sudan, as well as dozens from Indonesia.

    Efforts by Nigeria to step upairlines’ safety 

    In the last few years, Nigerian carriers have embraced the International Operations Safety Audit ( IOSA) programmes to improve their safety rating.

    The IOSA programmes organised by global airlines regulator : International Air Transport Association ( IATA) has brought about the enlisting of Nigerian carriers on the registry of the body.

    Besides, Arik Air , Aero Airlines, First Nation Airways, Medview Airlines, Air Peace, DANA Air and Overland Airways that are enlisted in the IATA registry, these carriers have been encouraged by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to embrace fleet modernisation programme.

    Operators’ reaction

    Chairman of Air Peace Limited, Mr. Allen Onyema said recent rating of Africa’s airlines  as flying poorly maintained aircraft amounted to imbalance in perception.

    He  said the continent’s carriers, especially those in Nigeria, could compete with any airline in the world but were being over-regulated by civil aviation authorities.

    According to Onyema, such ratings have had  adverse effect on insurance premiums paid by African airlines.

    He said  the negative label is having impact on airline’s  performance and financial resources.

    Onyema insisted that  Nigerian airlines were as safe as their counterparts in Europe and America despite the harsh operating environment in the country.

    He said: ”I disagree with such safety rating because this is impunity the foreign countries hinge on. They tell you Nigeria is unsafe in order to add more insurance premiums for themselves.

    “The NCAA , in fact, is safety -centric maybe because of the accidents of the past. They hound the airlines into doing the right thing. We are over-regulated by the NCAA.”

    He said the International Air Transport Association recently rated the continent’s airlines very high in terms of safety and maintenance of fleet.

    NCAA ‘s position 

    Director-General, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Captain Muktar Usman said the authority will consolidate on its oversight duties to improve air safety in 2018.

    Speaking  in Lagos, Usman  said the regulator  will ensure implementation of requisite safety programmes by all authorities  to close tap on airlines to do the right thing.

    According to him, reports of accidents released in the previous year also helped to deepen safety programmes in the sector.

    He said: ”It was through a lot of hard work, training and surveillance, inspections and we want to do more on that this year.

    “Last year also, we were able to work very hard in the retention of the Category One . Our pledge this year is that we would continue to sustain whatever certification we have and also to build on the successes we recorded last year”.

    IATA’s position 

    The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said Sub-Saharan Africa had its best safety performance within the last decade.

    IATA said airlines from the region had zero passenger fatalities and zero jet hull losses in its data released for the safety performance of the commercial airline industry.

    This was contained in a document signed by IATA’s Director-General, Alexandre de Juniac

    He said: “ Sub-Saharan. But we must not rest on this success. Safety is earned every day.

    “The lesson from Africa’s improvement is that the global standards like the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) makes the difference.

    “African nations should maintain this strong momentum by making IOSA and the IATA Standard Safety Assessment (for those carriers that are not eligible for IOSA) part of their airline certification process.

    “Regional governments also need to accelerate the implementation of ICAO’s safety-related standards and recommended practices (SARPS).

    African Aircraft Leasing Company / Boeing Initiative 

    Investigations reveal that the establishment of an African Aircraft Leasing Company will facilitate cheaper and easier window for Nigerian operators to acquire brand new generation aircraft.

    Younger aircraft fleet will not only improve the safety record of Nigerian carriers, but will also reduce the huge cost of offshore aircraft maintenance.

    The new leasing company,  according to its Executive Director, Mrs. Tokunbo Fagbemi, will facilitate aircraft leasing for operators.

    The firm, she said, also plans to set up an aircraft maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) centre ; spares logistics as well as aggregated services solutions centre.

    The investment, according to Mrs. Fagbemi, is in partnership with United States-based aircraft manufacturer Boeing Corporation.

    Aircraft manufacturer, Boeing investigations reveal is encouraging Nigerian carriers to embrace fleet renewal .

    Boeing , through the aircraft leasing company, the first in Africa, will create a robust window for Nigerian operators to access 200 Boeing aircraft in the next 20 years.

    Apart from Nigerian operators, other carriers in West and Central Africa are expected to benefit from the leasing company.

    These efforts , experts say, will improve Nigerian and African airlines’ safety rating

  • Towards efficient airport management

    Towards efficient airport management

    Managing airports in 2017 had its many challenges. Efforts by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to address some of these sore points, including the shortage of technical manpower and redesigning of airport security architecture, may, however, signal better days ahead for the industry, writes KELVIN OSA OKUNBOR reports. 

    Taking stock of developments in aviation in the last one year has become difficult.This is predicated on the inability of operators, regulators and officials of the airport authority to agree on the modalities for running an effective airport system.

    Besides the challenge of reaching  an agreement on how to run effective  airport systems, dearth of technical manpower has remained on the burner.

    With ageing workers in technical areas, experts said unless urgent steps were taken, airport management systems might be in dire straits.

    Consistently, the industry continue to  navigate around intrigues, controversies and scandals over the state of security at airports.

    As aviation authorities struggle to keep the airport security running, allegation of infractions to air safety continue to rear its ugly head in the face of alleged reports over vandalism of aircaft parked on the tarmac of the Lagos Airport.

    But, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) said it is navigating around critical safety  and security issues that emanate  from the airports.

    The authority said it is working hard to ensure it complies with all statutory requirements prescribed by the global regulator, International Civil Aviation Organisation ( ICAO), in ensuring that it addresses shortcomings in airport operations.

    Specifically, its Managing Director, Saleh Dunoma, an engineer, said the authority in the last one year has taken bold steps to address shortage of technical personnel by embarking on aggressive recruitment and training of aviation security personnel as well as airport rescue and fire fighting officers.

     

    Steps Taken

    In the last few years, Dunoma said over 300 aviation security officers have been recruited.

    Beyond recruitment, he said FAAN ensured that the officers underwent mandatory standard aviation  training courses  to equip them with the knowledge and trends of handling threats to aviation security.

    He said the safety officials had been sent abroad for tarining on airports’security.

    Dunoma said: “Over 300 aviation security and airports rescue and fire fighting officers were recruited in  2016 to address shortage of manpower and ageing work force.

    ‘’Key operational officers, especially from aviation security and fire department were trained both locally and internationally, to enhance operational efficiency at the airports.”

     

    ICAO safety regulations programmes 

    Last year, Nigeria underwent a safety audit conducted by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) officials aimed at ensuring that the airports are run in line with the standards and recommended practices of the global body.

    Ahead of the audit, FAAN organised trainings for its aerodrome personnel on runway markings, aerodrome design and management.

    The robust preparation for the audit assisted Nigeria to emerge  winner in the ICAO universal safety programme, scoring over 96 per cent.

    A thinktank group, Aviation Roundtable Safety Initiative (ART) Secretary-General, Group Captain John Ojikutu (rtd), called on FAAN to fix all sore points involving runway operations.

    The group called on the regulatory authority to call FAAN to order by ensuring that threat to air safety was not compromised.

     

    Airports reconstruction

    Last year, the airport was subjected to intense strain following the temporary closure and reconstruction of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja for six weeks.

    Earlier, some groups, including the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), led by Captain Nogie Meggison, challenged FAAN.

    But, the airport authority said it was acting in the best safety interest by shutting for the agreed time to enable it fix many challenges at the terminal.

    According to Dunoma, the relocation of flights from Abuja to Kaduna Airport also provided an opportuniy for FAAN to fix critical safety infrastructure at both airports.

    Describing it as a trying time, Dunoma said FAAN stepped up efforts to upgrade facilities at the Kaduna Airport, designated the alternate aerodrome. He said the airport was upgraded to Category 9 in terms of air field lighting and runway capacity. Dunoma said: “2017 was a very challenging year for airport managers, because we had to ensure that the reconstruction of Abuja Airport runway was completed in record time.

    Though stakeholders are not excited over the slow pace of work at the five international airport terminals in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano and Enugu, the FAAN boss assured that the projects would soon be completed.

    He said when completed, these terminals would enable the airports handle more passenger traffic.

    Dunoma said: “I’m okay with the state of our airports, as far as the management and running of the airports are concerned.

    “But we need to develop them further and this has to do with additional infrastructure that we require. Right now, if you look at the airports, there is congestion in terms of the traffic. These terminals were built a long time ago. For example, Lagos airport (Murtala Muhammed International Airport) is about 40 years old, Abuja airport (Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport) is over 20 years old and Kano airport (Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport) was built even before I was born; it’s about 60 years old.

    “So, we need to expand these airports to meet with the growth in traffic and this is where we have a problem.

    “If we develop in accordance with the pace of traffic growth, we would not have issues. In Lagos airport, the terminal was built originally to handle 120,000 passengers per annum. But today, it’s handling seven million passengers per year. How do we reconcile that?”

     

    Engagement with private sector

    In the last few years, the airport authority has been struggling to source funds to build facilities at airports.

    To resolve this hurdle, it has adopted  the concession model, which last year brought about the construction of an ultra-modern five-storey car park at the Lagos International Airport.

    But, this has come with a challenge as the security architecture had to be reworked to cater to the need of airport users.

    Dunoma said: “Airport security architecture has been restructured to contain emerging airport security challenges.

    “FAAN has continued discussions on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mechanism to inject new life to our airports.

    “Cargo airports have been strengthened to encourage agro-allied businesses.

    ”We continue to work on the provision and maintenance of general airport infrastructure.

    “We have created   business friendly  environment for enduring partnerships with aviation investors.”

     

    Certification of airports

    Though  it was received  with mixed reactions by stakeholders, the certification of Lagos and Abuja airports by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) was a major feat for FAAN in 2017.

    Ojikutu said FAAN should have a mandatory runway and airport maintenance programme rather than engage infrivolous certification of other airports.

    But, Dunoma described it as a feat that should not be wished away, because it took over 20 years to accomplish.

    He said: ”Above all, we are excited over the certification of Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

    “The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has continued to drive the nation’s airports to success through robust engagements with critical airport stakeholders to ensure that its mandates are continually being delivered to the public. FAAN’s doors are open for potential investors who may wish to take advantage of the various investment opportunities at our airports nationwide as it repositions to serve you better.”

     

    Addressing epileptic power supply 

    Aside the strides accomplished by FAAN, the Lagos Airport continues to grapple with the challenge of disruption in power supply to the terminals.

    Many passengers in 2017 complained about the Lagos Airport Terminal being thrown into darkness.

    But, Dunoma said the challenge was being addressed. He said:  “FAAN fully commenced the process of migrating to a brand new independent power source, with the acquisition of six brand new generators with a capacity of 29.1 MVA at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, thereby resolving the power challenges at the airport.

    Installation and inauguration  three  brand new Carousels at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport to speed up baggage facilitation, enhancing passenger comfort and convenience.

     

    Global recognition 

    Last year, Nigeria maintained her regional leadership in African aviation when Dunoma was elected the President of Airports Council International (ACI) Africa.

    His is saddled  with coordinating  and ensuring  the entrenchment of safety and security as core values in airport organisations in Africa.

    Also last year, Nigeria hosted the ICAO global conference of aviation finance in Abuja, where players across the globe designed the blueprint for accelerated development of air transport in Africa.

  • Upping the ante in international operations

    Upping the ante in international operations

    Medview Airlines has raised the stakes in its international operations by flying into Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.wTo have a good share of the lucrative market, it must step up its services. KELVIN OSA OKUNBOR reports.

    Nigerian carriers are changing the narrative in international air travel.

    In the last few few years, some indigenous carriers, including Medview Airlines, have expanded their operations on international routes.

    The expansion  of flights into international routes is a response by indigenous carriers  to actualise the reciprocity clause in the bilateral and multi-lateral air services agreement government signed with many countries.

    Nigeria has over 75 of such  agreements, but Nigerian carriers are yet to utilise less than 20 of them.

    Medview Airlines made history last week when it commenced three weekly flights on the Lagos-Abuja – Dubai route. It is the airline’s second international route, barely two years after it launched flights on the Lagos-London route.

    It is the only indigenous carrier operating on the Nigerian and United Arab Emirates (UAE) route.

    But Emirates and Etihad Airways operate flights into Nigeria.

    This lopsided arrangement in the bilateral air services agreement, it was learnt, motivated Medview Airlines to begin flights into the UAE.

    Experts say such foray by a Nigerian carrier comes with challenges, part of is the airline’s capacity to offer services that could rival its competitors.

    Many Nigerians, experts say, are attracted to foreign carriers because of the quality of their service.

    It remains unclear how indigenous carriers will step up services to have a good share of available passengers on international routes.

    In an interview, Muneer Bankole, chief executive officer, Medview Airline, said the airline has got its strategy right to consolidate its international flights on the routes it has been designated by the government.

    Bankole said Medview Airlines did not just dabble into the Dubai and London routes, but it commenced flights after detailed market surveys on what is required by passengers to enable it stay on the route.

    He said though some Nigerian carriers had failed on the route before, Medview will adopt excellent flight service and fare structure to attract passengers.

    Bankole said: “We thank God almighty for giving us this opportunity and for making this inaugural flight a success story. When you do domestic alone, you are limited in connectivity. When you do regional operations, you are limited to the ECOWAS communities and African Union.

    “When you venture into any of the countries where we are now and the one that we intend to go, you have gone global and you have no hidden corridor any more.

    “Here in Dubai and London, we are open to the whole world and we are contesting with the great masters of the industry, such as British Airway, Lufthansa, KLM among others. We need to play the game the way it is played globally.

    “We ventured into the United Kingdom(UK) and people thought we will not last up to six months but today, we have operated for two years on the London route. We have gone through various hurdles but in UK now, we have been accepted side by side with British Airways and that is the beauty of it all. This is what informed us and gave us the strength to come here. This is a global market where everyone wants to play effectively.”

    On the Dubai flight, Bankole said: “We have been in talks with the Dubai government for three years and we have done the ground work by establishing a cargo company here. We have our workers here and we have an agency of travel and tour packages. We went into negotiation and got our first two sets of slots. We were working strongly to build the capacity.

    “We sent our staff here to work and some went the university here. Today, we can raise up our heads. We have everything on ground in Dubai. On our flight arrival flight, we came in with about 12 tonnes of cargo and on the first departure flight to Nigeria, we have 15 tonnes  of cargo. We had about 80percent load factor on arrival flight.

    “We went to Anglophone and Francophone countries and we are in the Middle East and UK now.’’

    He said Medview will continue to leverage fare structure and enhance in flight services to have the cutting edge on its international operations.

    ”We need to change a lot of things. Structures and discipline is always a problem in Nigeria. We saw the whole delay. Passengers were held up with immigration. There is no basis for the delays. We should have gone past this level. Once passengers check in, they have minimum time and there is no need delaying them. We still have to get there. That is why the vice president brought up the idea of ease of doing business to show Nigeria the way to do business. We will get there. We will improve our service delivery onboard.

    ”For you to come to Dubai on Thursday, we can package your things, deliver your cargo and you will be able to board Medview flight. You have an advantage,”  he added.

    Also, Director of Aviation Business Management , Dubai Airports, Khalil Lamrabet, said the commencement of flights by Medview Airlines into the airport will provide choices for passengers.

    He said: “We are very happy to have Medview as part of our family from an airline perspective and to provide more choices for travellers to Nigeria. We are very happy that this has been an account that we have been working on for the last three years. We are happy that it has materialised and look forward to more flights to Nigeria.

    “ Medview flight will be connecting Dubai to Lagos and Abuja and this is really key. It is a very important market and destination in West Africa. We look forward to having more flights, more connectivity and to provide more choices for our passengers in addition to the flights that already operate into Nigeria.

    “We thank the management and the team we have been working with and we look forward to enhanced operations out of Nigeria.”

  • Yuletide: Air Peace assures of smooth operations

    Air Peace has assured air travellers of smooth flights during the yuletide.

    A statement by Air Peace Corporate Communications Manager, Mr. Chris Iwarah, said some of its airliners in its 24-aircraft fleet had returned from maintenance to  boost air travel demand the festivities.

    The carrier said it would do everything possible to deliver prompt services during the period.

    “We recently deepened our capacity with the expansion of our fleet size to 24 aircraft.While some of our newly-acquired aircraft have started coming in, others that went on maintenance are returning to service. This obviously is a pleasing development, coming very close to the yuletide when there is usually a great rise in the demand for air travel.

    “Although inclement weather, as we have experienced in the last few weeks, is a huge challenge during this period, we have a solid plan to ensure our esteemed guests have the best of flight experience in the run-up to, during and after the Christmas and New Year’s celebrations. We, however, appeal to our valued guests to show understanding and cooperation when there is a challenge of bad weather and other such circumstances that work against safe flight operations during the period.

    ‘’As a safety-centric airline, Air Peace sincerely values the lives of its guests and crew and will never operate a flight except it is truly safe to do so,” the airline said.

    It praised the Federal Government for its ongoing effort to fix the  Enugu Airpo runway.

    Air Peace assured the travelling public that all its daily flights into and out of the facility from 7am to 2pm would operate as scheduled.

    The airline, however, said other Enugu-bound flights from about 3pm when the runway of the facility was expected to be shut daily would be diverted to either the Owerri or Port Harcourt airport.

    The airline added that passengers affected by the partial closure of the Enugu Airport could reschedule to any of the alternate airports for free.

    In another development, the carrier regretted the postponement of the launch of its Freetown, Banjul and Dakar services as part of the second phase of the expansion of its regional route network.

    The airline blamed the development on industrial unrest by air traffic control (ATC) in Dakar, a critical chain in its route map.

    Air Peace said: “We were all set for the launch of the second phase of our expansion on the West Coast of Africa, connecting Freetown in Sierra Leone, Banjul in The Gambia and Dakar in Senegal.Members of our advance crew were already on ground in Dakar when we received the disruptive news around midnight of December 14, the eve of the launch, that Dakar’s Air Traffic Control (ATC) would shut down on December 15 we had planned to operate our inaugural flight into the destination.

    “This development completely upset our plan, as Dakar is critical to the new routes launch. We had no choice than to take the painful decision to call off the launch to avoid our esteemed guests getting stuck in the area despite the huge financial and material resources we had committed to the process. Our decision to call off the launch turned out to be quite right as members of our advance crew were eventually caught in the industrial unrest and got stuck in Dakar.

    “The incident, rather than discourage us from servicing the routes, has more than ever before fuelled our resolve to tackle the difficulties experienced by air travellers on the routes. We have immediately begun fresh arrangements to expand to the routes and when we are really certain that the industrial unrest in Dakar has been fully settled, we will announce a new launch date and deliver on our promise to end the nightmare of air travellers on the routes.”