The Nation Newspaper

Category: Aviation

  • Union accuses airlines of depriving NCAA of N15b funds

    Union accuses airlines of depriving NCAA of N15b funds

    Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) has accused domestic airlines of  conniving to deny the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and other agencies of their statutory funds.The airlines,the union claimed, have not  remitted over N15 billion collected as ticket sales charge. The other agencies are the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nigerian Meteorological Agency and Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT).

    ATSSSAN  President Comrade Ahmadu Illitrus said in Lagos,  that the association would not fold its arms and allow the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) mislead Nigerians about the state of their indebtedness to aviation agencies.

    He said allegations by indigenous operators that NCAA was “preying on” them through five per cent ticket sales charge was a misrepresentation of the state of the industry.

    Illitrus said: “What we have witnessed over the years was that the domestic airlines, which  are members of Airline Operators of Nigeria and non-members alike, collect five per cent ticket sales charge from passengers and refuse to remit to NCAA. They even remit only a negligible percentage of the money and illegally utilise the larger unremitted percentage. This ugly development is creating a huge deficit of unremitted portion of money.”

    He said calls for the cancellation of the five per cent ticket sales charge by AON members was outdated because such call negates the philosophy of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) for financial autonomy of civil aviation authorities.

    He said if AON has another source of funding for the NCAA, ATSSSAN will welcome such proposal.

    The union boss said: “If we may ask, in what way has the regime of the five per cent ticket sales charge affected the negative operation or survival of indigenous airlines, who actually collect the charge from passengers and pocket it? Today, domestic airlines have illegally coveted over 15 billion Naira accruing as five per cent of ticket sales charge.”

    He described as baseless accusation by AON that the NCAA discriminated against domestic carriers in fixing five per cent of the ticket sales charge as opposed to what foreign carriers pay.

    Illitrus said instead of chastising aviation agencies for putting in place measures to recover their funds, AON should be bold enough to admit that its members have behaved unprofessionally over the years and advise them to remit the money in their possession.

    Meanwhile, the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP) has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to arrest and prosecute debtor airline operators. Domestic carriers owe NCAA over N15 billion.

    ANAP’s Secretary-General, Comrade Abdulrasaq Saidu, described the airlines’ action as an economic offence that should not be left unchecked, adding that the attitude of debtor airlines was responsible for the myriad of challenges affecting the sector.

    Saidu called on the EFCC to wade into the matter. “This money they owe is stealing by trick of public funds. Air travelers pay five per cent ticket sales charge , the money has never been a tax to any airline as some of them will erroneously make people to believe.”

  • IATA slams US, UK over electronics ban on board aircraft

    International Air Transport Association (IATA) has slammed the restrictions on electronics in flights by the United States (US)  and the United Kingdom (UK), describing  them as unacceptable, and questioned their effectiveness.

    Its Director-General, Alexandre de Juniac, said the UK and US authorities should work with the airline industry to “find a way to keep flying secure” without requiring passengers on certain flights to check in their electronic devices.

    “The current measures are not an acceptable long term solution to whatever threa t they are trying to mitigate. Even in the short term it is difficult to understand their effectiveness,” said, de Juniac during a speech to the Montreal Council on Foreign Relations last week.

    He pointed out the differences between the airports under the US and UK governments’ electronics ban: “Why don’t the US and the UK have a common list of airports? How can laptops be secure in the cabin on some flights and not others, including flights departing from the same airport?”

    The US restrictions, announced on  March 21 ,2017, forbid passengers on US-bound flights departing 10 African and Middle Eastern airports from carrying on-board most electronic devices that are larger than a mobile phone.

    UK regulators followed suit shortly after, but its list of restricted airports notably excluded major hubs like Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha.

    “The current situation is not acceptable and will not maintain the all-important confidence of the industry or of travelers. We must find a better way,” said de Juniac.

    He said while affected airlines worked quickly to implement the new security restrictions, the industry was not involved in prior discussions with authorities.

    “There was no prior consultation and little coordination by governments,” said de Juniac.

  • ICAO to train investigators

    The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has concluded plans to train personnel of Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) on modern techniques of investigating air crashes.

    The training, according to investigations, will be carried out at the United States’ National Transport Safety Board (NTSB).

    Apart from training accident investigators, ICAO it was learnt, will also provide other assistance to personnel of aviation agencies.

    ICAO’s assistance was  the fall out of a meeting between chief executive officers of agencies, including  AIB, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA),  Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) and the  President, ICAO, Dr. Olumuyiwa Aliu, who recently visited Nigeria.

    The meeting, a source said, centred on how the industry could leverage the position of a Nigerian as President of the global apex aviation regulatory body to grow the sector and reposition it to meet global expectations.

    Nigeria’s representative to the  ICAO Council, Capt. Nuhu Musa, confirmed  the development during a meeting with the AIB Commissioner, Mr. Akin Olateru and his management team last week.

    Musa said it was Aliu’s responsibility to assist Nigeria overcome its challenges, adding that  ICAO will provide a platform for Nigerian accident investigators to effectively handle crashes.

    He said the ICAO President has promised to discuss with the United Kingdom (UK) and Australia to re-audit the agency.

    He urged the AIB to strive to improve on the 85 per  cent it scored in the last audit.

  • N15b debt: Prosecute airlines – Aviation union tells EFCC

    N15b debt: Prosecute airlines – Aviation union tells EFCC

    Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP) on Thursday called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to arrest and prosecute all debtor airline operators in the country for the  N15 billion debt profile of the ticket and cargo sales Charge (TSC and CSC).

    Speaking to aviation reporters in Lagos, the secretary general of ANAP Comrade Abdulrasaq Saidu described the airline’s action as an economic offence that left unchecked has grown into an entitlement for the perpetrators which is killing the industry.

    Saidu called on the EFCC to wade into the matter, investigate arrest those responsible for this historical debt which was amassed when there was little or no accountability from government.

    Reacting to the events of the past few days, General secretary of ANAP, Comrade  Saidu described what was happening as stealing by a trick of public funds as the monies the Airline Operators were unwilling to let go off did not belong to them but the government.

    “This money they are owing it is stealing by trick of public funds, air travellers pay that 5%, that money has never been a tax to any airline as some of them will erroneously lead people to believe. The money is a charge on passengers the airlines only collect it on behalf of government to allow facilitation, imagine the chaos at the airport where people are travelling if that money is collected as you intend to travel and the fraud that would happen.”

    “These payments’ were being made until Arik entered the fray and due to the impunity of the former managers the indebtedness started and so other airlines joined suit stating that if Arik was not remitting the charges why should they? Even at those times, some unions would take action and then an order from Abuja would override whatever they have done and the debt would continue to rise.”

    “In the past Minister, Fidelia Njeze intervened with the pay as you go technic but same airline scuttled it.”

    According to saidu ANAP is ready to go the extra mile to help the agencies and service providers recover their debt through every legal means as according to him, the N15billion was a de; librately orchestrated debt.

    “We are calling on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) because this is their purview. They need to wade in as this anomaly is killing the industry.

    “We disagree with the airlines who are trying to justify their criminal acts and impunity, spending public funds and we are calling the EFCC to come in because the money they are talking about never belonged to them in the first place. The money is for aviation development and so when unremitted how do they have justification to complain about regulation? Or training at NCAT? Or the pace of investigations at AIB? Or even infrastructure for that matter?”

    ANAP is supporting the Federal Government through the NCAA and is demanding immediate remittance of those funds.

    On the unions objective and why it was interested in these matters, Comrade Saidu stated: “ These are the kinds of things the unions should be agitating over mostly to get enough of the agencies funds so as to ensure salaries of staff and others are met.”

    “Besides apart from that, everyone says aviation is global business and we tout that here every time but globalization must come in all ramifications because as you know here there is no globalization in remuneration and ANAP aims at improving the working conditions in the industry that is why we came to being as a union.”

    He also stated that the union aims to engage government through constructive criticisms to ensure that government takes the right path on the journey to grow the industry.

  • Much ado about automation of revenue collection

    Much ado about automation of revenue collection

    Domestic carriers and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority ( NCAA) are bickering over the automation of collection and remittance of the statutory five per cent ticket/cargo sales charges paid by the operators. According to them, there is more to it than meets the eyes in the project’s implementation, KELVIN OSA OKUNBOR, reports.

    These are not the best of times for domestic airline operators. Apart from losses they are incurring from the temporary closure of the Abuja Airport, they  are grappling with lower passenger traffic on many routes.

    The regulator is planning to wield the big stick  on erring operators. They risk being sanctioned for failure to comply with the deadline issued by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to automate the collection and remittance of the statutory five percent Ticket/Cargo Sales Charge ( TSC/CSC).

    The automation is a fall out of the  Aviation Revenue Automation Project (ARAP) for revenue collection introduced a few years ago .

    According to the NCAA, the project was introduced to  aid data integrity, transparency, transaction accountability, controls and revenue assurance to the authority.

    Last year,  the NCAA set January 31, 2017 as deadline for airlines to comply with the new measure, but it extended it by three months at the instance of the Airline Operators of Nigeria at a meeting with the Director General,Captain Mukhtar Usman.

    But, the new deadline, March 31, 2017 expired last week, as the NCAA threatened to sanction airlines that failed to comply with the regulation.

    In a statement last week, spokesman of NCAA, Sam Adurogboye said with the expiration of the deadline and final warning , airlines were expected to adhere to  automation and remit the collected revenue to the regulatory authority.

    His words: “Failure to comply will be viewed seriously as the authority will be forced to invoke the necessary provisions of the law against defaulting airlines.”

    Five per cent ticket and cargo sales charge, according to Adurogboye, is not a tax or levy on airlines but a charge paid by passengers for services rendered towards the development of aviation in Nigeria.

    The charge, he said, is enshrined in the Civil Aviation Act of 2006.

    The decision to collect the charges by the airlines, he reiterated, was mooted by the operators and unanimously agreed upon at the 2001 Civil Policy Review with the sole aim to enhance passengers’ facilitation.

    Usman clarified : “Let me state that the TSC and CSC are collected at source from passengers by airlines on behalf of the Federal Government, to enable all aviation agencies tackle safety critical issues as they arise to engender safe, secure and efficient air transportation and allied services for the overall benefits of all stakeholders’’.

    But, the AON has called for the suspension of automation of revenue remittance by airlines to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) until the parameters that constitute the  five per cent Ticket and Cargo Sales Charge are clearly and properly defined.

    AON Chairman,Captain Nogie Meggison said : “AON has no problem with the authority going ahead to automate the collection and remittance of the said charges, but that the NCAA needs to give clarification on what constitutes the five per cent Ticket and Cargo sales Charge.

    TSC, he said,  is  only applicable  on  basic fare in compliance with industry practice and as currently  applicable to international carriers operating out of Nigeria.

    AON members  are currently remitting the  five per cent  TSC charges.

    He said : ” Despite our members improved payment, infrastructure and  service level continue to deteriorate across all facets of the industry under the same authority.

    ” AON also has issues with the immediate mandatory automation without first addressing the cost of integration while sadly at the same time not asking the foreign carriers operating in Nigeria to join the same automation platform and are charged on their base fares.

    “This is wrong and discriminatory and also against International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Non-Discriminatory policy. This recommendation  adopted by the ICAO Council, States are encouraged to incorporate the four key charging principles of non-discrimination, cost-relatedness, transparency and consultation with users into their national legislation, regulation or policies, as well as their future air services agreements.

    “It is apparent that NCAA is preying on domestic airlines, which they see as an easy target, as a cash cow and for cheap publicity, over regulating domestic operators, and pushing domestic airlines to the edge of insolvency and bankruptcy. It is this kind of policy that has reduced the lifespan of Nigerian airlines and have consumed over 25 airlines in the last 30 years since deregulation  began in 1982.

    “While the same NCAA is weak and has turned blind eyes in enforcement of other sectors, runway quality, airport fencing, bird strike, navaids, fuel quality control by oil marketers, poor quality delivery by service providers, this  agency is  inflicting unauthorised and illegal billing  on domestic carriers contrary to the provisions of the 2006            Civil Aviation Act.

    ” AON is tired and cannot continue to be the only soft target or easy prey. We appeal to the NCAA to rather focus their energy on being an enabler and to foster growth in the Nigerian aviation industry in line with their mission statement.

    ‘’ This is to   provide aviation safety and economic regulation in the most efficient, effective, quality and technology driven manner to the satisfaction and benefit of all stakeholders’’.

    He said, while  other West African countries’ airlines operate 24 hours, Nigerian carriers are subjected to daylight operations due to poor airport facilities.

    Meggison said despite the poor airport facilities, charges in Nigerian airports are the highest compared to the billing system in other West African countries.

    He said : “ Sadly also Nigerian airlines are the only mode of transport paying Value Added Tax ( VAT) . Marine, road and rail transport don’t pay; and even the foreign airlines operating into Nigeria are exempted from paying VAT in Nigeria.”

    The AON Chairman said  during a meeting with the  NCAA, the authority  had agreed to look into the matter by considering using a flat rate that is tied to the United States dollar as a possible way of addressing the issue.

    This , he said, is related  to what FAAN does with the Passenger Service Charge (PSC) , and the normal  method of billing  in most parts of the world.’

    Meggison said :”To this end therefore, the ultimatum issued by the NCAA to operators can’t be said to have been done in good faith, because the authority was yet to respond to the issues raised on the matter in previous meetings between NCAA and AON where both parties had agreed.

    “The Nigerian Civil Aviation ACT 2006 prescribes the need to carry out periodic review of the Air Ticket and Cargo Sales charge in consultation with stakeholders. However, the one sided implementation of the law whereby stakeholders are not consulted before decisions are reached does not augur well for the growth of the industry.

    He said there is need for the NCAA to be transparent with the process of reviewing the collection of the five per cent charge, as the AON would prefer the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to drive the implementation of the automation and collection of the charge for the authority.

    Such methodology , he said is the global practice.

    Meggison also raised concerns over the   third party firm commissioned by NCAA to do the collection.

    He said :  “For over 10 years NCAA has operated the legislation on the collection of  five  ticket sales charge and has not deemed it fit for a review as provided for in the laws. Sadly however, in the last review of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations ( NCAR ) 2006, the issue was not addressed in spite of calls then by airlines to review the charge.

    “AON wishes to make it clear that we are not against automation. However, we seek clarity on these and other issues tabled before the director general during our meeting of which he agreed to look into our concerns and consider the option of charging a flat rate but tying it to the dollar to take care of fluctuations. This was a promise the director general  made during the meeting with AON.

    “Unfortunately, while we awaited the agreed implementation, we were surprised that to the contrary NCAA went ahead to  issue a statement giving ultimatum and threatening to sanction airlines.”

    He said the action of the NCAA was in gross violation of relevant sections of the civil aviation Act of 2006.

    He said: “The Act prescribes that  Air Ticket and Cargo Sales charge may be reviewed by the authority in consultation with the stakeholders from time to time.

    “The direct consequence of this being that there is no mechanism for a review of the  five per cent  Charge and there has never been a review .

    “AON therefore kindly requests that the automation of the collection of the  five per cent  charge by airlines be suspended until a mechanism is put in place to give effect to the  2006 Civil Aviation Act.

    “ Airlines are always eager to be part of the required consultations before amendments are made but unfortunately this has so far not been the case, as our members are usually left in the dark while expected to only comply with changes or amendments with unfair deadlines.

    “The Director General  will agree with us that in costing our ticket fares, the criteria must be certain and known so that the general travelling public whom we are all in business to serve do not undergo undue disadvantage and NCAA also is  not short changed.”

  • Dana: We’ve implemented safety recommendations

    DANA Air said it has implemented the safety recommendations of the Accident Investigation Bureau ( AIB) after its June 3, 2012 crash in which over 150 persons died.

    The airline made this known  in a statement signed by its Head of Corporate Communications, Kingsley Ezenwa. The statement reads :” Following the release of the final report of the June 3, 2012 Accident, we wish to reassure our passengers of our total commitment to their safety and comfort onboard our flights. We wish to also state that Dana Air swung into action immediately the Interim Safety Recommendations were released in 2013 and as an airline strictly committed to the safety and comfort of its passengers, we implemented all the recommendations same year, as released by AIB.

    The statement added that Dana Air did not stop at just implementing the recommendations, but also successfully passed an operational audit conducted by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority’s Flight Safety Group and its foreign partners.

    “In 2016, after another rigorous operational audit, Dana Air was admitted into the International Operations Safety Audit (IOSA) register to underscore its strict adherence to global management and safety standards and procedures required of global carriers,” it added.

    Mr Ezenwa said that while Dana Air acknowledges the full report, and will continue to review it, “we are gladdened by the report that the aircraft was airworthy at the time of departure, flight crew were certified and that we have cleared all defects during their last check.”

    Dana Air said it maintains a rich spare parts store to date. According to the statement, ” We have doubled our maintenance and safety efforts with constant training and retraining. The safety and comfort of our passengers remain top priorities to us and may the souls of the crew and passengers we lost at the unfortunate accident continue to rest in peace.”

    Meanwhile, the airline said it has introduced a special fare for corp members and students as part of its broad corporate social responsibility and to complement the efforts of their parents and the government in this regard.

    The airline said it is committed to helping the government, youth and students to achieve their dreams of a greater tomorrow.

    According to the airline, to take advantage of the hugely discounted fare, all the students and corp members need do is get the Naija Green Card, send an email to contact@flydanaair.comand reservations@flydanaair.com stating their date of travel, route and preferred flight time at least 24 hours before departure and its done.

  • Wanted: new regulations for private jet operators

    Wanted: new regulations for private jet operators

    There is a growing suspicion between private jet operators and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) over modalities for securing flight approvals, insurance validity on aircraft and the criteria for ascertaining right payment to the regulator for charter contracts. Unless efforts are stepped up by the General Aviation Directorate of the NCAA, misconceptions bordering on aircraft registration status, maintenance, ownership and regulations will linger, KELVIN OSA OKUNBOR reports.

    There is growing anxiety among private jet owners, operators and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on the  mode of regulations of  business in the industry.

    Business aviation, according to experts , constitute a significant part of commercial aviation in Nigeria, with over 150 aircraft in the fleet of private jet owners and operators. There are more private jets in Nigeria carrying out non – scheduled operations, compared with the number of aircraft on the fleet of the existing nine domestic operators.

    At a regional conference in Lagos last week by African Business Aviation Association ( AfBAA), and Nigerian Business Aviation Association, experts across the globe gathered to examine the challenges of private operations in Africa and allied issues.

    The conference convener and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Evergreen Aviation Nigeria (EAN), Segun Demuren said the event was  to enable experts redefine new concepts that will prepare operators for the next phase of business aviation in West Africa.

    Demuren said the conference provided another platform to spearheard discussions in stimulating new ideas to help navigate the increasingly challenging world of business aviation in the West African region.

    He said apart from providing a forum to exchange ideas on how to practically support a sustainable business aviation sector in West Africa, the forum also provided a platform by operators and regulators to adopt industry – enhancing regulations in line with developing business aviation policies.

    Demuren said: “The forum assisted to create strategies that will strenghten the business of executive aviation in the region. This brought together high networth individuals, who charter, own or intend to purchase or lease private jets. It was also an opportunity for industry regulators, airport authorities, Customs, Immigration, the Ministry of Aviation, aircraft manufacturers, operators and service providers in business aviation, national and international companies with business aviation interests for input gathering to improve the business.”

    Speaking at the event, Chief Executive Officer of African Aviation, Nick Fadugba, said the Nigerian government needs to create policies that will stimulate the growth of business aviation. He said the NCAA, should create a diffrent  layer of regulation for business aviation, even as he observed that the General Aviation Directorate of the NCAA was under resourced to enable it appreciate how that arm of aviation could revolutionise the industry.

    According to Fadugba, private jet operators should set up a body to enable them engage the government on policies and issues that affect the business.

    Such collaboration, he said, will assist private jet operators to pool their expertise and equipment for optimum utilisation that will stimulate the growth of business aviation.

    In his presentation, ANAP Jets Chairman, Atedo Peterside canvassed fractional ownership of business jets. This model, he said, will reduce costs for operators and its managers in addition to enhancing the utlisation of the equipment.

    He said the proposal christened: “sharing economy”, was the financial outlay worked out by the firm under the platform that could significantly transform the business of corporate jet by giving business people access to the jet “ on demand“ for a few years.

    The model, he said, will help business people eradicate their regional travelling headaches in the most efficient manner.

    Such  model, to him, is good for business aviation because the culture of shared economy will enable corporate clients to pay less and fly smart.

    According to him, there was need to change the narrative about private jet ownership because many saw business aviation in West Africa from a different perspective .

    “Business Aviation has a terrible reputation in West Africa. Unfortunately, private jets are still seen in the region as  expensive toys for playboy millionaires, insensitive and wastefull heads of state and government officials or politicians, who acquired their wealth through questionale means. And yet it needs not be so,” Peterside said.

    He continued: “Private jets can be and are indeed, indispensable and efficient big business in West African region where efficient travel between neighbouring capital cities can still be a nightmare because many of our airlines are seriously challenges.

    Peterside said Presidents and Governors, who insist on developing modest airstrips in the hintherlands should not be vilified because business aviation could be the forerunner that will lead to significant investment activity in their undeveloped backyard.

    But the NCAA representative in charge  of the department of air transport regulations, Modupe Olasunmibo Oyerinde, accused private jet operators of not carrying the regulator along in their transactions.

    She said many private jet operators hoard information on their flights from the NCAA in order to shortchange the authority of right payment.

    Regulating private jet operators, according to her,  could pose a challenge for the NCAA because some operators are using jets registered for private operations for charter.

    Flight permits, she said, are not difficult to secure from the NCAA, if the affected operator has fulfilled all requirements presribed by the regulator.

    Oyerinde said the NCAA maintained a tight nooze on private jet operators on issues relating to insurance and aircraft maintenance because of safety.

    She said: “Private jet operators should be more sincere about their operations. The NCAA requires more transparency on their part. Most times the operators under declare what they collect from their clients in order to reduce what they have to pay. Mosat of them do not have full year insurance cover for their aircraft and this is very risky. They need to give the NCAA full details about their operations”

    In his presentation, former NCAA Director-General, Harold Demuren said business aviation has grown in the last decade . The NCAA, he said, should design a separate regulation for private jet operations to enhance safety and sustenance of the business.

    Operators, however, accused the NCAA of delaying flight permits and indulge in multiple taxes and charges that inhibit the growth of charter business.

    Also speaking, Kings Air Chairman, Musa Adede, said the regulators need to be fair to private jet operators in rolling out policies and charges that are targeted to kill the business.

    Adede said: ‘Operators need to come together to align their positions to engage the government.“

  • NCAA issues AOC to Genesis Aviation

    The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has issued Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) to Genesis Global Aviation to operate full charter helicopter services.

    The certificate was issued after the company had satisfied all the regulatory requirements and gone through thorough screening.

    Speaking in Lagos after receiving the AOC, the company’s chairman, Capt. Emmanuel Iheanacho, said getting the certification was a major milestone for the company.

    He expressed confidence in the Nigerian economy despite the fact that so many companies had fizzled out.

    He said although lots of players in the aviation industry had crashed out “it has not changed the situation that requires helicopter services”.

    “Whether it is in respect of offshore service delivery or emergency medical evacuation or general logistics of moving people and personnel from one point to the other, there is requirement for helicopter services.

    “I think, really, people should doff their hats for us that we are not quitting. We are absolutely standing there because we really believe in the resilience of the Nigerian economy,” he said.

    He added: “What we are witnessing is just a dip for the time being and we believe that there is bound to be a rebound at some point in time. The future belongs to those who dare; he who dares wins.”

    Iheanacho said it was a herculean task to get the AOC because of the rigorous processes involved.

    “The AOC is a wonderful achievement in my own opinion. We have been in the business for more than two years and it has been a very hard and arduous journey to being where we are today.

    “There are five stages of the AOC and you have to go through vigorous examinations; standards to meet, understanding the rules, and so many other things.

    “You have to go through a rigorous examination. The registration of the company was accomplished in April 2015 and since then we have gone through one approval process after another, all towards obtaining the commercial airline certification status. It has not been an easy process,” he added.

    He was, however, elated that the company satisfied all the regulatory requirements.

    “We have now convinced the regulatory authority that we have now met the standard for offering commercial services for whosoever may require.

    “Today marks the beginning of our real journey into commercial aviation of delivering unrivalled safe, comfortable and reliable services to our perspective  clients and the flying public.

    “We are poised to deliver safe, qualitative and cost effective commercial helicopter services to the general public, including offshore oil industry service providers, EMS service operators, line surveillance operators, and so on

    “We look forward to the task of growing Genesis Global Aviation Ltd to the highest international civil aviation, oil and gas and helicopter charter industry standards, where our goal is to become the foremost player,” he said.

    Iheanacho said the company owns and operates six Eurocopter EC 155B helicopters “while plans are afoot to acquire additional rotary assets to enhance service delivery”.

  • An investigator’s cash dilemma

    An investigator’s cash dilemma

    What can one do without cash? Little. This is the challenge the  Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), which is responsible for unearthing causes of aircraft accidents, is facing. It says it duties are being hampered by lack of funds, inadequate personnel and equipment. Adequate funding. AIB says, will facilitate its operations, writes KELVIN OSA OKUNBOR. 

    here is growing discontent in the sector over the delay by the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) in releasing the final reports on aircraft accidents and other incidents, years after their occurence.

    Such delay has called to question the capacity of the bureau to carry out its  mandate since it gained autonomy in 2006. Investigations revealed that the bureau can perform better if it is equipped with modern facilities and trained personnel.

    Again, it was gathered that the AIB is unable to discharge its mandate because of paucity of funds and other challenges. The bureau does not generate funds, but benefits from five per cent ticket sales and charges collected by Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

    Such receipts, experts say, are insufficient for the proactive  task of preventing air accidents, or investigating them when they occur.

    Worried by the trend, its Chief Executive Officer and Commissioner, Akinola Olateru, has called for special fund for accident investigation.

    He said such funds would enable AIB to discharge its responsibilities. He said AIB was allocated N17 million for accident investigation in 2017. Such amount, he said, is  inadequate to carry out accident investigation. He said the amount, when coverted to dollars was merely $47,000 as opposed  to huge sums voted for accident investigations in other countries.

    Olateru said: “It should also be noted  that  the cost of investigating an accident or serious incident is very huge. The Transport Safety Board  of Canada (TSB)  spent over $50 million on investigating the MD 11 Swiss  SR111  of  1998  and over  $110 million  was  spent on the Malaysia MH 370   search alone.

    “Whilst we must thank the past and present administration for establishing, and continued support of, the bureau, we use this opportunity to appeal to our minister to use his good office to see the possibility of creating a special fund for accident investigation.

    “The bureau  needs funds for the purpose of exploring preventive  measures for accident or serious incidents and for its readiness in cases where an accident or serious incident occurs.

    “My prayer is that the government will come to the aid of AIB and support the bureau so that we can deliver our targets.”

    Apart from funding challenges, Olateru said the AIB was grappling with inadequate personnel.

    He said: ‘’Let me give you an example, when I took over AIB on January 13, 2017, there were 37 pending accident investigations and the first question I asked was, how many accidents do we have in a year that we have 37 pending accident investigation?”

    Last week, the AIB released four accident reports on DANA Air, Bristow Helicopters, OAS Helicopters and another crash.

    Olateru lamented that the bureau didn’t have the personnel to carry out helicopter crashes investigation. He said  none of the personnel  specialised on helicopter accident investigation despite the frequency of such crashes in the country.

    He said the AIB did not have any emergency code number that the public could contact in the event of an accident, promising to change that soon.

    “It is one and a half pilots that we have in AIB. I said one and half because we have a fresh one who is just joining us. Is that the kind of manpower that can actually investigate accidents?

    “We have more helicopter incidents than fixed wing incidents in this industry, yet, you don’t have one single helicopter pilot in AIB.

    “These are the issues I’m taking up with the Minister and he’s willing to support. We need to strengthen the system and we can’t just fold our hands.

    “We don’t even have an emergency response team in AIB.  So, we must have a functional control room, radio and monitor things that are going on. Reporting accident is another issue. We have to make it seamless.”

    Olateru said though the challenges were not insurmountable, but more funds would enable the AIB intensify training for its young cadets, acquire operational equipment and meet other needs.

    He said in the  last couple of weeks, the AIB has been engaging  other agencies and stakeholders to see how it could collaborate for the benefit of the flying public.

    An aviation stakeholder, Morris Ugwuegbu, said the best way to obtain optimal performance at the bureau was to resolve some of the challenges.

    “The major challenge the bureau has is funds. AIB doesn’t generate revenue and it depends  budgetary provision. As it stands now, it has three per cent of the five per cent ticket sales charge by airlines, which is not enough. So, it becomes very challenging to work with such resources when it comes to accident investigation and running the organisation.”

    For some years, industry safety advocate Group Captain John Ojikutu has been faulting the AIB over delay in releasing reports.

    Ojikutu said the bureau lacked the capacity to conduct and release conclusive reports on causes of accidents in record time. According to him, the bureau at a time had insufficient investigators.

    Insufficient manpower, he noted, accounts for  some of the reports released by the bureau, which were either substandard, missing or inconclusive between 2002 and 2014.

  • VAA appoints country manager

    Virgin Atlantic Airways (VAA) has appointed Samuel Lindfield Country Manager for Nigeria.

    Lindfield, according to the airline, will with other officials in the commercial, operations and customer service team, oversee its flights between Lagos and London Heathrow.

    A pilot from the Royal Air Force Reserve, Lindfield began his career working for KPMG and Accenture.

    He later joined Virgin Atlantic as route manager for the Caribbean in 2013, and rose to senior analyst, working on the airline’s Joint Venture with Delta Airlines.

    Lindfield said: “I’m delighted to take up the role of Country Manager for Virgin Atlantic. Our team is one of the most dedicated and passionate in the Nigerian travel industry, and has ensured that Virgin Atlantic delivered unrivalled service to our customers for over 16 years. I’m looking forward to working with the team to continue to deliver safe, punctual services to and from Nigeria with the Virgin flair that our customers love.”