The Nation Newspaper

Category: Aviation

  • ‘Airlines’ de-marketing unhealthy for growth‘

    ‘Airlines’ de-marketing unhealthy for growth‘

    An aviation expert, Captain John Okakpu, has warned players in the aviation sector to desist from de-marketing airlines, describing such as an unhealthy trend  for the industry.

    Okakpu, who is Chief Executive Officer (CEO), ABX Cargo, said it was wrong for players in the sector to pull down any airline by insinuating that such carrier flies aircraft that are not properly maintained.

    He was reacting to public outcry over alleged negligence of Arik Air aircraft maintenance.

    Okakpu said people spreading such misinformation about Arik Air do not have the interest of the sector at heart, saying such destructive and baseless allegations were counterproductive.

    The expert said such allegation would damage public support and confidence in the sector.

    Okakpu said safety was the first obligation of any airline, adding that in the present circumstances, Arik is the only structured airline in West Africa with state-of-the-art maintenance facility.

    He said: “As a stakeholder in this industry, it beats my imagination for some people to believe wholeheartedly that Arik would play down on safety, knowing very well that any slight mistake leads to catastrophe.

    “Though the airline has made clarification on the maintenance status of its aircraft, it is still quite instructive to plead with Nigerians not to kill this ‘baby’ through rumour mongering.

    “As a stakeholder in the aviation industry, I can’t feign ignorance of the fact that flights are delayed or cancelled, leaving bad impressions on the minds of passengers. But that is totally different from ignoring safety measures.

    “It is not only unpatriotic, but malicious and total sabotage for someone to make such baseless allegations just to deceive the public.”

    He said should Arik depart from ICAO set standards, experts will call on the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to exercise its regulatory powers.

    Meanwhile, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has warned industry stakeholders to avoid anti-competitive practices in the sector.

    The warning was contained in a statement by the regulatory authority’s spokesman, Sam Adurogboye.

    He said the NCAA is getting worried over recent cases of disinformation prevalent in the industry.

    Adurogboye said it was unfathomable that some questionable sources have been posting and circulating some fictitious stories about some airlines – insinuating a crash or claiming a particular carrier does not possess aircraft spares to sustain a safe operation, using the online platform.

    The NCAA, he said only recently carried out a safety audit on Arik Air and no issue of safety concern was found.

    He warned: “All those involved in this nefarious activity should promptly desist from this course of action as the consequences is seriously detrimental to the industry, particularly the confidence of the passengers.

    “The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is well aware of the high volume of passenger movement within the country and from the Diaspora during the yuletide season.

    “NCAA’s Aviation Safety Inspectors (ASI) have, therefore, embarked on increased surveillance on Airline operations in addition to our daily Ramp inspection diligently carried out so as not to leave room for anyone to cut corners.”

    Also, the management of Arik Air has countered effort to de-market it by those that may have axe to grind with the company, claiming that the airline does not adhere to the maintenance schedule of its fleet.

    In a statement, its spokesman, Adebanji Ola denounced the allegation.

    Ola said the airline has led the pack in adhering to international safety and operational regulations, using modern aircraft in addition to having high maintenance and safety standards.

    Ola said: “This is evident in the airline achieving the stringent IOSA (IATA Operational Safety Audit) four consecutive times with the last two audits cleared successfully without any findings. This achievement has also earned Arik Air, EIOSA (Enhanced IATA Operational Safety Audit), making it the only airline in West and Central Africa regions to have such certification.

    “The airline operates the youngest fleet in West Africa with an average hull age of 7.8 years and has an existing contract with world renowned maintenance providers such as Lufthansa Technik and Lufthansa Cityline under full “turnkey” maintenance service contracts and other leading maintenance service providers such as SAMCO Engineering, South African Airways (SAA) Technical and Ethiopia Engineering.

    “Arik Air also maintains a well-stocked spares parts store with market value of over 250 Million USD.

    “The Maintenance/ Engineering department of Arik Air has been audited severally by external auditors from the oil and gas sector, who have attested to the airline’s provision of a safe and reliable aircraft operation, first class planning, efficient spares holding, whilst increasing aircraft utilisation with no compromise on safety.

    “This department is responsible for reliability monitoring, original equipment manufacturers service letters and American Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) notifications, ensuring Arik Air’s fleet is maintained according to standards complimenting air worthiness at all times.

    “We appeal to our guests to ignore any message alleging that the airline’s aircraft are not well maintained.”

  • Airport co-op initiates programmes

    Airport Fire & Safety Co-operative Multipurpose Society Limited (AFSCMS) has resolved to initiate  programmes geared towards the welfare of its members.

    Among such programmes is encouraging members to buy into the land and house ownership scheme organised by the society.

    Members’ involvement in the house ownership scheme was part of the outcome of its Annual General Meeting (AGM), which held last week in Lagos, where the leadership declared  dividends across board for members.

    The meeting ended a successful turn out for 2016 financial year for members of the society, which cut across the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA)  Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) and other aviation agencies.

    Speaking at the AGM, President of the Society, Mr Gbade Richard Tella, said the society had assisted its members in its 16-year existence, providing welfare for its members.

    Tella acknowledged that the  recession affected activities of the society in 2016, which were put in place to enable members overcome the harsh times.

    He said: “We have done a lot to help the people in terms of welfare. Those, who ordinarily could not own a house have been assisted. We have been able to provide new cars for our members. We also have estates in our housing scheme. We have at Iyesi, two phases at Isheri Olofin and people are already residing there. Today, we are giving stewardship of our activities for the past one year,”Tella said.

    Assuring members of plans the society has for 2017, Tella said: “The feelers we have received confirmed that majority of our members would be so delighted in acquiring properties  through the society. In line with this tendency, we have actually inspected some prospective landed properties, while also ensuring that we carry out our due diligence in the cause of this.

    “With the level of work so far, we can assure you that by the next AGM, some reasonable number of members will become proud land owners as we have made this a top priority”.

    Tella pointed out four major challenges, which he listed to include panic withdrawal due to change of executive, recession, software application issues and special savings crisis.

    He said an attempted defrauding of the Society to the tune of N929, 775.00 was amicably resolved.

    In his remark, AFSCMS Vice President, Mr Michael Aturu, appealed to new members of staff of aviation agencies to take advantage of the society to acquire property.

    He said: “We want to encourage them and our next target is to acquire acres of land very close to Lagos; if we are unable to get in Lagos, we will find somewhere near Lagos so that some of our members could own their houses.”

  • Why re-insurer will blacklist Nigerian airlines, by operators

    Why re-insurer will blacklist Nigerian airlines, by operators

    Nigerian airlines risk being blacklisted unless they pay the backlog of insurance premium owed global re-insurer, Lloyds of London, Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) Chairman, Nogie Meggison, has said.

    Captain Meggison said Lloyds threatened to blacklist airline operators because of their inability to  pay premium on aircraft insurance, adding that some were in arrears by four months.

    He said besides blacklisting of operators, the re-insurer may also downgrade Nigeria  into a high risk region where premium on aircraft insurance is prohibitive.

    According to him, failure to pay the monthly premium by some operators was predicated on the difficulty in accessing foreign exchange through the official window of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

    Meggison warned that blacklisting Nigeria would have a negative impact on the economy because operators might find it  difficult  to acquire aircraft from lessors without insurance cover.

    The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) prescribed holding of valid insurance cover as a prerequisite for bringing in and operating any aircraft in the transport category in Nigeria.

    The regulatory requirement also includes valid insurance cover for aircraft, passengers and third party liabilities.

    Meggison said failure on the part of debtor-operators to meet their obligation  could lead to suspension of operations and job loss, adding that apart from scheduled and chartered aircraft operators, helicopters flying to oil rigs, vessels, high rise buildings, airport terminal buildings would also be affected.

    The AON chief said operators may find it difficult to lease aircraft from other countries not covered by Llyods re-insurance on account of the blacklist. He listed China and Russia as other markets where Nigerian operators could acquire aircraft with difficulties due to the Lloyds blacklist.

    He said: “If Nigeria is blacklisted, the premium will rise by 300 per cent due to high risk.

    “We are not keeping to payment dates. Domestic carriers have a four-month’ backlog on payment. It will be funny to wait until there is an incident before the airline tries to pay its premium.

    “We, therefore, use this medium to call on the Minister of State Aviation, Hadi Sirika, to as a matter of urgency come to the aid of domestic airlines operating in the country.

    “One of the ways to achieve this is to forge a joint working group with the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on how the nation can take exigent steps to avoid the downgrade/blacklist in the interest of safety and the economy.”

    Meggison said Nigerian market is grossly unable to effectively underwrite risks in aviation because of its high exposure, stating that airlines require an average of $500 million policy for an airplane to cover hull, war and third party liabilities.

    Meggison said: “When this figure is multiplied by the number of aircraft operating in the country, it becomes clear that Nigerian insurance companies can’t cope, considering the enormous volume of resources needed to cover all those aircraft of which the total coverage value will be in excess of $6 billion.

    “Virtually 100 per cent of the aircraft being operated in Nigeria are re-insured by Lloyd’s, hence, Nigeria can’t afford to be blacklisted as a nation because this will have very grave consequences, as the entire domestic airlines will shut down since airplanes can’t be operated without being insured.

    “It will take some days at best to switch to the secondary market of Russia and China, whose premiums will also have skyrocketed if we are blacklisted by Lloyd’s,” Meggison said.

  • Why re-insurer will blacklist Nigerian airlines, by operators

    Why re-insurer will blacklist Nigerian airlines, by operators

    Nigerian airlines risk being blacklisted unless they pay the backlog of insurance premium owed global re-insurer, Lloyds of London, Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) Chairman, Nogie Meggison, has said.

    Captain Meggison said Lloyds threatened to blacklist airline operators because of their inability to  pay premium on aircraft insurance, adding that some were in arrears by four months.

    He said besides blacklisting of operators, the re-insurer may also downgrade Nigeria  into a high risk region where premium on aircraft insurance is prohibitive.

    According to him, failure to pay the monthly premium by some operators was predicated on the difficulty in accessing foreign exchange through the official window of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

    Meggison warned that blacklisting Nigeria would have a negative impact on the economy because operators might find it  difficult  to acquire aircraft from lessors without insurance cover.

    The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) prescribed holding of valid insurance cover as a prerequisite for bringing in and operating any aircraft in the transport category in Nigeria.

    The regulatory requirement also includes valid insurance cover for aircraft, passengers and third party liabilities.

    Meggison said failure on the part of debtor-operators to meet their obligation  could lead to suspension of operations and job loss, adding that apart from scheduled and chartered aircraft operators, helicopters flying to oil rigs, vessels, high rise buildings, airport terminal buildings would also be affected.

    The AON chief said operators may find it difficult to lease aircraft from other countries not covered by Llyods re-insurance on account of the blacklist. He listed China and Russia as other markets where Nigerian operators could acquire aircraft with difficulties due to the Lloyds blacklist.

    He said: “If Nigeria is blacklisted, the premium will rise by 300 per cent due to high risk.

    “We are not keeping to payment dates. Domestic carriers have a four-month’ backlog on payment. It will be funny to wait until there is an incident before the airline tries to pay its premium.

    “We, therefore, use this medium to call on the Minister of State Aviation, Hadi Sirika, to as a matter of urgency come to the aid of domestic airlines operating in the country.

    “One of the ways to achieve this is to forge a joint working group with the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on how the nation can take exigent steps to avoid the downgrade/blacklist in the interest of safety and the economy.”

    Meggison said Nigerian market is grossly unable to effectively underwrite risks in aviation because of its high exposure, stating that airlines require an average of $500 million policy for an airplane to cover hull, war and third party liabilities.

    Meggison said: “When this figure is multiplied by the number of aircraft operating in the country, it becomes clear that Nigerian insurance companies can’t cope, considering the enormous volume of resources needed to cover all those aircraft of which the total coverage value will be in excess of $6 billion.

    “Virtually 100 per cent of the aircraft being operated in Nigeria are re-insured by Lloyd’s, hence, Nigeria can’t afford to be blacklisted as a nation because this will have very grave consequences, as the entire domestic airlines will shut down since airplanes can’t be operated without being insured.

    “It will take some days at best to switch to the secondary market of Russia and China, whose premiums will also have skyrocketed if we are blacklisted by Lloyd’s,” Meggison said.

  • ‘Airlines’ de-marketing unhealthy for growth‘

    ‘Airlines’ de-marketing unhealthy for growth‘

    An aviation expert, Captain John Okakpu, has warned players in the aviation sector to desist from de-marketing airlines, describing such as an unhealthy trend  for the industry.

    Okakpu, who is Chief Executive Officer (CEO), ABX Cargo, said it was wrong for players in the sector to pull down any airline by insinuating that such carrier flies aircraft that are not properly maintained.

    He was reacting to public outcry over alleged negligence of Arik Air aircraft maintenance.

    Okakpu said people spreading such misinformation about Arik Air do not have the interest of the sector at heart, saying such destructive and baseless allegations were counterproductive.

    The expert said such allegation would damage public support and confidence in the sector.

    Okakpu said safety was the first obligation of any airline, adding that in the present circumstances, Arik is the only structured airline in West Africa with state-of-the-art maintenance facility.

    He said: “As a stakeholder in this industry, it beats my imagination for some people to believe wholeheartedly that Arik would play down on safety, knowing very well that any slight mistake leads to catastrophe.

    “Though the airline has made clarification on the maintenance status of its aircraft, it is still quite instructive to plead with Nigerians not to kill this ‘baby’ through rumour mongering.

    “As a stakeholder in the aviation industry, I can’t feign ignorance of the fact that flights are delayed or cancelled, leaving bad impressions on the minds of passengers. But that is totally different from ignoring safety measures.

    “It is not only unpatriotic, but malicious and total sabotage for someone to make such baseless allegations just to deceive the public.”

    He said should Arik depart from ICAO set standards, experts will call on the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to exercise its regulatory powers.

    Meanwhile, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has warned industry stakeholders to avoid anti-competitive practices in the sector.

    The warning was contained in a statement by the regulatory authority’s spokesman, Sam Adurogboye.

    He said the NCAA is getting worried over recent cases of disinformation prevalent in the industry.

    Adurogboye said it was unfathomable that some questionable sources have been posting and circulating some fictitious stories about some airlines – insinuating a crash or claiming a particular carrier does not possess aircraft spares to sustain a safe operation, using the online platform.

    The NCAA, he said only recently carried out a safety audit on Arik Air and no issue of safety concern was found.

    He warned: “All those involved in this nefarious activity should promptly desist from this course of action as the consequences is seriously detrimental to the industry, particularly the confidence of the passengers.

    “The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is well aware of the high volume of passenger movement within the country and from the Diaspora during the yuletide season.

    “NCAA’s Aviation Safety Inspectors (ASI) have, therefore, embarked on increased surveillance on Airline operations in addition to our daily Ramp inspection diligently carried out so as not to leave room for anyone to cut corners.”

    Also, the management of Arik Air has countered effort to de-market it by those that may have axe to grind with the company, claiming that the airline does not adhere to the maintenance schedule of its fleet.

    In a statement, its spokesman, Adebanji Ola denounced the allegation.

    Ola said the airline has led the pack in adhering to international safety and operational regulations, using modern aircraft in addition to having high maintenance and safety standards.

    Ola said: “This is evident in the airline achieving the stringent IOSA (IATA Operational Safety Audit) four consecutive times with the last two audits cleared successfully without any findings. This achievement has also earned Arik Air, EIOSA (Enhanced IATA Operational Safety Audit), making it the only airline in West and Central Africa regions to have such certification.

    “The airline operates the youngest fleet in West Africa with an average hull age of 7.8 years and has an existing contract with world renowned maintenance providers such as Lufthansa Technik and Lufthansa Cityline under full “turnkey” maintenance service contracts and other leading maintenance service providers such as SAMCO Engineering, South African Airways (SAA) Technical and Ethiopia Engineering.

    “Arik Air also maintains a well-stocked spares parts store with market value of over 250 Million USD.

    “The Maintenance/ Engineering department of Arik Air has been audited severally by external auditors from the oil and gas sector, who have attested to the airline’s provision of a safe and reliable aircraft operation, first class planning, efficient spares holding, whilst increasing aircraft utilisation with no compromise on safety.

    “This department is responsible for reliability monitoring, original equipment manufacturers service letters and American Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) notifications, ensuring Arik Air’s fleet is maintained according to standards complimenting air worthiness at all times.

    “We appeal to our guests to ignore any message alleging that the airline’s aircraft are not well maintained.”

  • Airport co-op initiates programmes

    Airport Fire & Safety Co-operative Multipurpose Society Limited (AFSCMS) has resolved to initiate  programmes geared towards the welfare of its members.

    Among such programmes is encouraging members to buy into the land and house ownership scheme organised by the society.

    Members’ involvement in the house ownership scheme was part of the outcome of its Annual General Meeting (AGM), which held last week in Lagos, where the leadership declared  dividends across board for members.

    The meeting ended a successful turn out for 2016 financial year for members of the society, which cut across the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA)  Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) and other aviation agencies.

    Speaking at the AGM, President of the Society, Mr Gbade Richard Tella, said the society had assisted its members in its 16-year existence, providing welfare for its members.

    Tella acknowledged that the  recession affected activities of the society in 2016, which were put in place to enable members overcome the harsh times.

    He said: “We have done a lot to help the people in terms of welfare. Those, who ordinarily could not own a house have been assisted. We have been able to provide new cars for our members. We also have estates in our housing scheme. We have at Iyesi, two phases at Isheri Olofin and people are already residing there. Today, we are giving stewardship of our activities for the past one year,”Tella said.

    Assuring members of plans the society has for 2017, Tella said: “The feelers we have received confirmed that majority of our members would be so delighted in acquiring properties  through the society. In line with this tendency, we have actually inspected some prospective landed properties, while also ensuring that we carry out our due diligence in the cause of this.

    “With the level of work so far, we can assure you that by the next AGM, some reasonable number of members will become proud land owners as we have made this a top priority”.

    Tella pointed out four major challenges, which he listed to include panic withdrawal due to change of executive, recession, software application issues and special savings crisis.

    He said an attempted defrauding of the Society to the tune of N929, 775.00 was amicably resolved.

    In his remark, AFSCMS Vice President, Mr Michael Aturu, appealed to new members of staff of aviation agencies to take advantage of the society to acquire property.

    He said: “We want to encourage them and our next target is to acquire acres of land very close to Lagos; if we are unable to get in Lagos, we will find somewhere near Lagos so that some of our members could own their houses.”

  • ICAO to African govts: address air safety

    ICAO to African govts: address air safety

    THE International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has urged member-states in Africa to take safety seriously.

    Its President, Dr Bernard Aliu,  said safety has become imperative for African countries because of its effect on global air transport.

    He said failure of member-states to tackle the challenge would attract global intervention, noting that Africa’s high accident rate has assumed disturbing dimensions that ICAO had to design an initiative: “No country is left”, to step up safety oversight responsibilities.

    He said: ”Judging by previous reports, Africa used to have high air accident rates. Since last year, the accident rate is witnessing a decline in Africa. Though there a few air crashes, they were not fatal.

    “This is the result of the work ICAO is doing with our member- states in Africa and with the industry to address the aviation safety challenges to enhance aviation safety oversight on the continent .

    “This is under the No Country Left Behind initiative.”

    He said there was no going back on the initiative as ICAO was offering technical assistance to member-states to meet standards.

    Aliu said 14 countries had received acknowledgement from ICAO Assembly on the progress of the initiative.

    The next level of engagement, according to the ICAO Council President, is how to support member-states in developing and modernising infrastructure in the next 15 years.

    He said: ”This has brought international civil aviation very close to our member states particularly in assisting to set the right safety standards.

    “The ‘No country left behind  Initiative’ has expanded our responsibility to cover capacity building, technical assistance to our member- states to meet those standards. Not only are we setting the standards, we also helping to achieve it.

    “Now we offering assistance to them to meet those requirements, and many of the developing states have been very appreciative of this.

    “This is the job that is done keenly by ICAO to foster collaboration and encourage relationship between the states to work bilaterally to support each other and with other multilateral organisations to address this.’’

    He said the issue of regulation and infrastructure remains critical for member states as one of the steps to improve safety standards.

    Aliu said: ”The next level of engagement  will cover not only regulatory issues but how to support our  member-states in develop aviation infrastructure and modernisation that is required over the next 15 years.

    “In the next three years there will be a lot of focus on aviation infrastructure development to assist our member states, whether it is for the airport, for air navigational services, capacity building, to enhance regulatory oversight capacity in the states.

    “We will assist to provide them more training to meet the dynamic changes in technology.”

    He said: ”We will be working with our member states to develop the monitoring review and verification mechanism. We have been working with our member states to establish registries to enhance that system.

    “This is something new. It means the states, ICAO have to establish registries. A lot of infrastructural requirement for this.

    “Even in this regard, ICAO has been working closely with the African Union address these issues. You may be aware that we have specific programmes tailored to assist African states.”

    He said ICAO would continue to pursue the comprehensive implementation plan for air safety in Africa to assist member-states.

    Aliu said: “We have the AFI Comprehensive Implementation Plan for Aviation Safety in Africa to assist all Africa member states to enhance the level of safety.

    “We have a similar programme to address the issue of aviation security and facilitation, which has been adopted at the level of African Union.

    “ I have also established at the level of ICAO the human resources development fund to assist African states to improve on their workforce to prepare the necessary competencies to work in the industry.

    “Currently, we are in discussion with African Union to expand the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) to cover aviation.

    “We know the situation in Africa to remedy the situation. I have the fore-knowledge of this before because I have been closely involved with that, before becoming the President of the Council.’’

    He said ICAO is working with member-states to facilitate closer air link within Africa  to eliminate constraints that militate against air liberation.

    Aliu continued: ”Aviation intra-connectivity in Africa can do better. At a personal level, it is a difficult subject for me to discuss, because I was one of those who negotiated the Yamoussoukro Decision for Africa in the 90s.

    “Unfortunately, that very important liberalisation document has not been fully implemented. And it was aimed to liberalise the movement of people in Africa. Although there are some constraints, a very difficult visa regimes, tax regimes that make movement of people to be difficult

    “They should open up their market for movement among African states through the removal of barriers to free movement of goods and services and people. It will become very attractive to Low Cost Carriers and it will bring the cost of air travel down to the level of average income earners.

    “And there is a growing middle-class market in Africa that is waiting to be tapped. Connectivity with the rest of the world is not possible without aviation. I am aware that the African Union is working on this, to create a single air transport market in Africa by 2017.”

  • ‘Rwand Air ‘ll not leave Nigeria’

    East African carrier Rwand Air will not stop flights into Nigeria despite the recession, its Country Manager, Ms Ibiyemi Odusi, has said.

    In an interview in Lagos, she said Rwand Air was optimistic that the economy would rebound as a potential market which cannot be ignored by any carrier.

    According to her, the carrier is strategising on how to consolidate its operations with the right aircraft and competitive fares to offer Nigerians seamless travel services.

    Rwand Air is open to discussions on how to partner domestic carriers to distribute its passengers.

    She said the carrier was offering a 30 per cent discount on fares during the Yuletide.

    Ms. Odusi attributed the increasing patronage for the airline to competitive fares and comfortable services.

    Describing the Nigerian route as a “cash cow”, she said Rwand Air was exploring the best way to make passengers happy.

    One of the ways to consolidate its operations in Nigeria, she said is to leverage on-time departure, customer-centric packages and investment in equipment.

    Ms. Odusi said: “Rwand Air is offering a 30 per cent discount when you fly to any of our destinations.

    ‘’This is in line with giving back to the society. RwandAir in December 2016 is offering its customers bonus Christmas tour packages to Dubai, Nairobi and Mombasa from Lagos.’’

    She said in addition to its 20 routes, the airline planned to expand next year into Cotonou, Abidjan, New York and London, Gatwick.

    “Rwand Air has added Cotonou and Abidjan to its network. The airline is also planning to introduce New York, London, Mumbai, Harare, Lilongwe, Conakry and Bamako into its route network by next year.

    “Rwand Air has no intention of withdrawing its operations to and from Nigeria rather it has intentions to grow  in frequency and capacity in this market which we have served very well in the last  five years,” she said.

    The carrier will not withdraw the A330-300 it deployed on the Kigali-Lagos route, because Nigeria holds the potential to become an attractive market, Ms. Odusi added.

  • Overland plans regional operations in 2017

    Overland Airways will begin flight operations into the West African Coast in the first quarter of next year, its Chief Executive Officer, Captain Edward Boyo, has said.

    He said Overland has added Asaba-Abuja route to its network.

    The twice weekly flight from Asaba to Abuja and Abuja to Asaba is operated by its ATR turboprop aircraft with superior design for unmatched performance on short-distance flights in terms of economic reliability, safety and comfort.

    According to Boyo, the accelerated development of Delta State economy is strategic to various regions, including the Southeast and Southsouth, which makes air transport an important element in the efforts to develop the state.

    He said:  “Delta State is endowed with great human and other resources which should be carefully harnessed by relentless efforts of both the government and the private sector. Overland Airways is dedicated to creating new high-value for the indigenes and visitors to Delta State by providing our trademark excellent, reliable, safe and comfortable air services to Asaba.

    “With routes, such as Lagos, Asaba, Abuja, Dutse, Minna, Bauchi, Jalingo, Akure, Overland Airways looks to begin regional flights in West African in the first quarter of 2017.’’

  • Ethiopian is airline of the year

    Ethiopian Airlines has emerged winner of the Airline the Year  award for the fifth year. It received the award during the African Airlines Association’s (AFRAA’s) 48th Annual General Assembly in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.

    The AFRAA yearly awards recognise excellence in service delivery, innovation and competitiveness in airlines, individuals and service providers in the African aviation industry.

    Ethiopian was praised for its outstanding financial performance, technological leadership and investment in modern fuel efficient fleet. It was also praised for its exemplary cooperation with other African carriers.

    While receiving the award, Ethiopian Group Chief Executive Officer Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam, said:  “We are highly honoured for this recognition by fellow airlines in Africa, for the fifth consecutive year.

    “The award underscores the continuous efforts and hard work of Ethiopian employees who are striving day and night to surpass customers’expectations.”