The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Airlines

  • Law compelling airlines to install trackers coming

    The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority ( NCAA), is to introduce legislation that would compel airlines to install automatic flight informational reporting system onboard their aircraft .

    NCAA Director-General of NCAA, Captain Fola Akinkuotu, said the proposed law would make it mandatory for domestic airlines to comply with the installation of the safety equipment on board their aircraft, as it is the practice in other parts of the world.

    He said the installation of the equipment has become imperative because it will assist to track the parameters of all aircraft engines flying in the Nigerian airspace as an additional measure to promote air safety .

    Akinkuotu, who spoke at a briefing at the NCAA headquarters to review the activities of the industry in 2013, said as from next year, NCAA is going to digitalise the issuance of pilots licenses flying in the country He said the digitalisation of pilots license is informed by the need to have up to date information on all pilots flying in the Nigerian airspace.

    He said the NCAA invited foreign auditors to assist in the technical and safety audit of DANA Air to exchange ideas with other global experts and not on account of lack of in-house capacity by the regulator.

    He said the audit of DANA Air took enough time for the NCAA to carry out a comprehensive technical and safety investigation of the airline, in the interest of safety.

    He said DANA Air is carrying out closing of open times fingered in the audit carried out with a view to resuming operations very soon.

    He denied grounding the operations of IRS Airlines and Chanchangi Airlines, saying the carriers violated the regulation which prescribes that they should have at least two serviceable aircraft before they could exercise their air operators ‘ certificate .

    Akinkuotu spoke of plans to train more aircraft inspectors and other technical personnel to boost its oversight capacity adding that from 2014, a law would be put in place to ensure all domestic airlines undergo the compulsory International Operations Safety Audit ( IOSA), carried by the International Air Transport Association ( IATA).

    He said: ”From next year, the NCAA is going to put a law in place that will make the installation of aircraft flight information reporting system compulsory. Although, a few airlines have complied with this regulation, but the new law will make it mandatory.

    In the same vein, the NCAA is also going to put in place a law that will make IOSA audit for domestic carriers compulsory. We will also make interlining of tickets one of our cardinal programmes . This will make air travel a lot more easier.”

  • Concern over delay in NCAA’s probe of airlines

    Concern over delay in NCAA’s probe of airlines

     Amid eroding public confidence in domestic flights, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) plans to audit airlines. In this report, KELVIN OSA-OKUNBOR examines this seemingly arduous task the regulator is embarking on.

    There is a growing discontent among observers of the aviation industry over seeming delay by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to carry out a comprehensive audit of domestic airlines operating in the country.

    The technical audit of domestic carriers is to check their level of maintenance, including manpower and capacity building, as part of efforts to ensure safety in the industry.

    There are several airlines in Nigeria with valid Air Operator Certificate issued by the NCAA. They include Aero Contractors, Allied Air, Arik Air, Associated Aviation, Chanchangi Airlines, Dana Air, Dornier Aviation Nigeria, First Nation Airways, IRS Airlines, Kabo Air, Max Air, Med-View Airline, Overland Airways, Pan African Airlines, Jed Air WestLink Aviation, SkyJet Aviation, Hak Air, Azman Aviation , Topbrass Aviation , Kings Air and Discovery Air .

    The disappointment of stakeholders is coming on the heels of the recent air crash by Associated Aviation, whose Embraer 120 aircraft with 20 people on board crashed within 31 seconds on take-off from the Lagos Airport.

    The scary details of how the aircraft crashed, according to preliminary report released by the Accident Investigation Bureau ( AIB) have exposed the underbelly of poor regulation of airlines in Nigeria. The ill- fated Associated Aviation Embraer 120 aircraft had technical issues.

    Series of serious incidents involving Kabo Air and IRS Airlines in Sokoto and Kaduna airports have further put the country’s aviation sector on the global spot, raising serious concerns over the quality of civil aviation regulation.

    Only three weeks ago, the NCAA suspended the operations of DANA Air to enable it carry out technical audit of its operations.

    As the industry grapples to recover from the ban of DANA Air operations, the regulator directed two other carriers IRS Airlines and Chanchangi Airlines to ground their operations until an audit of their operations are duly carried out.

    Weeks after, the NCAA is yet to begin the audit of airlines. Last month, the director general of NCAA, Captain Fola Akinkuotu disclosed that the authority will carry out audit of all domestic airlines in the country.

    The NCAA said it would carry out joint audit of domestic carriers to ascertain their technical and financial state of health.

    Akinkuotu said there was no going back on the audit, which would be carried out in collaboration with foreign firms. He threatened to shut down airlines owing workers’ salaries.

    He said the NCAA would take further steps to raise the bar in safety by ensuring that all domestic operators undergo the International Operations Safety Audit (IOSA), usually conducted by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

    He said steps were being taken to restore the confidence of the flying public in the aviation sector, adding that it has become critical in the last few weeks on account of the Associated Aviation Embraer 120 crash in Lagos and other incidents.

    He said:”We will continue to engage domestic operators to do what is right. They have a responsibility to comply with the rules and avoid lapses that will expose the industry to emergencies.

    “The NCAA demands that all operators must sit up. As the regulatory body, the NCAA has a role to ensure that there is continuous monitoring to enhance safety. The idea is not to deliberately reduce the number of airlines, but to ensure that only strong carriers are in operation.

    “If we have only two airlines that are strong enough to operate, that is fine with us. We are not here to stifle growth in the industry, but we want to ensure that there is safety in the system; so, this is prompting us to reduce the airlines and weed out ones that lack the financial muscle to continue to operate safely. Talking about audit. Of course, we are going to audit all the airlines. We have a continuous process of auditing airlines. As a matter of fact, going forward, we are going to do a joint audit on all the airlines. We are working with foreign audit firms too to ensure that there is complete validation of all the airlines. This is done to ensure that there is a reassurance to the public but further to also continue what NCAA is supposed to be doing ,which is an oversight function, oversight monitoring never really stops. It is a continuous process. We intend to put in place regulations that will require airlines to have an International Air Transport Association (IATA) Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) audit. Many years ago, this was mooted and the airlines struck a compromise where it was said it will be compulsorily voluntary, but this time it will not be. We would remove the voluntary and we would make it compulsory. Airlines would be required to have IOSA audit as a way of going forward and ensuring that their systems are tidy.”

    Only at the weekend, DANA Air accused the NCAA of unnecessarily delaying its audit, despite evidence on the ground that it is ready and open for audit.

    In a letter to the authority, the airline, speaking through its Head of Corporate Communications, Mr Tony Usidamen, said:” It is now three weeks since the NCAA directive and, though the airline is open and ready for the planned audit. It is worrisome that the NCAA is yet to commence the audit and no clear direction or timeline has been given to the airline for completion of the same.

    “The continuous grounding of Dana Air is causing untold hardship for the hitherto ‘gainfully-employed’ staff of the airline, and with NCAA’s inaction regarding the audit, there appears to be no relief in sight to the sufferings of the airline’s staff and their numerous dependants.

    “NCAA’s action or inaction is not without consequences for the average Nigerian traveler with the few airlines left taking advantage of the dearth of operators to hike fares and offer poor services.

    “Businesses and the nation’s economy are negatively impacted too. Need we mention the negative signals are also being sent to potential investors in the sector?

    “It is for these reasons that we, the over 540 directly-employed Nigerian staff of Dana Air, are appealing to the NCAA to save us and the airline by carrying out its statutory role devoid of sentiments and political interference, and commencing the planned operational audit of the airline without any further delay.

    “In compliance with the October 6, 2013 directive by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) for Dana Air to suspend its flight operations to allow for an audit of the airline’s operations, the management of the company shut down its operations without delay.

    “ Subsequently, as a result of the suspension (and understandably so), the airline directed its Nigerian and expatriate staff to proceed on compulsory leave without pay, with a promise to recall staff as soon as the audit process is completed. “

    The General Manager, Public Affairs NCAA, Fan Ndubuoke, said the audit of DANA Air would begin this week.

    He said :” NCAA will commence the audit of Dana airline next week to pave way for the arrival of the external auditors invited by the Authority to team up with NCAA in the Audit of the airline. The external auditors who are invited from Europe and America are to make sure that the Authority follows the standard and Recommended Practices (SARPs). The delay in starting the Audit by NCAA is to ensure a thorough exercise with the assistance of the external Auditors.”

    Part of the processes leading to the audit of airlines, according to the NCAA, is to ensure that airlines with valid air operators’ certificate with a single aircraft is allowed to operate scheduled operations. It was gathered that NCAA issued a memo ordering all scheduled airline operators whose fleet size had been reduced to only one operational aircraft to immediately stop flight operations.

    The memo, which was addressed to all scheduled airline operators and dated October 14, reads: “You will recall that recently, the NCAA, through the director-general, expressly suspended the continued operation of airlines possessing otherwise valid Air Operators Certificate, but who were operating with a single aircraft. “The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority regulations provide for more than a single aircraft for any operator to secure or operate under a valid AOC.

    “This directive is, therefore, issued to formalise and clarify that prior order suspending such operations. As such, all AOC holders or operators whose operational fleet has been reduced to a single operational aircraft for whatever reason shall immediately and forthwith suspend their flight operations.

    “Such operations may only resume upon clearance from the NCAA that there is more than one operational aircraft for continued flight operations and satisfaction that such AOC holder has the capacity to have safe flight operations prior to commencing any such operation.”

    Following the directive, IRS and Chanchangi’s operations have been grounded.

    Commenting on the audit of airlines, the Managing Director of Medview Airlines , Alhaji Muneer Bankole, said :” This is one of the best things to happen to the industry. It is high time the regulator carried out serious audit on the airlines to ascertain their health, rate those that are fit to remain in business. It is a good initiative; it will promote air safety and put domestic airlines in good stead to carry out their business.

    “For us at Medview Airlines, safety is the greatest asset in the balance sheet of any airline. As your operations are adjudged safe, you continue to grow the business. The NCAA has approached us; we have filled the forms, the audit is ongoing and we are confident that it will improve the industry in many respects.

    “The economic audit of domestic airlines is appropriate, too. It will help to establish the status and technical standing of the airlines. We have filled the forms; we are cooperating with the authority to achieve this. It is a healthy development for the industry, it will help to measure the performance of the airlines. For us, it is a test for airlines to know its position. There are no more hiding place to hide. It is good to know what is happening to the airlines; it is a forensic test for domestic airlines. At a point, it is good for you to know the strength of your operations technically and financially. This is very good, it falls within the ambit of the economic regulatory function of the NCAA. It is the best way to go. All airlines must know their rating. It is a good test.”

    But, speaking in an interview, the Managing Director of Arik Air, Chris Ndulue, said the NCAA was not carrying out any audit on the airline.

    Former chairman of the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), Dr Steve Mahonwu, said the technical audit of all the airlines would provide the needed data on the equipment and the capacity of the airlines to carry out effective maintenance of the aircraft and the manpower of these airlines.

    Mahonwu said it was necessary to carry out economic audit of the airlines, noting that it was necessary because the failure of the airlines to provide better remuneration for their workers have contributed to the failings of the airlines in maintaining safe operation.

    “The audit NCAA wants to do is a conventional aviation practice; so, it is good they do it. The problem of the Nigerian aviation industry is that most of the airlines operate aged aircraft but there is no adequate finance to service them. Airline workers, including those that operate the flights are not paid well and some airlines owe their staff and this is affecting them. When a pilot is flying, he will be thinking about how to take care of his family. That is the reason many of the air accidents are associated with human error because these people are not being taken care of adequately these days like in the time past,” Mahonwu said.

    The Chief Executive Officer of Centurion Securities, Group Captain John Ojikutu (rtd), said the NCAA has failed to carry out regular audit of airlines. He added that planned audit may not be properly done for lack of facilities.

  • Furore over clampdown on airlines

    Furore over clampdown on airlines

    The grounding of Dana Air, IRS Airlines, Chanchangi, First Nation and Allied Air operations indefinitely by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) in recent weeks has been hotly debated by stakeholders in the sector who believe the action by the regulatory agency is not justified, reports Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf

    This is certainly not the best of times for the nation’s aviation industry. The recent weeks have been most eventful as what seemed a chapter of accidents opened with the unfortunate crash of Associated Airlines and the narrow escape of IRS Airline almost in tow.

    But one of the issues being hotly debated by stakeholders in the sector is the clampdown on some of the major airline operators.

    First, early last week, Dana Air was indefinitely grounded for mere safety-oriented professional decisions (two aborted trips). These safety precautions were termed unacceptable by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). Then followed IRS Airlines, Chanchangi, First Nation and Allied Air, who were also grounded indefinitely for what the NCAA considered a breach of Air Operating Certificate (AOC) agreement.

    Crux of the matter

    At issue, according to the regulatory agency, is that an AOC holder must, at all times, have two serviceable airplanes in its fleet.

    Justification

    Justifying the clampdown on the airlines, the general spokesman of the aviation agencies, Mr. Yakubu Dati, said it is a normal procedure.

    According to him, the exercise was done in good faith, especially in the interest of general air safety in the country.

    Dati, who also doubles as General Manager, Public Affairs, Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), said, “It is not a law as such. As a regulator, the NCAA has the powers to take decision for the overall interest of the industry at any point in time. What is being done is primarily to secure the airways. There are steps you have to take to strengthen the sector and this is one of them so there no need to politicise the action. Politics is far from it.

    “By the Act guiding the operations of the NCAA it is empowered to carry periodic audit and checks on airlines. That is its primary responsibility and oversight functions. Clearly, it didn’t act in breach by grounding the airlines in question.”

    He also discountenanced insinuations that the action was done with scant regard for the implications on the financial health of the airlines, stressing that it was the only safest thing to do under the circumstance.

    “In the business of air safety, NCAA takes nothing for granted. From tracking the minutest maintenance detail on the aircraft to monitoring the health of the flight crew as well as the financial health of the operators, NCAA’s robust safety oversight has made air travel in Nigeria a much safer affair,” he emphasised.

    Also speaking with The Nation, a source at the NCAA who would not be named because he was not authorised to speak said airline audit is a daily routine everywhere in the world and should not be taken out of context.

    “While one appreciates the loss of income at this period to the affected airlines, what is paramount is that the exercise was done for the good of all because there can be no justification for needless deaths on the airways due to non adherence to the rules of the game. The airline industry is a globalised industry so standards are the same everywhere. We cannot afford to rewrite the rules as we deem fit. No.”

    Former chairman of Airline operators of Nigeria (AON), Dr. Steve Mahonwu while commenting on the audit of airlines, said it was necessary in the interest of the flying public as well as the countrys image.

    A divergent view

    While attempting a prognosis of the crisis bedevilling the sector, Captain David Omale, picked holes in the NCAA’s clampdown order.

    In his critique of NCAA’s exercise, under the title: ‘Aviation: What hope for a beleaguered sector’, Omale described the agency’s action as completely ultra-vires.

    On NCAA’s order, Omale said: “This is quite contrary to what the Civil Aviation Act 2006 stipulates, the law simply requires that an applicant for an AOC for schedule operation must, at the time of such an application, have two aircraft in its fleet to be included in the operational specification. There is no mention in the act that an air operator cannot send one of the airplanes for maintenance, while the other is operational, this ambiguity in the interpretation of an AOC’s responsibility has given the NCAA absolute power to ground, at will, any airline the agency deems fit to strangulate.”

    Arguing further, he said: “It is unrealistic in every sense of aviation business to halt an airline’s operation because the carrier is left with one serviceable airplane, what economic consideration does the NCAA allocate to the owners of the business if their offence is that an airplane, which is due for maintenance, is promptly sent abroad to get repaired or inspected? Therefore, if one of the two airplanes is grounded due to maintenance, the other aircraft must be grounded by regulatory default?”

    He further noted that “This callous, barbaric, undue pressure from the NCAA must be explained to all AOC applicants prior to the issuance of such a licence, because I can bet my soul that those who still want to waste their precious, hard-earned money would think twice before investing in aviation in Nigeria.”

    Raising a poser, he said: “How can anyone, in his rational state of mind, render his fellow citizens jobless in this economic crunch? It’s really strange that airlines in this country, with huge financial burden be put out of business for such a flimsy reason. It’s sad, very sad, that a few kitchen cabinet members of the NCAA would nurse such uneconomical punishment on investors/employers of labour.”

    H said: “Draconian policies aimed at killing airline business are pronounced every now and then, without foresight of the dire consequences.

    Fallout of clampdown

    It would be recalled that the Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON), recently bailed out Chanchangi and IRS airlines, a deal worth billions of naira.

    Analysts believe that with indefinite suspension hanging over these carriers, it’s obvious that none of them will be able to pay back a portion of the loan anytime soon as the supposedly low interest rate will keep accumulating against the airlines until repayment becomes impossible.

    The Nation can authoritatively report that less than 24 hours after Dana Air’s sentence, the owners of the company appropriately sent all over 600 staff on indefinite suspension without pay.

    Chanchangi, IRS, and Allied airlines followed the same pattern, asking another group of over 1,000 workers to stay out of work for only God knows when.

    As at press time, when The Nation sought to speak with the management of the affected airlines they could not be reached for comments.

    When The Nation also placed a call to the Managing Director of AMCON, Mr. Mustapha Chike-Obi, on what next steps the company would take given the moratorium placed on their debtors, he could not be reached on his mobiles.

    However, an insider in the aviation sector noted that the abrupt withdrawal of the airlines licenses is already having a ripple effect on the sector among others.

    Omale also shares the same views. According to him, “A single senseless policy has sent 1,600 Nigerians into a state of despondency/hopelessness,” adding: “This is not to mention how many people will be affected in other sectors of our economy due to derived multiplier effect. The financial sector will obviously feel the brunt more than the others. Guaranteed loans to the airlines will definitely end up in red on their ledger cards. What a shame!”

    Unfair advantage

    Expectedly, a few other airlines like Arik Air, Aerocontractors, Landover Aviation, Medview Airline, among others, are having a kill.

    When our correspondent visited the MMA2, Lagos, he observed that there was an unusual human traffic queuing to purchase tickets from the airlines.

    In separate interviews with The Nation, staff of both airlines at the counter affirmed that they were making brisk business, no thanks to the clampdown order on the other airlines.

    The atmosphere played out in other airports across the country. In Abuja for instance,

    Corroborating the airlines’ staff, Mallam Shehu Na’allah, a passenger, said he had never flown with any of the airlines before but was compelled by the circumstances to do in order to meet up a serious appointment in Port Harcourt.

    “Typically, I fly IRS most times but since they seized their licence I have been flying other airlines ever since and I can tell you this has probably informed the hike in airfares by the few airlines operating,” he stressed matter-of-factly.

    “I have serious attachment to the airline but there is nothing one can do about it. One just hopes they would be able to sort out themselves in due time.”

    Ms Peju Adebanke, another air passenger, equally observed that things were rosy for the other airlines as a result of the absence of other competitors.

    NCAA going downhill

    It would be recalled that in 2008 when the NCAA was audited by the International Aviation Safety Assessment Agency (IASA), and was found competent in its safety oversight of our carriers, and subsequently granted Category 1 status.

    But to some analysts, the NCAA is a complete shadow of itself and is in dire need of a makeover.

    According to Mr. Jacob Amoo, an aviation expert, the NCAA has witnessed the influx of over 100 managerial staff with many of these new employees from non-aviation-related fields.

    “Many of these chaps are employed as ramp inspectors — a serious designation for qualified aircraft engineers and pilots. This single action on the part of the minister of aviation has diluted the core professional standards of the regulatory agency. This is sad.”

    His verdict: “There is nothing more dangerous in aviation than incompetent aircraft inspectors or engineers. The NCAA, the pillar of aviation safety oversight in the country, has lost its structure and may never be the same again, if the Federal Government allows this rot to continue.”

    Pray, is someone listening?

  • BASA: Airlines, experts praise Nigeria, Israel

    BASA: Airlines, experts praise Nigeria, Israel

    AIRLINES and experts have commended the Federal Government for signing of Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) with Israel, saying that this would reduce the cost of travelling to the Holy Land on pilgrimage and encourge indigenous airlines to operate on the lucrative route.

    The country’s major carrier, Arik Air, said it would be willing to operate on the route if given the nod. It added that it has passed the security audit by the Israeli authorities. This means it could fly into the Holy Land when allowed to do so.

    Also, MedView Airline, said it would be willing to operate into the country.

    Chief Executive Officer, BelujaneKonsult,Chris Aligbe, said with the agreement, it would become easier to travel to Israel because the route would more open, unlike in the past when airlines from Nigeria would have to make special requests before being allowed to land in Israel.

    He said with the opening of the route between the two countries, airlines may be designated to operate the route and this would make the fare to the Holy Land cheaper.

    He also pilgrims could travel to Israel anytime, unlike when the Christian community in Nigeria plans their trips only at certain periods of the year.

    At the diplomatic level, Aligbe, a former Corporate Affairs Manager of the defunct Nigeria Airways, said the deal was an indication that there is an improvement in the relations between both countries.

    “The BASA agreement between Nigeria and Israel showed that Israel is beginning to have more confidence in Nigeria, and there are a lot of bridge building between the two countries, which was not so in the past,” Aligbe said.

    Former President of Cabin Crew Association of Nigeria, Olu Fidel Ohunayo, gave kudos to the Federal Government for facilitating the deal. He described it as good, noting that it would lead to cheaper fares to Israel, adding that a scheduled and direct flight from Nigeria would be more convenient for travellers.

    He said the government should designate the airlines to the route, because Israeli authorities may not put a flight service to Nigeria, because the country does not like flying to African destinations.

    He cautioned that delay would be against the business opportunities offered by the agreement.

  • NCAA, foreign firms to audit domestic airlines

    NCAA, foreign firms to audit domestic airlines

    The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority ( NCAA) has said it will carry out joint audit of domestic carriers to ascertain their technical and financial state of health.

    Its Director General, Captain Fola Akinkuotu disclosed this yesterday at a briefing at the Aviation House, Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos insisted that there was no going back on the audit which will be carried out in collaboration with foreign firms.

    Akinkuotu threatened to shut down airlines that are owing workers’ salaries.

    He said the NCAA will take further steps to raise the bar in safety by ensuring that all domestic operators undergo the International Operations Safety Audit (IOSA), usually conducted by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

    He said the steps were being taken to restore the confidence of the flying public in the aviation sector, adding that it has become critical in the last few weeks on account of the Associated Aviation Embraer 120 crash in Lagos and other incidents.

    He said: ”We will continue to engage domestic operators to do what is right. They have a responsibility to comply with the rules and avoid lapses that will expose the industry to emergencies.

    “The NCAA demands that all operators must sit up. As the regulatory body, the NCAA has a role to ensure that there is continuous monitoring to enhance safety.”

    According to him, as a rule, the NCAA will stop any airline that is owing salaries as part of efforts to ensure safety.

    “The idea is not to deliberately reduce the number of airlines, but to ensure that only strong carriers are in operation,” the regulator said.

    He said contrary to insinuation, NCAA is not broke but affirmed that the authority places premium on training of its personnel.

    He said the incident involving IRS Airlines at the weekend was a safe landing.

    Also speaking, the chairman of IRS Airlines, Alhaji Rabiu Ishaku Rabiu said the NCAA does not allow operators to violate safety regulations.

    He said:” No operator goes against the rule to make profit by carrying out an unsafe operation at the expense of making profit.”

     

  • Fed Govt reads riot act to airlines

    Domestic airline operators that violate civil aviation regulations will be penalised, the Federal Government has said.

    The warning came on the heels of the goverment’s plans to install air safety infrastructure and air field lighting equipment at airports nationwide to ensure 24-hour operations.

    Visual flight is the terminology used for airports where only daily light flights are carried out due to absence of air field lighting that guarantees 24-hour flight services.

    The spokesman of aviation agencies, Mr Yakubu Dati, told The Nation that Calabar and Yola Airports which are restricted to day light flight operations will benefit from the measure.

    He said equipment for air field lighting for Calabar Airport had arrived an the country and would be installed soon to make the aerodrome instrument flight rules compliant, adding that until such equipment is installed, domestic airlines must continue to abide by the operating standard and rules for such airports as prescribed by the civil aviation regulations.

    The government, Dati said, would not allow infringement, by airlines so as not to jeopardise air safety.

    He explained that the government is vigorously pursuing the remodelling of the major airports to ensure that the projects are delivered in good time for the use of passengers, saying that all air safety infrastructure including air field lighting that will improve safer flight are being installed at airports nationwide.

    The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has threatened to sanction Arik Air for violating the rules when it operated a flight into Calabar Airport when the aerodrome was closed for operations.

    Its Director-General, Captain Folayeke Akinkuotu, said the infraction amounted to violation of civil aviation regulations. It is against the regulation for airlines to operate any flight into an airport that is closed for day light operations, he said.

    “The attention of the NCAA has been drawn to the unfortunate incident that happened in Abuja on Thursday September 26, 2013. The NCAA finds the handling of the Calabar bound flight and the passenger rights as in total contravention of the NCAA Consumer Bill of Rights,” Akinkuotu, said in a statement.

    “The Calabar bound passengers having been delayed for over three hours in the first instance, are entitled to compensation and were unfairly treated. Arik Airlines acted in total breach of the law. Such shabby and total disregard for passenger comfort and rights will not be tolerated and will attract appropriate sanctions,” it said, adding that NCAA finds the action of the passengers against the Arik airplane and the passengers on board same flight as unacceptable and amounts to an act of illegality. “ It is unlawful and punishable by law. Passengers need to beware and be law-abiding. NCAA will continue to monitor these infringements and will ensure compliance with the law.”

    Arik Air is yet to respond to the alleged infraction by the NCAA. Officials of Arik Air were yet to give their side of the story.

    Corroborating the position of NCAA, the spokesman of aviation agencies, Mr Yakubu Dati said the government will no longer tolerate any act of impunity by airlines.

     

  • Away matches ‘LMC should partner with airlines‘

    Fatai Amoo, the Head Coach, Sunshine Stars FC of Akure, on Monday appealed to the League Management Company (LMC), to partner with the operators of various domestic airlines in the country.

    Amoo told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on telephone that this was to ease the stress and risk the various clubs experienced while travelling by road to honour their away matches in the league.

    The coach, speaking on the backdrop of the participating clubs’ poor performances in away matches of the league, noted that travelling long distances by road was stressful and contributed to most away losses.

    He said that the LMC could liaise with local airliners for low charges from the various clubs, saying many of the clubs were not properly funded.

    “Even if the clubs are to wear the airline company’s logo on their jerseys, that’s not a problem, it can be arranged. I’m appealing to the LMC to please partner with some local airlines for the sake of away matches. Sometimes these players are stressed from travelling to really far states to play.

    “And this adds to the woeful outcome of our away games. You find that when we have impeccable home matches, the clubs usually go for stressful away matches and lose,’’ he said.

    According to him, after long distances of road journeys, players need enough rest before their match to ensure stiffer competition in the Globacom Premier League.

    “All the Globacom registered clubs travel by road to honour their away matches; this is affecting not only Sunshine Stars but all the other teams in the league. The journey is so long and tedious that the players are exhausted even before the game,’’ Amoo said.

    He added that the matches in the league were so tightly scheduled and gave no room for clubs to rest a while before honouring other matches.

    The coach said he was unhappy with his team’s recent away results, adding that a lot needed to be done in that regard.

    “I’m not happy about our away record. It’s really appalling and this is because of this uncomfortable circumstance the players are put in, in terms of long trips.

    NAN reports that Sunshine Stars currently occupy the 7th position in the league with 37 points after 26 matches.

     

  • NCAA probes airlines on safety compliance

    TO ensure compliance with safety regulations, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has started investigations into the technical operations of domestic airlines.

    The target of the investigation, according to industry sources, is to ensure that aircraft engineers, flight dispatchers, pilots and other critical safety personnel in the airline chain, adhere to industry rules.

    A part of the new strategy is the scaling of airline operations to available technical capacity, in terms of the quality of personnel to match the scale of its operations.

    The Director, Airworthiness, Benedict Adeyileka, who attested to this, said the NCAA is pursuing a safety compliance regime.

    He said the regulator is probing airlines to ensure that they have licensed personnel adequate enough for the scope of their operations, in critical areas such as airworthiness, engineering, flight dispatch and aircraft loading.

    He said the rationale for the investigation is to ensure that noticeable deficiencies are fixed in critical areas to make airline operations safe.

    He spoke of plans by the NCAA to ensure that an adequate safety management system designed by individual operator is strictly complied with.

    He said areas where airlines would need adequate training of critical personnel to fill obvious gaps would be examined, even as he said the regulator would be keen to know the peculiar challenges of individual carrier to ensure threats to safety are minimised.

    He said the NCAA would continue to frown at issues of violation of safety regulations, noting that when and where possible, the certificate of airworthiness of any defaulting carrier would be held until all technical shortcomings are addressed.

     

  • Labour threatens to picket airlines 

    Trade’ unions may be forced to picket domestic airlines that disallow their workers from joining any group of their choice, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Comrade Omar Abdulwaheed has said.

    He said the airlines’ attitude was tantamount to depriving the workers their freedom of association as enshrined in the constitution.

    He said no efforts would be spared to ensure that workers were allowed to free themselves from the “shackles of slave drivers in the aviation sector.”

    Omar spoke at the Ninth Quadrennial Delegates Conference of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) in Abuja.

    He said it was disgusting that out of all the country’s domestic airlines, only Aero Contractors allowed its workers to join the union of their choice.

    The airlines’ action, he said was illegal, adding: ”If foreign airlines, such as British Airways, Lufthansa, KLM and others that are flying into the country can respect our laws, it is shocking that our own Nigerian airlines are infringing on workers’ freedom of association.”

    Omar, who vowed that the Labour was ready to put an end to this, hinted that airlines would be picketed soon.

    He said: ”We shall start with the big one among them after which we will move to others.”

    He assured the workers’ delegates of Labour’s support in the fight against the airlines and governments agencies which trample on their’ rights.

    Omar praised the NUATE executive for its achievements, urging the leaders and their members not to allow any management to infiltrate their ranks.

     

  • Operator lists hurdles against airlines

    The Federal Govrnment has been urged to provide domestic carriers with low cost capital to enable operators to remain in business.

    An indigenous operator, and the Chief Executive Officer of Overland Airways, Captain Edward Boyo, who made the call in Lagos.

    He explained that such initiative would not be too much a price to pay to keep domestic airlines afloat, as such funds will enable the airlines acquire aircraft at lower costs.

    The repayment of such funds should  spread over a long period, he added.

    Boyo told The Nation that such initiatives have been taken by some governments across the globe with the aim of bailing their ailing airlines from imminent collapse.

    He described the provision of low cost capital as the best reform the government could take to prevent domestic airlines from imminent collapse, arguing that previous attempts to provide intervention funding for the carriers did not yield the desired results.

    He listed low capacity of funding institutions and high lending rates as among factors militating against domestic airline operators.

    Other factors, according to Boyo, are prohibitive maintenance costs, which have made domestic airline operators in the country to ferry aircraft abroad for major checks such as C and D, high import duties and taxes on aircraft parts,  which adds to operators’ spiralling  operating cost.

    He also listed skyrocketing price of aviation fuel, which has caused operators over 40