The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Delta Airlines

  • Emergency landing: Delta Airlines apologizes to AIB, visits agency in Lagos

    Emergency landing: Delta Airlines apologizes to AIB, visits agency in Lagos

    Delta Airlines on Thursday apologised to the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) over its failure to notify the agency on the emergency landing of its Airbus 330-200 aircraft on Tuesday night.

    The spokesman of AIB, Tunji Oketumbi disclosed this to journalists in Lagos.

    The Atlanta- bound Delta Flight 55 which left the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on Tuesday night returned to the airport several minutes later following a problem with one of its two engines.

    Leading a team of the airline officials including the flight’s technical crew and the airlines Lagos Airport Station Manager to the Ikeja head office of the Bureau at about 5:00 p.m. local time, Miss Shannon Masters, Manager, Air Safety Investigation, expressed the airline’s regret for the oversight, stressing that it was not intentional.

    She said: “We sincerely apologised for the error and we promise to cooperate with AIB in the investigation of this occurrence.”

    The Commissioner/CEO of AIB, Akin Olateru, while accepting Delta Airline’s apology, said AIB had already commenced investigation into the serious incident and welcomed the airline’s cooperation.

    “We look forward to receiving cooperation from Delta Airlines as we work to determine the cause of this serious incident in the interest of safety,“ he said.

     

     

  • AIB detains Delta Airlines crew over aircraft fire

    Nigeria’s Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) said on Wednesday that crew of Delta Airlines Airbus 330 – 200 that caught fire mid -air after taking off from the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos cannot leave the country until they obtain incident statement.

    AIB’s Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer, Akin Olateru disclosed this at a press briefing in Lagos.

    Olateru said the airline’s flight engineers cannot carry out any repairs on the aircraft because it has become the subject of investigation.

    He said the AIB is taking the step as part of its obligations to protect the aircraft under investigation.

    Olateru said Delta Airlines has not officially report the incident to the AIB, a development that contravenes Nigerian laws.

    He said the AIB and Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) were collaborating on how to carry out comprehensive investigations into the cause of the aircraft engine fire.

    He berated the airline for failing to notify the AIB on the incident as the country of occurrence in line with the regulations of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

    Olateru said: “When you have this kind of thing, we take possession of the aircraft and nobody goes near it. The aircraft is under safety investigation. That is what is required by law but until they make a formal report, then we are expecting them.

    “I was made to understand they have appointed two investigators to work with us and they should be arriving this afternoon, I was made to understand.

    “US NTSB notified us that Delta has appointed two investigators to join us and NTSB is nominating one person. Their representative too will be joining to assist us on this investigation.

    “There is no competition or rivalry. For your information, I was notified by the DG of NCAA on the incident.”

     

  • Delta Airlines engine fire: A serious incidents, says NCAA

    Delta Airlines engine fire: A serious incidents, says NCAA

    Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority ( NCAA ) on Wednesday classified the fire that engulfed a Delta Airlines Airbus 330 – 200 aircraft as a very serious incident and has handed over its investigation to the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB).

    The regulator in a statement by its spokesman, Sam Adurogboye said the classification is in line with the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization ( ICAO) .

    According to Adurogboye, the Delta Airlines aircraft with registration number N858NW with 219 passengers on board took off from the Lagos Airport about 9.51 pm Universal Time Coordinated (UTC) on Tuesday February 13, 2018 when the crew noticed abnormal engine conditions in one of the two engines.

    He said the pilot in command consequently made an air return after declaring emergency at 9.51 pm UTC .

    The statement reads :” A Delta Airlines which departed Lagos for New York has aborted its flight over fire warnings.

    The Delta Air Flight DAL55 Airbus 332 with 219 POB Registration N858NWtook off at 2151utc on Tuesday- February 13, 2018 when the crew noticed abnormal engine condition in one of its two engines.

    “Consequently, the Pilot in Charge (PIC) made an air return after declaring emergency at 2159utc. All emergency services were provided to assist in the passengers’ evacuation and to contain the fire.

    “Some of the passengers who sustained injuries were rushed down to Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja for prompt medical attention.

    “In line with safety standards, the international Runway (18R) was promptly closed to traffic while the domestic Runway (18L/36R) was opened to other flights for emergency operations.

    “However, at time 0020UTC (1:20 am Local Time), the international Runway (18R) was reopened to traffic after the aircraft was evacuated from the Runway and a Runway sweeping and inspection conducted.

    “This incident was classified as serious incident in line with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) classification, and investigation was handed over to Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB).

    “The flight has been rescheduled for Wednesday-14th February, 2018 and affected passengers are already being checked in for departure.

    “The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) wishes to commend the prompt response of Airport Safety Services and other stakeholders.

    “NCAA wishes to reassure the travelling public, airlines and other aviation stakeholders of her continued commitment to Aviation safety and security.“

  • Delta Airlines flouts implementation of Executive Order at Lagos airport

    Delta Airlines flouts implementation of Executive Order at Lagos airport

    Crisis was averted Tuesday at the departure hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos between officials of Delta Airlines and aviation security personnel over the implementation of Executive Order at the airport.

    The cause of the crisis it was learnt was the insistence of physical screening of passengers and their luggage by Delta Airlines, a development that contradicts the directive of government on the implementation of Executive Order.

    The Federal Government as part of the implementation of Executive Order had directed all airlines to remove screening counters at the airport for the profiling and screening of passengers.

    A source hinted that aviation security personnel belonging to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) confronted officials of Delta Airlines on why they will not comply with the directive of government.

    A source hinted that Delta Airlines officials held their ground insisting the physical screening of passengers and their luggage by the airline was a directive from the home office in Atlanta.

    The airline it was learnt threatened to stop processing boarding protocol for Nigerian passengers if they are not allowed to carry out physical screening of passengers.

    Confirming the development, FAAN, spokesperson, Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu said airport officials and Delta Airlines are meeting to resolve the impasse.

    She said though it is mandatory for all airlines operating in Nigeria to comply with the implementation of Executive Order, she wondered why Delta Airlines will insist on the physical screening of passengers.

    Yakubu said even with the Executive Order, manual screening of passengers cannot be totally eliminated at the airport.

    Meanwhile, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Tuesday commenced the implementation of executive order issued by the Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo.

    With the implementation, the agencies have now harmonized their screening at the airport departure hall.

    Managing Director of FAAN, Engr. Saleh Dunoma, who spoke after a meeting with all the agencies at the international wing of MMA.

    He said there would be no more multiple checks and that is why we have come together.”

    Osinbajo had last month issued the executive order that would enhance ease of doing business at ports of entry.

    The FAAN MD said all the agencies had stuck together to effectively and seamlessly implement the order without compromising on security procedures at the airport.

    He said henceforth agencies would check luggage of passengers at designated areas and not within the departure halls as was the case before.

    Dunoma stated that the authority had chosen to commence the implementation with MMA which is the busiest and the most visited airport in the country, adding that the implementation would be extended to other airports.

    He said, “Everybody is ready to key into this committee that is set up for the implementation and everybody is contributing positively. From all indications, all hands are on deck to make sure that the executive order is implemented.

    “I don’t envisage any problem in its implementation. We will support the agencies when the need arises by giving them additional facilities depending on what they are requesting for.

    “I just came out of the meeting. I heard some of the things they are talking about, issues being raised as a result of the implementation of the executive order. I gave them my words that I will support them with whatever issues they might have as a result of the implementation. I also emphasized that as a result of the implementation of the executive order there would be no compromise”.

    In a related development, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) said Tuesday that it has put in place adequate measures to ensure full and sustained compliance with the Federal Government’s Executive Order (EO) at our airports.

    On its part, NCAA has prepared a standard document outlining its core functions and services, appropriate charges, fees, licenses, waivers and other tax-related processes in adherence to the Executive Order (EO).

     

  • Delta Airlines reports $1b profit

    Delta Airlines reports $1b profit

    Delta Airlines  has  reported financial results for the June 2015 quarter, including adjusted net income of $1.0 billion or $1.27 per diluted share.

    The net income represents up 22  cent  from the June quarter of 2014.

    Its Chief Executive Officer,  Mr Richard Anderson, said this while giving details of the airline’s performance.

    He said :” Delta’s record results have allowed the company to invest in its employees through higher wage rates and profit sharing; improve the experience for our customers through new aircraft and innovative partnerships with global carriers; and uniquely deliver value for our shareholders by accelerating our capital returns while also paying down debt.

    “We have more work and opportunity ahead of us on all of these fronts as we continue to execute on our long-term plan.”

    Anderson continued: “Our significant fuel savings in the September quarter should allow us to produce another record quarter with more than 30 per cent growth, a 19 to 21 per cent  operating margin and $1.9 billion of operating cash flow.”

    Delta’s operating revenue for the June quarter increased one per cent, despite $160 million in foreign currency pressures which reduced unit revenues by approximately 2 points.  Passenger unit revenues declined 4.6 per cent  on a 3.9 per cent  decline in yields.

    Delta saw solid progress with several of its revenue initiatives, including Branded Fares, which increased passenger revenues by $56 million, and its enhanced agreement with American Express, which produced an incremental $60 million in revenue.

    “Our commercial initiatives continue to gain traction in the marketplace and we will produce summer margins in excess of any achieved in our history,” said Ed Bastian, Delta’s president.

    “However, unit revenue growth is an important component of our long-term plan to expand margins.

    “We continue to project flat system capacity growth for the fourth quarter of 2015 – a level in line with current demand expectations, which should put the business on the right trajectory to stem the erosion in unit revenues by the end of the year.”

     

     

  • Why we stopped flights into Abuja, by Delta Airlines

    Delta Airlines has said it stopped flights   into the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, because the passenger traffic did not grow as much as the airline projected.

    The airline’s  Commercial Manager for East and West Africa, Mr Bobby Bryan, disclosed this.

    He said Delta Airlines last year discontinued its flights from Abuja to Houston in the United States, because it realised that the market in Abuja was not as big as the airline projected.

    He said other factors that occasioned the stoppage include slow growth of flight operations.

    Bryan said: “Though, we consider Nigeria as a huge market for Delta Airlines, but we had to last year stop flights into Abuja because we found out that the market was not as big as we projected.

    “We also noticed that the operations did not grow as fast as we envisaged .

    We thought the best thing to do was to stop the Abuja flights.

    But, we have not closed our offices there, we still sell tickets through the Abuja office.

    We do not intend resume operations there very soon.”

    Meanwhile,  Delta Airlines  has marked its seventh anniversary of daily non-stop service between Lagos Murtala Muhammed International Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

    Bryan said Delta remains the only U.S. carrier to operate daily year round service between Nigeria and the United States offering hundreds of onward connecting opportunities via Delta’s Atlanta hub.

    Speaking in Lagos, Bryan, said: Delta’s flight between Lagos and Atlanta has remained solid, and we have been seeing load factors averaging around 80 per cent.  The top U.S. destinations that our customers from Nigeria have been travelling to include Houston, Washington, Los Angeles, Dallas and New York and this year alone we have carried some 100,000 passengers.

    ”Since our first service to the U.S in 2007, Delta has flown over 770,000 passengers.  It’s incredible to think that is equivalent to the population of the city of Abuja.”

    He said Delta Airlines had signed a joint ventures agreement with Air France / KLM  and Virgin Atlantic Airways, which would offer its passengers and frequent flyers combined and triangular  fares.

    He said the joint ventures would also offer its passengers more markets and choices.

    Bryan said the airline had opened an energy and power desk to assist the power sector with specific needs in Nigeria, Tanzania and Ethiopia.

    He further said:”The Nigeria  market is unbelievably strong, with its attendant challenges like any growing market.

    We welcome competition  and we are not threatened by it.

    There should be free market access . It is for this reason that think multiple entry point is good for the airline industry, so that airlines should not have limited access. “

  • Delta posts $213m profit

    About  $123 million has been recorded by Delta Airlines in the first quarter of this year. This represents increase of $7 million over last year.

    The airline’s Vice President,  Joanne Smith said in a statement that passenger revenue increased  by five per cent to $7.7 billion, which “shows the strength of Delta’s revenue momentum even through the revenue loss from weather and a shift of the Easter holiday traffic into April”.

    According to him, “we see continued revenue strength as we move through the year from corporate revenue gains, the benefits of the Virgin Atlantic joint venture and improved ancillary revenues.

    “These initiatives, coupled with a solid demand environment, should lead to unit revenue growth in the mid-single digits for the June quarter,” he said.

    Total operating expense in the quarter, he said, increased to $18 million . This was driven by the impact of employee investments, which include $79 million higher profit sharing expense..

    He disclosed that the company returned $176 million to shareholders, adding that on March 14, the company paid $51 million to shareholders, which represents a $0.06 per share quarterly dividend.

  • ‘Delta Air flew 110,000 passengers’

    Delta Airlines has flown over 110,000 passengers out of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, this year, its Commercial Manager , for East and West Africa, Mr Bobby Bryan, has said.

    The passenger traffic by the American carrier is above its projection for the year, he added.

    Bryan said the airline expects to fly more passengers out of the country next year as economic indices portend more growth in the Nigerian economy beyond the oil and gas sector .

    He observed that navigational and other aeronautical charges are higher in Nigerian airports,as against the global standards, saying as long as such charges are deployed to fix critical airport infrastructure , it will be to the benefit of airlines, the government and its agencies .

    He said: ”Though Delta Airlines has a positive relationship with Nigerian aviation authorities , we have observed that there are moderate operational charges here We look forward to a situation where government will spend the accruals from such charges on critical airport infrastructure.”

    He said Delta Airlines is interested in entering into code share and interline agreements with domestic airlines,but regretted that existing Nigerian carriers are yet to meet the best international technical, commercial and global safety standards.

    He said most Nigerian carriers are yet to meet the global stringent standards that will give room for such agreements. ”Delta Airlines is interested in working with Nigerian carriers if the airlines meet the safety , technical and commercial standards.”

    To sign any code share agreement such airlines must meet the stringent safety , technical and commercial standards, he said, adding that Delta Air is open to ideas, but Nigerian airlines must put themselves in a position to cooperate.

    Since we launched service in 2007, Delta has carried more than 675,000 passengers between Nigeria and the United States

    In 2013 we have flown 110,000 passengers with an average load factor of 81 per cent. Nigeria is a very important market for Delta and we have been focused on making significant service enhancements for our business and leisure customers, he said.

    Last year we introduced our new flat-bed seats on our Atlanta service, he said, stating that Lagos was one of the first destinations in our transatlantic network to receive the seat, an indication of the importance of the route to Delta.

    The feedback from customers in little more than one year has been very positive, he stated.

  • Delta orders 40 Airbus

    Delta orders 40 Airbus

    Delta Airlines is to buy 40 Airbus to be delivered between 2015 and 2017. The deal, which comprises 10 wide body A330-300 and 30 large domestic narrow body A321 jets, is the latest step in Delta’s prudent fleet renewal to enhance profitability.

    “This Airbus agreement is another opportunistic fleet transaction for Delta in which we acquire economically efficient, proven-technology aircraft,” said Richard Anderson, Delta’s chief executive officer.

    “These A330s and A321s will provide tremendous flexibility for Delta to optimally manage our capacity over the next five years while further improving the flight experience for our customers and returns for our shareholders.

    “Disciplined capital deployment is a cornerstone of Delta’s comprehensive financial plan,” said Paul Jacobson, Delta’s chief financial officer.

    “These Airbus aircraft will generate free cash flow and improve our return on invested capital from the time they enter service,” he added.