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Tag: FAAN

  • 2019 Budget Defence: FAAN proposes N101.6bn

    Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, (FAAN) has proposed a total budget of N101.6 billion for 2019.

    The Managing Director, Mr Saleh Dunoma, made the disclosure while defending the 2019 budget proposals of the Authority before the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation on Wednesday in Abuja.

    According to him, the Authority is proposing for 2019 a Budget of N101.67 billion as against N88,805,462,776 for 2018 which gives a 14.5 per cent increase.

    “This is in anticipation of increase in passenger traffic as well as boost in the non-aeronautical revenue base of the Authority as already highlighted in the 2018 budget performance.

    “The total proposed Revenue for 2019 of N101.67 billion is made up of N60.33 billion from the Aeronautical Revenue Sources N26.03 billion from the non-aeronautical sources and N16.92 billion as anticipated debts to be recovered.

    “The Authority is also proposing a Total Recurrent Expenditure of N58.44 billion with N34.72 billion as Personnel Costs and other related costs, N23.72 billion as overhead costs for 2019

    “A Proposal of N17.82 billion for Capital Budget against N16.78 billion approved for the year 2018.

    Donuma said that the 6.2 per cent increase in capital expenditure between 2018 and 2019 is largely as a result of “Planned improvement in Infrastructural development across the airports and efforts in certification with Port Harcourt and Kano International Airports in view for the year 2019″.

    “The provisional estimate of N25.42 billion which is 25 per cent of the total revenue is set aside against which the authority will be making quarterly interim remittances pending the audit of financial statements in determining the final operating surplus as stipulated by the Fiscal Responsibility Act.”

    The MD prayed the committee to pass the budget and also assist them in recovering most debts owed the agency by various aviation organisations.

    According to him, we have made a presentation of our performance on the 2018 budget and of course our proposals for the 2019 appropriation budget, which we submitted to the House Committee on Aviation for their consideration and approval.

    “This has been accepted and we are waiting for further direction.

    “We pray that the committee will approve the budget and secondly, we want them to assist us to collect our debts from other organisations,” he said.

    Similarly, the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria, Kaduna State also projected its 2019 budget to be a total of N4.78 billion.

    The Rector and Chief Executive of the College, Capt. Mohammed Abdulsalami, while making the presentation at the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation said N3 billion has been projected as Internally Generated Revenue  (IGR).

    He said that the figure represented 10.5 per cent reduction in budgetary provision when compared to N3.36 billion appropriated in 2018.

    “In 2019, the college is proposing a budget of N4.78 billion comprising N1.78 billion for Personnel Cost, N243.40 billion, for Overhead Cost and N2.76 billion for Capital Expenditure.

    “This represents a 24 per cent reduction in budgetary envelope when compared to the sum of N6.28 billion appropriated in 2018.

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    “In 2019, the College is proposing an IGR of N3 billion comprising N2.85 billion for Overhead Cost and N150 million for replacement of insured assets.

    This represents a 10.5 per cent reduction in budgetary provision when compared to the sum of N3.36 billion appropriated in 2018.”

    In her remarks, the Chairman of the Committee, Rep. Nkiru Onyejiocha, charged the agencies and parastatals in the Aviation sector to ensure that all monetary reports were harmonised and presented to the Committee for proper documentation.

    “We want to see everything in black and white. This 8th assembly is winding down and we will want to give a handover note to others.

    “We are trying to live up to the next level agenda of this government,” she said. (NAN)

  • FAAN sets up committee for non- aeronautical revenue

    The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has set up a committee to map out plans to boost revenue generation from non-aeronautical sources.

    This is as the agency said that it is going through some processes that would eventually lead to the approval of its Aviation Security (AVSEC) to bear arms in 2019.

    Its  Managing Director,  Saleh Dunoma, disclosed this in an interview with journalists last week in Lagos at the agency’s headquarters at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos.

    Dunoma said it was high time airport authorities on the continent diversified their revenue generations away from aeronautic to non-aeronautic, stressing that other airport managers across the world had already keyed into this.

    He insisted that the committee, which he chaired, consisted of relevant directorates and departments responsible for revenue generation for FAAN and would come out with a roadmap to enhance revenues for the agency.

    He declared that FAAN as an agency could not be left behind in the development of its airport infrastructure, stressing that the only way to achieve this was for it to diversify its revenue generation and tap into the myriad of opportunities in the system.

    He explained further that apart from Nigeria, other airport authorities across the continent were also deliberating on how to increase their non-aeronautical revenue services, which he said formed the theme of this year’s Airports Council International (ACI) held in Egypt.

    He said: “What we intend to do is to diversify our revenue sources. In Africa, we have not tapped into non-aeronautical sources and we are encouraging African airports to look at non-aeronautical revenue sources of revenue because aeronautical sources of revenues have limitations; they are highly dependent on flight operations.

    “The non-aeronautical revenues are being developed so much that they can be in pari-passu with the aeronautical sources of revenues. This is what we want African airports to develop. Some papers were presented to guide African airports to develop that area.

    “As a matter of fact, I just finished a meeting with my team. I set up a team on revenue generation and this team is chaired by me. It is very sensitive to the survival of African airports especially FAAN. We started the meeting today (yesterday) and we will continue to meet every week until we get to where we want to be.

    “We have not come up with a target yet, but the committee will come up with that. There are lots of departments involved, including engineering and commercial. By the time we develop some projects, we will have revenue targets that we want to achieve. This will be done by the committee.”

    He explained further that before the end of the year, AVSEC personnel would have been approved to bear arms in order to increase their surveillance of the sector.

    He, however, said that before this could be achieved, the department required some trainings and approvals especially from the National Security Adviser (NSA), stressing that background checks would also be carried out on some of the personnel before the approval.

  • MMIA congestion: FAAN urges airlines to use other airports

    THE Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) is encouraging airlines to divert some of their traffic to airports outside Lagos, especially the newly constructed terminals.

    According to FAAN General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu, the plan is to reduce the congestion at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

    The airport manager also said the diversion of traffic from Lagos would help in putting the new terminals in Port Harcourt International Airport (PHIA), Omegwa and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja to maximum use.

    To this end, Turkish Airlines and Emirates have indicated their readiness to begin scheduled flight operations from PHIA and NAIA from June.

    Air Peace would also begin direct flight to Dubai from PHIA as from April, this year.

    Mrs. Yakubu, who spoke at the weekend at the agency’s headquarters at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos in an interview with aviation reporters, explained that the move was necessary to divert traffic from Lagos to other airports within the country.

    But, she noted that Lagos would remain the hub of the country’s airports.

    She explained that rather than the entire airlines focusing their attention on Lagos Airport, they could also make use of the state-of-the-art facilities in other aerodromes across the country.

    The FAAN spokesperson stressed that FAAN was determined to improve flying experience of air travellers within Nigeria.

    According to her, Turkish Airlines would begin direct flight from its base to PHIA from June 25. Emirates would increase its four weekly flights to daily to Dubai Airport from NAIA from June 1.

    Already, she hinted that Cronos Air operates three weekly frequencies; Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays from PHIA and Lufthansa Airlines flies four times weekly – Mondays, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays – from the same airport.

    Also, Air France operates five weekly flights – Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesday, Fridays and Sundays.

    The Turkish airline flights would be operated four times weekly on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, starting from June 25, 2019 from the same airport.

    Apart from the foreign airlines, she emphasised that Air Peace would also begin direct flight operations to Accra from Abuja. Scheduled flights between Port Harcourt and Dubai operations of the airline would begin in April this year.

    Besides, Mrs. Yakubu explained that Air Cote d’Ivoire would start direct flight from Abuja to its base in Abidjan soon.

    The newly inaugurated Abuja Airport has annual capacity of 15 million passengers. Port Harcourt has annual capacity of five million passengers.

    She added that Kano Airport with another five million annual capacity would come on stream in the next two months, adding that the new terminal at Lagos airport would also be commissioned “soon”.

    “Lagos airport did not take off early because of the issue of siting of the new terminal. Where we have it now, is not the original site, it has come up with a lot of issues – connectivity to the airside and the runway and others, but we are assuring our passengers that once Kano is commissioned, the next airport would be Lagos,” she said.

  • NAHCO, FAAN partner on ground handling, others

    THE Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) Plc  and Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) are collaborating to improve  ground  handling.

    NAHCO Group Managing Director, Mrs. Olatokunbo Fagbemi, said the handling firm has set up modalities to defray its debts to the airport authority and other organisations as part of efforts to keep its accounting books clean.

    The NAHCO  boss spoke at a meeting with FAAN Managing Director,  Saleh Dunoma, in Lagos.

    She said plans were underway to pay FAAN  monthly to ensure that the debt was defrayed quickly.

    ”Our journey from Lagos is very simple. Our story is simple but essentially first, it is to say thank you. We have received substantial support from FAAN in the last few weeks on an issue that has been pending for a while and I believe we’d be able to find common grounds. It has to do with safety and security around the air cargo complex.

    ‘’The other thing is, before I got in, we were owing a lot of money, but I said we need to know that we can’t ask for things if we are not paying; so we are saying thank you for that support. We have been able to work out something with the director of finance, so we pay some amount every month. Hopefully, we believe that by the end of this year, we will not owe. We will keep our books current. We have to say thank you because unto whom much is given much is expected.

    “We are going to clear the backlog so that it doesn’t continue because if you want a lot of things” from FAAN, you should also pay.

    She, however, highlighted some key areas of mutual development to the FAAN boss, seeking his assistance to correct certain trend that could hamper both their businesses, including crowd control and others both at Lagos and Abuja airports.

    “We need to safeguard our business and we need to operate at an international standard,’’ she said.

    She also commended the FAAN management for the rapid changes ongoing at the nation’s airports stating: ”A lot of things have been done at the airport and no one can go around any of the airports and walk away without noticing a positive difference.”

    FAAN MD congratulated the new GMD. She went down memory lane, stating what the airport authority would do to support NAHCO, especially since  it was a part of FAAN before privatisation.

    He also said FAAN would look at NAHCO’s  requests on the Lagos and Abuja cargo areas critically, adding that the ground handlers were critical to safety and security around the airport.

    Dunoma said: “NAHCO  and FAAN  used to be one and so whatever NAHCO brings to the table NAHCO is an attachment of FAAN. FAAN created NAHCO  and in the wisdom of the government, they decided NAHCO be privatised. Privatisation is done, NAHCO is a success story till date so whatever NAHCO requests, we have little reason to say no because you started with one statement, our success is your success and your success is our success. So it has to be a win-win situation. We continue to support you and do everything possible to assist you improve your business because if you look at your operations of NAHCO,  it is critical to the operations of FAAN.

    “You cannot separate the two; if you fail, we fail because you handle so many things at the airport. So, we have to look critically at areas where FAAN needs to come in and support you.”

    “We need to work together. I know there are some requests that would require some processes. We can fast-track those processes and if there are huge calls in terms of implementation, you can come back to us and we will surmount this.”

  • First aircraft lands in Bayelsa International Airport

    …..Governor Dickson says airport built with N65b

    ….Faults claim by Senator Heineken Logbobiri

    Twenty-three years after it was created the first aircraft on Thursday landed at the Bayelsa State International Airport.

    The 3.5 kilometer runway airport according to the Governor, Seriake Dickson was built at the cost of over N65 billion.

    Dickson said it is the first aircraft to land in any airport in Izon land, the heartland of the Ijaws.

    He said the clarification over the cost of the airport project had become imperative because of allegations peddled by Senator Heineken Logbobiri who said the project gulped between N120 to N150 billion.

    The senator had alleged that the airport was flooded.

    Speaking at the airport when an Air Peace Embraer Regional Jet that flew from Lagos landed at the runway, to the tumultuous welcome of Bayelsa indigenes, Dickson said the facility will open the state to the world; through attraction of investments; export of agricultural produce; tourism and other economic activities.

    Dickson said he was more than excited to receive the first aircraft into the airport as a Valentine gift to the good people of the state as well as a fitting achievement to commemorate the seven years anniversary of Bayelsa.

    He said the project was conceived, developed and built with scarce resources from Bayelsa State Government at austere times like this.

    He said its completion is part of the promise of his administration to accelerate the economic development of Bayelsa State, which deserves a better deal in the Nigerian project.

    He said the airport will resolve inconveniences associated with connecting flights by Bayelsans through neighboring states.

    Dickson said the Federal Government which promised to build an airport terminal in the state reneged in its promise, a development, he said pushed his administration to think out of the box to deliver the project.

    He said previous efforts by other governors to have done this did not materialize, hence the zeal and deterministic. By his administration to complete the airport in record time.

    Though the airport has not been officially commissioned, Dickson said a date will be fixed to celebrate the infrastructural revolution in Bayelsa State.

    Dickson said the airport will generate jobs for thousands of Bayelsa indigenes and others who are poised to contribute to the economic development of the state.

    He said though work in progress , some issues about the airport concerning compensation to host communities and contractors were yet to be resolved.

    He commended aviation agencies including the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria ( FAAN) and Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority ( NCAA) for this cooperation and relevant approval for the project.

    Also speaking, the Chief Operating Officer, Air Peace, Mrs Toyin Olajide commended Bayelsa State Government for the feat assuring that the Memorandum of Understanding ( MoU) signed with the state will facilitate regular flight services on the route.

    She urged people of the state to take advantage of the fight services to stimulate business for the state.

    She said the airline like the state government has scored many firsts by venturing into feats that have accelerated economic growth for Nigeria.

    Also speaking, Senator Ben Murray Bruce said Bayelsa International Airport will stimulate economic growth for the state ; attract investment opportunities and boost tourism.

  • No bomb on Lagos-Abuja Air Peace flight, says FAAN

    THE Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has described as false, report of a bomb scare on an Air Peace aircraft that took off from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja en route Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.

    Its spokesperson, Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu, said the passenger that raised the alarm is said to have a history of mental illness and is presently with security agencies and medical experts for assessment of the state of his helath.

    She said following the false information, FAAN aviation security personnel swiftly evacuated passengers, crew and cargo on board the aircraft and the bomb squad immediately conducted a thorough check on the aircraft and baggage.

    Read also: Lagos Assembly insists Ambode must appear before it over ‘infractions’

    The check, she said, confirmed that there was no bomb on the aircraft.

    Mrs. Yakubu said the aftermath of the due diligence test carried out on the aircraft led to a fresh boarding call.

    Passengers  thereafter boarded the flight for take-off to the Lagos Airport.

    She said: “The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria will like to re-assure passengers and all airport users that our airports are safe and secure. They should carry on their lawful activities without any fear.”

    Air Peace said passengers yesterday hailed the crew of Air Peace Flight P4 7121 for prioritising their safety and returning to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja after receiving information that there was an explosive on board the aircraft.

    A statement issued by the airline’s Corporate Communications Manager, Mr. Chris Iwarah, confirmed the incident, saying the operating crew acted professionally and took the decision to return as a precaution.

    Iwarah  attributed the false information to an intending passenger, who was denied boarding after the crew suspected that he might be mentally challenged.

  • FAAN demolishes sheds in Airport

    The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has demolished makeshift tents at the Port Harcourt International Airport in Omagwa, Rivers State.

    Its spokesperson, Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu, said the demolition followed the opening and movement of international operations to the new international terminal.

    With this development, all domestic arrivals have moved to the old international terminal, she said.

    Mrs. Yakubu added that the former local departure lounge would serve as local arrival hall, while the erstwhile international departure lounge had been converted to local departure lounge.

    Read also: U.S team begins assessment of Lagos Airport

    According to Mrs. Yakubu, the terminal became fully operational when movement of agencies and installation of technical facilities were concluded.

    Cronos Airlines arrived from Accra, Ghana followed by Lufthansa from Frankfurt and Air France from Paris.

    According to the spokesman, the terminal, measuring 27,000 square metres, could process five million passengers per annum.

    Last week, three foreign airlines – Air France, Lufthansa and Cronos Airlines from Malabo, Equatorial Guinea – began flight services into the airport.

  • No bomb on Abuja-Lagos Air Peace flight – FAAN

    The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria ( FAAN ) has described as false the alarm that a bomb was planted on an early morning Air Peace flight from Abuja to Lagos on Wednesday.

    Mrs Henrietta Yakubu, General Manager, Corporate Affairs of FAAN, made the rebuttal in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.

    Yakubu siad that the passenger, who allegedly raised the alarm, was said to have a history of mental illness.

    She said that the passenger had been handed over to the security agencies and medical experts for assessment.

    She said: “Following the false information, officers of FAAN’s aviation security swiftly evacuated passengers, crew and cargo on board the flight and a bomb squad immediately conducted a thorough check on the aircraft and baggage, which confirmed the information to be false.

    Read Also: Attempt to steal aircraft: Court summons NCAA, FAAN bosses

    “After due diligence test has been carried out on the aircraft, a fresh boarding call has been made and passengers have boarded the flight for take-off to the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.

    “FAAN will like to re-assure passengers and all airport users that our airports are safe and secure.

    “They should carry on their lawful activities without any fear,” she said.

    News Agency of Nigeria reports that there was panic in the aircraft on Wednesday morning, after a passenger raised an alarm that a bomb was planted in the aircraft.

  • Court summons NCAA, FAAN bosses over attempt to steal aircraft

    A judge of Federal High Court, Justice Muslim Hassan has summoned the Director General of Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) Captain Mukthar Usam and the Managing Director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Saleh Dunoma for their failure to appear in court over contempt charge for tampering with two Bombardier aircraft belonging to Topbrass Aviation.

    They are to appear in court at the next adjourned date fixed for February 28, 2019 to explain why they gave orders for tampering of the two Bombardier aircraft in contention between Topbrass Aviation and SeaGold Investment Limited, the lessor of the aircraft.

    The summons was a fall out at the hearing of contempt proceedings On Tuesday, January 15, 2019, by Justice M. S Hassan.

    President, Topbrass Aviation, Captain Roland Iyayi, who disclosed this said the summons became imperative because of the role played by NCAA and FAAN bosses in the disputed ownership of two Bombardier jets at Lagos airport.

    Iyayi said despite a subsisting Court Order, NCAA and FAAN colluded with agents of the lessor to move the aircraft in question to a repair facility belonging to AeroContractors, where the aircraft are being tampered with.

    He said despite the court order, agents of the lessor are colluding with AeroContractors to allegedly flout the court order.

    The aircraft, two Dash-8 Q-300s with registration 5N-MSN 61TBB with 3 and 5N-TBC with MSN 614 , according to managing director of Top Brass Aviation, Roland Iyayi are still being tampered with at the Aero Contractors hangar despite a restraining order in 2015 which provided basis for the contempt charges.

    However, a credible and highly-placed source in Aero contractors sources said  Aero Contractors as a company has no interest in the aircraft and are only ensuring that after the entire proceeding, both aircraft are still recoverable for whomever the court ruling goes to.

    However, Iyayi who spoke to The Nation alleged that barely two days after lawyers of both the NCAA and FAAN, promised to provide their principals in court on February 28 for the hearing, that the two aircraft are still being tampered with at the Aero Hangar.

    According to Iyayi, the brake pad of the aircraft has been changed.

    He said the propeller assembly of the aircraft has been removed and is awaiting replacement for ferry out of the country.

    Iyayi expressed fears that at the rate that the impunity was being perpetuated, before the next date of the contempt hearing, the aircraft might have been worked on and ferried out since the NCAA DG, Captain Mukhar Usman and other parties served are still going about as if there was no court order.

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    Iyayi said, ”As at today pictures are being sent to us on what is going on at Aero and we are taking that again as further affidavits to court, to tell the court that despite the fact that we had a sitting two days ago, which would have been a contempt proceeding sitting, they are still tampering with the aircraft at Aero Hangar which is in violation of the order. we are going back to court with all the evidence because it is not good enough to speak, the idea is to show evidence. And indeed anytime we filed in court we have shown photographic evidence.”

    “As I speak, 30 minutes ago, someone under the aircraft told me they had removed the propeller from one of the engines, the engine stand was there with the view of changing the engine. Two weeks ago, the brake unit of this aircraft was removed and replaced, all of these reports were given to me and continue to be given to me by Aero Contractors staff, working on the aircraft.”

    “We actually approached the courts when all these were happening to ask for an exparte order that the aircraft be taken away from Aero hangar, possession of aircraft taken by the police, the IGP, AIG Airport and Commissioner of Police Airport, to take physical possession of the aircraft, secure it at a location at the airfield and report to the court about the security and safety of the aircraft pending the determination of the case. But the judge felt since there was going to be the contempt proceeding in two days time, felt there was no need
    to do that and felt the contempt proceeding will deal with it.”

    Iyayi SAID  Topbrass has invested over $12,000,0000 on the finance purchase agreement it entered into with Seagold for acquisition of the assets and had not defaulted in the 24 month agreement period to give Seagold unfettered access to the aircraft for repossession.

    The contempt order was filed against Seagold Investment Limited, a pilot with the Presidential fleet, one Captain Baba Mohammed personally, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), its Director General, Captain Usman Mukhar personally, Aero Contractors, Captain Ado Sanusi personally, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) all of whom must comply with the restraining order until the matter was settled.

    Justice Hassan ruled that all parties must be represented at the adjourned date or he will issue a bench warrant as the case was a quasi-criminal trial and those served needed to be present for the hearing.

  • Reason for power outage at Lagos Airport, by FAAN

    Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria ( FAAN ), on Thursday attributed power outage at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos to a minor electrical fault.

    The outage threw parts of the terminal into darkness. A source hinted that the outage affected the D Wing of the terminal

    Confirming the development, General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu, said the power disruption was caused by a minor electrical fault

    Yakubu said: “FAAN wishes to inform the general public of a temporary power outage at the D Wing of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

    Read Also: Power outage hits Lagos airport again

    “The outage is due to a minor electrical fault.

    “Meanwhile, our engineers are already working to rectify the fault and normalcy will be restored soon.’’

    She, however, explained that the outage did not affect flight operations at the nation’s busiest airport.

    Yakubu said FAAN remained committed to the safety and comfort of travelers at all times.