The Nation Newspaper

Tag: FAAN

  • FAAN inaugurates task force on abandoned aircraft

    The Management of the Federal Airports Author

    ity of Nigeria (FAAN)has inaugurated a task force on the disposal of abandoned aircraft in all airports across the country.

    This task force according to a statement from FAAN, has become necessary because the aircraft constitute a safety hazard on the airside as some of them have been abandoned for about 10 years.

    At the inaugural meeting, the task force called on owners of such abandoned aircraft to evacuate them immediately because of the danger they posed. The task force according to the statement, noted that some owners have responded to earlier appeals by the Authority and are already making arrangement to evacuate them.

    Several appeals had been made in the past to remove its abandoned aircraft by the Authority, including meetings with the owners and publication of paid notices in various newspapers in the past five years.

  • Litigations stalled evacuation of abandoned aircrafts – FAAN

    The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria on Wednesday explained that series of litigations were responsible for the non- removal of abandoned aircrafts in airports across the country.

    It said it was discovered that many of the aircrafts were used as collateral for loans.

    The General Manager, Corporate Communications, FAAN, Hon Yakubu Dati, stated this in Benin City in while taking Journalists on a tour of the reconstructed Benin Airport.

    Yakubu said they have advised owners of abandoned aircraft on ways to dispose the aircraft and still make profits.

    He said, “We are in the age of recycling and most of these planes were built with plastic and metals. We have advised owners on several ways to dispose the aircraft and still make profit.

    “By the time the period we are giving them elapses, FAAN will take steps to clear the abandoned aircraft because it distorts the master plan of airports.”

    Hesaid the commissioning of the reconstructed Benin Airport was put on hold because of the recent helicopter crash in Bayelsa State.

    He noted that the Benin Airport which was commissioned 30 years ago was remodelled and reconstructed to become a centre piece of activities and hub of economic activities.

     

  • ‘Cargo will transform economy’

    The Federal Government said it plans to make Nigeria a leading exporter of agricultural produce, through the nation’s airports, in line with the transformation agenda for the aviation industry.

    Director of the Cargo Develop-ment, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr Rowland Ofulue, stated this after a meeting with the representatives of international cargo airlines and members of the Association of Foreign Airlines Representatives.

    The airlines include Qatar Airline, Saudi Arabian Airline, Emirates, Kenya Airways, Cargolux Airline, Landover, Air France, KLM and Alitalia. Others were Base Aviation, Delta Airline, DHL and Fedex.

    He added that the creation of a new directorate of cargo development in FAAN was among several strategies adopted by the Federal Government to steer the nation from being an oil and gas dependent economy to a multi-pronged economy that will create more jobs for Nigerians.

    He said the new directorate was poised to create an enabling environment that would boost cargo development at major Nigerian airports, where more emphasis had been laid on passenger movements and other related businesses.

    Ofulue informed the group that the Federal Government had concluded plans to build new cargo terminals in 12 airports in the country and invited them to take advantage of this huge investment to contribute to the growth of the country’s economy, through increased air cargo operation.

    He also said an agro allied economy would evolve from the development of the cargo terminals being planned nationwide, adding that a lot of perishable food items that are produced in this country could be exported through our airports as it is done in neighbouring countries that rely on such export for the sustenance of their economies.

    Ofulue later called for the support of the association in checking unwholesome practices in cargo business which are against international standards and practices.

    Members of the association promised to work with FAAN to achieve the transformation of the nation’s economy through enhanced cargo operations.

  • Towards first class airports

    Every successful manager, aspiring manager or student of management holds these words of Peter Drucker sacred: “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things”. Drucker, one of the greatest thinkers on Management, opined that one of the key points of succeeding in an organisation is by the need to manage business by balancing a variety of needs and goals, rather than subordinating an institution to a single value. This is what George Uriesi’s style is all about at the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria ( FAAN), not subordinating the institution to a single value but to a robust and dynamic framework within the transformation agenda of the Aviation Minister Princess Stella Oduah, and President Goodluck Jonathan

    Uriesi is not new to this terrain; he has put in several aerona miles into aviation business with over 20 years experience. In 2004 , he was appointed General Manager of Cape Town International Airport and he led the massive transformation of the airport in preparation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup tournament, while establishing it as the top international award winning airport in Africa. That job prepared him for his stewardship at FAAN.

    When Princess Oduah assumed office she embarked on a search for an effective hand to run FAAN and she found Uriesi. If she was looking for someone who understood the industry and the urgency for a radical turnaround, Uriesi was the one; he was brimming with passion and raring to go. If experience and technical knowledge were the a criterion he had them in abundance. Most importantly if understanding the mission was an advantage, he had an overriding desire to surpass his success story in South Africa. Armed with the Aviation Master Plan, his first assignment was to key into Princess Oduah’s vision with the reconstruction of 11 airport terminals. From Lagos to Yola, Abuja to Port Harcourt, Owerri to Jos, Kano to Enugu, Calabar to Kaduna, Minna to Sokoto, the aviation industry was taken by storm. The speed and quality of work were unprecedented. The prudence in application of resources was legendary. He ensured that salaries were paid before the end of the month, a far cry from the previous practice where workers were owed. During the inauguration of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja Lagos Terminal 1, popularly known as GAT, he took the nation by storm when he announced that the world-class airport terminal being opened by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim was built under 10 months for N648 million!

    With a strong support from the Minister of Aviation, he took on the powerful interests industry who had overtime strangulated the industry. He enforced the sacking of concessionaires who refused to leave even when their contract was terminated by previous Ministers.

    From then on he was marked “enemy No 1”. Unperturbed, he has taken on perennial debtors of his organisation. Driven by the mission that development of airport infrastructure is not just an economic necessity but central to strategic objectives, Uriesi remains focused in his vision for FAAN to be among the best airport groups in the world. The verdict of the Federal High Court in Lagos, freeing him of the contempt charges brought against him by a firm Maevis, which got contract for toll collection at the airport, brought relief to FAAN. Few men will stand to be counted when faced with the threat of prison conviction. He stood. This victory is symbolic. It’s a refreshing departure from the past. The judgment has come and gone but the impact is reverberating across the aviation community.

    •Yakubu Dati , General Manager (Corporate Communications, FAAN)

  • How to improve airport security, by experts

    Security agencies devised ways of securing the airports. The security agencies including personnel from the Federal Airports Authority (FAAN), Aviation security unit, Nigeria police, Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigeria Customs Service, the State Security Service, National Civil Defence Corps and the Nigeria Air Force promised to redouble their efforts at countering terrorism.

    Deputy Commissioner of Police Airport Command Mr Haliru Gwandu, said the synergy among the agencies must be strengthened to keep potential terrorists at bay from the airport.

    He observed that theft in the airport, which he attributed to connivance among airport personnel, is a great cause for worry for the Police.

    Gwandu called for more logistics for the Police to do their job, especially in perimeter patrol, arrest of miscreants and other unlawful interferences on the land and airside.

    Johnpaul Echeta, the Commanding Officer, Anti-Terrorism, stressed the need to enhance security around the airports at both peak and non-peak period to miscreants from catching in on the loopholes.

    He appealed to the authorities to put right pegs in the right holes to avoid compromise among security agencies, adding that security is everyone’s duty.

    Other participants advised that the latest security technologies should be acquired to assist airport security agencies to achieve success in protecting the airport and its teeming passengers.

    The first yearly international airport security and safety summit with the theme: Getting it right was organised by Karamba Consulting.

    The organiser, Daniel Young, said the event would afford experts the opportunity to learn advanced strategies and technologies deployed to enhance national security.

    Young said the event was designed to discover cutting edge technologies and approaches towards achieving optimal physical security of personnel and infrastructure.

    He explained that the summit provided a robust platform for experts to examine how to execute appriopriate security training programmes that will meet domestic and international security threat, its needs as well as vulnerabilities in the airport operating environment and the resultant culture.

    He said: “The summit has gone a long way in addressing the issues of security and the safety needs in Nigerian airports.” Part of the issues discussed include securing Nigerian airports, airspace safety and security, cross border strategies for sharing intelligence as well as innovative strategies that facilitate risk-based airport security and safety.

    Other issues include contingency planning- threat assessment and airport in internal security, protecting air travellers in Nigeria a security imperative.

    Young explained that the effects of the threat of terrorism has become imperative to attract the attention of aviation experts, because the industry is often used as target by terrorists.

    He said: “There is need to explore new strategies of combating domestic and cross border security threats. This has become serious because the airports serve as the main link between national and international boundaries.”

  • Bi- Courtney laments operational challenges

    Bi- Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL) has said it has been sinking money in providing services and maintaining the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos Domestic Terminal (MAA2), which it built under the Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) arrangement.

    The company said the terminal had not generated enough money for its maintenance since it became operational five years ago; rather, it had to source money from other businesses to fund its operations.

    The spokesman of the company, Steve Omalale-Ajulo, said for the five years the terminal had been in operation, it had not recorded total black out as witnessed in other airport terminals in the country because the company had continued to provide reliable and modern alternative power source, which it is upgrading.

    “We spend a lot to keep this place going and what we spend is enormous. That is one of the challenges we are facing. The second challenge is that people owe us. Airlines owe us; some clients; some tenants here owe us; then the debt the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and Arik are fighting over what belongs to us going by the concession agreement we had; that GAT (General Aviation Terminal) belongs to us.”

    He said it had been tough managing the terminal because of the high cost of maintaining the facility and its inability to generate enough revenue for its maintenance.

    “It has been very tough to manage this place because it is a terminal of international standards and there are certain things you must do because of its standard to make sure that you meet certain conditions and those conditions must be met; no excuses. So it has been very, very challenging.

    On the supply of electricity to the terminal, Omalale-Ajulo said the BASL was pre-emptively upgrading its power systems to ensure that electricity supply was adequately maintained at the facility.

    “Today, we have four giant generators. Those generators are five years old. We didn’t wait for them to break down but we are already upgrading the power system. The upgrade is to enhance the alternate source of power supply. It is going to be in phases. We have brought in two brand new generators and we will provide another two in the second phase.

    “We are investing a lot in power supply. We are also investing a lot in maintenance. There are aspects of maintenance we carry out every day. This is whether it is only one airline operating. You must carry out maintenance of certain things.”

    He said the terminal had been recognised as the cleanest in the country and the management of BASL intends to maintain that reputation by making sure that the terminal is adequately maintained and all necessary amenities sustained.

  • FAAN eyes 8.5 million passengers

    As part of the new business plan by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), passenger movement at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, is projected to increase from 6.7 million in 2011 to about 8.5 million by 2016. This is the expected fallout of many factors, including the on-going airport remodelling, as well as the expected increase in the number of domestic airlines.

    According to the Regional Manager of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, Mr Edward Adedamola Olarerin, the airport authority will embark on a continuous programme of infrastructure upgrade, as well as innovation and customer focused service delivery, which is expected to drive the development and growth of the sector.

    Olarerin explained that with the anticipated increase in the number of domestic airlines, which will operate into the Murtala Muhammed AIrport, the 8.5 million passenger Mark will be realisable as government remains focussed in improving operational infrastructure at the airport.

    He explained that the airport authority is anticipating an increase in its revenue stream from aeronautical sources, including retail outlets and other sources, which is a fall out of the on going improvement in infrastructure and services.

  • FAAN targets 8.5 million passengers by 2016

    AS part of the new business plan by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), passenger movement at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, is projected to increase from 6.7 million passengers in 2011 to about 8.5 million in 2016, which is a fall out of many factors including ongoing airport remodelling projects as well as the expected increase in the number of domestic airlines.

    According to the regional manager of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, IKeja, Lagos, Mr. Edward Adedamola Olarerin, the airport authority will embark on a continuous programme of infrastructure upgrade, as well innovation and customer focused service delivery, which are expected to drive the development and growth of the sector.

    Olarerin explained that with the anticipated increase in the number of domestic airlines, which will operate into the Murtala Muhammed Airport, the 8.5 million passengers mark will be realisable as government remains focused on improving operational infrastructure at the airport.

    He explained that the airport authority is anticipating increase in its revenue stream from aeronautical sources including retail outlets and other sources, which is a fall out of the ongoing improvement in infrastructure and services.

    He said government remains committed to ensuring that the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos is expected to be not only an investor/tourist destination, but also a key player in the nation’s economic development.

     

  • FAAN laments damage of facility

    FAAN laments damage of facility

    The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has raised the alarm over the wanton destruction of convenience facilities at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

    Such attitude by passengers the managing director of the airport authority, Mr George Uriesi warned is at variance with the transformation agenda of government of making the airports safe, convenient and secured for either inbound or outbound passengers.

    Uriesi who spoke at a one day conference on viable options for airlines financing explained that some passengers have continued to damage facilities that were installed at the refurbished toilets at the Lagos Airport, affirming that it would be proper for such passengers to seek clarification on how to utilise the highly sensitive facilities with sensors.

    He explained that the resolve of government is to deliver facilities at the airports that are world class, as is the practice in other airports across the globe, but expressed dismay that rather than key into this revolutionary move, passengers have demonstrated a shabby culture of damaging the toilet handles.

    Such actions by passengers he said will act as a disincentive for the airport authority , which is poised to fast track the renovation of the terminal , even as he said some section of the terminal will be completed for use before the end of the year.

    Uriesi also spoke of plans to complete the remodelling of the terminals at Benin  and Owerri airports before the end of the year, affirming that the delay in completing the projects on schedule were due to extraneous factors, which were not antiquated at the commencement of the project.

  • Anxiety as Fed Govt restructures FAAN

    Anxiety as Fed Govt restructures FAAN

    Uncertainty pervades the aviation sector as fear of possible job loss grips personnel of the aviation agencies with the on-going restructuring at the Federal Airports Authority of NIgeria ( FAAN), Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the NIgeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).

    The uncertainty came on the heels of the redeployment of personel carried out last week. Some Directors and General Managers were moved from NAMA to NCAA and the Accident Investigation Bureau, as well as the Nigeria College of Aviation Technology( NCAT), in Kaduna.

    The restructuring, it was learnt, was part of the institutional reforms to enhance efficiency and service delivery in the sector.

    Although, a few letters of redeployments have been distributed to the affected personnel, there are indications that a major shake up, expected to affect all the agencies is underway. This has caused tension and panic among the workforce.

    Meanwhile, FAAN yesterday announced the restructuring of the organisation in line with the transformation agenda of the Federal Government.