FAAN Dismisses Report of Imminent Rationalisation of Staff written by Chinedu Eze(Thisday)

        MD FAAN,  Mr. George Uriesi



The Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr. George Uriesi, has dismissed reports that there was imminent retrenchment of the agency’s workers, describing such reports as mere rumours.
Uriesi stressed that there was no iota of truth in the rumour that FAAN had concluded plans to downsize its workforce to 1,500 as being peddled by some individuals whom he said felt threatened by the on-going transformation in the industry, “which has closed down all the loopholes through which they had turned FAAN into a largesse extraction and distribution factory.”

The FAAN boss, also in a chat with newsmen at the on-going 21st Airports Council International Africa Regional Conference in Livingstone, Zambia on Tuesday, revealed that FAAN would be automating its revenue processes across the airports, in order to enhance FAAN’s revenue profile, as part of the overall effort to reposition the Authority as a viable, going business concern.

"This organisation has to become a normal airport organisation, a proper airport authority. We cannot remain in the dark ages. This is 2012. Every airport in the world is automated. We are still manual. You people are here amongst the entire airport CEOs in Africa. Take the opportunity to speak to them and learn. When we automate our revenue points, it will amaze you how our revenue profile will change positively. We will automate and we will use our staff. Automation does not mean retrenching our staff".
Uriesi further said that one of the issues that affect efficiency in FAAN was continuous mass employment.

“In 2010 and 2011, the authority employed more than 1,000 new people. Since I became MD, we have thus far stopped all efforts to continue to bloat the workforce which as it is, is already a huge burden to carry.

“At the same time, with the staff we have, we are only managing to meet our financial obligations of paying their salaries and maintaining the airports. We have been doing this successfully and on time in the last 10 months. This is something that has not happened in FAAN for several years. But when we start to collect our proper revenue which will happen shortly, we will get more buoyant. We really do not need to retrench our staff. We are not going to do that.”

Uriesi hinted that consequent upon the remodelling of the airports and the imminent changes in the operations of the airports, staff would be redeployed to where they are required and will continue to add value to the Authority.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/faan-dismisses-report-of-imminent-rationalisation-of-staff/123652/

‘Aviation is World Biggest Diplomatic Weapon’written by Chinedu Eze(Thisday)

                                                                                                 

           Aircraft landing

Air transport has been described as the most effective diplomatic weapon, which small and big countries use to negotiate their importance in the world.

Travel and tourism expert, Ikechi Uko, who made this observation said Nigeria could not be the centre of Africa’s diplomacy without effective airline to serve as its national carrier.

“Aviation is the biggest diplomatic weapon in the world today. The smallest countries in the world which want to extend their power are using aviation, sports and tourism. Name them: Qatar, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Singapore and others. UAE is actually running five airlines. Every country is trying to extend their power beyond their shores and the easiest way is through aviation.”

Uko, who is the CEO of Akwaaba African Travel Market said that it was impossible for Nigeria to lead Africa without a national carrier, recommending that diplomats and aviators must work together to create a synergy towards using Nigeria’s air transport advantage to further its interest in the world.

“Nigeria cannot be the centre of African diplomacy without effective airline. It is impossible for Nigeria to lead Africa without a national carrier. It is impossible. Unfortunately we have diplomats that understand diplomacy but do not understand the extensions of diplomacy. We have aviation people that only understand aviation but they do not understand the travel and diplomatic import of aviation. So they are experts of their own nuclear environment but they do not understand the interdependency of these things.”
Uko lamented that in Nigeria those in aviation do not work with those in tourism but ideally they should work together to promote the country.

“The aviation person doesn’t think he needs tourism; the foreign affairs person doesn’t think he needs aviation, but unfortunately we have some of the best brains, but nobody has been able to figure out the simple truth, Nigeria cannot be an effective political power in Africa and in the world without an airline base. If you want to do espionage are you going to be flying your spies around with other people’s carrier? So you cannot grow your tourism on other people’s carrier. There are so many things you cannot grow on other people carrier,” he said.

He therefore suggested that if Nigeria accepted that it could not grow its own national airline, then it should buy into successful airline operators in Africa like Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways or South Africa Airways and adopt them as the nation’s national carrier.

He said: “It is the normal Nigerian mentality that if I don’t have something nobody should have it. So the opposition to national carrier is similar to the opposition to government’s plans to privatise Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).

The same thing that killed NITEL, which is that Nigerians don’t want somebody to own anything that belongs to us, instead let it die. The same thing that killed Nigeria Airways Limited, killed NITEL and now it is killing NIPOST and it is killing PHCN. The fact is that there is this Nigerian thing about us; that we would rather suffer than allow one of us to succeed.”

“I see the opposition to national carrier as not well informed. We don’t have to create one wholly owned by government, but we need a national brand. Government can invest money in Arik, if that is the choice; it can invest money in Air Nigeria or Aero or we go into partnership with one of these African carriers,” he added.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/-aviation-is-world-biggest-diplomatic-weapon-/123653/

Nigerian Airlines Reject FG’s Merger Offer written by Chinedu Eze(Thisday)

                                                                                        

                                  

                                                  Stella Oduah, Aviation Minister

Airlines  operating in the country  have    rejected Federal Government’s  proposal for merger.  

Airline operators, who spoke to THISDAY indicated that the government had  so far failed to persuade them to go into merger, which was aimed  at  having stronger airlines and also to possibly develop a national carrier.

The federal government was convinced that for Nigeria to benefit from its huge air transport market it must have a national carrier- a position which is germane- but lampooned by some industry observers because of their belief that such airline, no matter the ownership arrangement would never succeed.

The operators told THISDAY why such merger would not work, remarking that the apart from the different philosophy behind each individual airline, it would be difficult in this clime to achieve a compatibility between disparate entities.

An operator of a major airline told THISDAY: “Merger is difficult, acquisition, yes. Government should give incentives like tax relief, landing and parking waiver for a certain number of years to encourage some airlines to acquire others.”

The operator explained that Nigerian airlines were owned by families, so government should encourage or give incentives to make stronger airlines to acquire others.

A source in one of the aviation regulatory agencies revealed that the federal government knew that Nigeria was losing tremendously in air transport in the country as foreign airlines repatriate over N35 billion annually as ticket sales from the country.
“So merging would have been a way of reducing the number of the airlines, leaving two or three big operators as government plans to facilitate a single digit, long term credit line to the few operators.
Right now, the Ministry of Aviation is working with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to offer low interest loans to the airlines,” the source.

A top official in Nigeria’s major airline told THISDAY, that “every help in aviation is welcome, but the help must be transparent to all parties, so that there will not be unfair treatment. There must be a way of ensuring that the help is targeted to the airlines to the organisations grow.”

The official also remarked that when a company was being assisted financially, the provider of the funds should help to manage the money so that it should not be diverted.

“The plan of the Federal Government is that with strong national carrier or flag carriers, Nigeria may begin to benefit from its ever growing air transport market, which favours foreign airlines with huge capacity at the moment.

“If there are about two very strong domestic airlines, government would provide them with incentives, offer them international routes, while strengthening local operations so that they would be competitive in the international market.

“The bailout to the automobile companies in the United States was given by the government and there were conditions that must be met to access such funds and the conditions were given to check possible abuses so that the beneficiary company would manage the funds judiciously,” the source explained.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/nigerian-airlines-reject-fg-s-merger-offer/123656/

FAA to study rules for gadgets on planes by Agency Reporter (Punch)

The United States will take a look at the rules governing which electronic devices passengers can use during flights to help airlines decide if they should allow wider use of the gadgets, the Federal Aviation Administration said on Monday.

According to a Reuters report, a group will be formed to study the testing methods airline operators use to decide which new devices passengers can safely use and when, as well as other issues, the FAA said in a statement.

Airlines often tell passengers not to use iPods, laptops and other devices while planes are taking off and landing.

Under current rules, aircraft operators must determine that personal electronics do not cause dangerous radio frequency interference in order to approve them for use during flights.

The study group will not consider allowing cell phone calls during flights, according to the statement.

“We’re looking for information to help air carriers and operators decide if they can allow more widespread use of electronic devices in today’s aircraft,” acting FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said.

“We also want solid safety data to make sure tomorrow’s aircraft designs are protected from interference,” he said.

The group will meet for six months and will include representatives from the mobile technology and aviation manufacturing industries, pilot and flight attendant groups, airlines and passenger associations. It will report its findings to the FAA, the agency said

http://www.punchng.com/business/transport/faa-to-study-rules-for-gadgets-on-planes/

NAMA completes Bebi Airstrip calibration by Oyetunji Abioye (Punch)

Nigerian Airspace Management Agency has announced the completion of the World Geodetic Survey (WGS-84) of Bebi Airstrip, joining other major airports already prepared for satellite-based navigation system.

WGS-84 shows the precise points for a pilot to navigate on route without making use of ground landing aids.

It is satellite-based navigation system that requires little or no talk with air traffic controllers.

A statement by the agency on Tuesday quoted the Managing Director, Mr. Nnamdi Udoh, as saying that NAMA had approved the submission of the report carried out by its in-house experts.

NAMA said it had developed the capacity through competence transfer achieved by the WGS-84/ Performance-Based Navigation project of 24 Nigerian airports.

It said, “With this development, NAMA now prides itself as having in-house experts in WGS-84 Survey, PBN Procedure Design and Cartography.

“NAMA has also acquired through same project, state-of- art digital survey equipment and GIS LAB.” It further quoted Udoh as saying, “The agency is very ready to collaborate with any organisations that require this service within and outside Nigeria, with assurance of delivery in accordance with international standards to ensure safety of air navigation.”

The statement said that hard and soft copies of the report was submitted to the government of the Cross River State by NAMA’s General Manager, Safety Management System & WGS-84/PBN Project, Mr. John Onyegiri , on behalf of the management. The Special Adviser to the Governor of Cross River State on Tourism Development, Mr. Wilfred Usani, received the report on behalf of the governor.

http://www.punchng.com/business/transport/nama-completes-bebi-airstrip-calibration/

Arik Air Adds Lagos-Douala To Route Network written by NKEM OSUAGWU (Leadership)

Arik Air has said it would begin scheduled commercial flights between Lagos, Nigeria and Douala, Cameroon. The first commercial flight on the new route will begin on Thursday, August 30 and subsequently operate three times weekly on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
The out-bound flight will depart Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos at 11:10 am (local time) and arrive in Douala International Airport, Douala at 12:40 pm (local time). Inbound flight will leave Douala at 1:25 pm (local time) and arrive in Lagos at 2:55pm (local time).
The new Lagos-Douala route is Arik Air’s second foray into Central Africa coming after the inauguration of Lagos-Luanda (Angola) route on December 13, 2011.
The Lagos – Douala route will be served with a Boeing 737-700 Next Generation aircraft. The 737-700 is a two class compartment and the configuration is 12 Business Class seats and 112 Economy Class. Business Class passengers can enjoy a 44” seat pitch, cradle style seat while Economy Class passengers will equally enjoy plenty of room on the 1h 10min flight with a seat pitch of 34”.
Arik Air’s Executive President/Managing Director, Mr. Chris Ndulue said: This is another exciting moment for us all at Arik Air launching our first new international destination in 2012. Douala is our 10th African point and the third sub-Saharan destination.
http://www.leadership.ng/nga/articles/33569/2012/08/28/arik_air_adds_lagosdouala_route_network.html

Deadline on airport projects threatened as work drags By Wole Shadare and Chika Goodluck-Ogazi(The Guardian)

                                                                                                                   

                                                                                            Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah-Ogiemwonyi

EVEN when everything, such as the slow pace of work and paucity of funds point to the fact that the December 2012 deadline for fixing 11 of the nation’s airports is no longer realistic, the Federal Government insists that the target will be met.
While it however admits that the task is daunting, the government says it is forging ahead with the projects to give Nigerians and other stakeholders in the aviation sector airports, which meet global standards.
When The Guardian visited some of the airports being re-modelled by the government at the cost of N14 billion, it discovered that except for the Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano, no significant progress had been made in the others.
The Ministry of Aviation, which initiated and oversees the projects, had set April 2012 for their completion but later shifted the deadline to December of the same year.
But four months to the new target, there are strong indications that the government’s plan to complete the work within the period is no longer certain.
Some senior officials of the Ministry of Aviation and its affiliate agencies who spoke with The Guardian on the ongoing work on the airports, said the decay in the facilities and in the industry was under-estimated by the government when the projects were initiated.
At the nation’s airports in Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt, Calabar, Yola, Owerri, Benin, Kaduna, Ilorin and Sokoto, the decay is pervasive and the same overhaul is planned for them.
Early this year, Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah-Ogiemwonyi, who tagged the entire project as an “emergency measure,” had assured Nigerians that the airports’ repairs would be completed before last April.
The worst affected are the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos and Port Harcourt, where work on the facilities is yet to reach 50 per cent level of completion.
The remodelling of the airports under the first phase as planned by the minister started in the third quarter of 2011, with the completion time set for six months.
The situation has however changed and Oduah-Ogiemwonyi explained the job being done by the government “goes beyond remodelling” the airports.
“We are actually restructuring and reconstructing the airports. We are doubling the sizes of the terminals and changing all the facilities and utilities within the airports. So, you can’t call that remodelling.
“That is what we are doing to ensure that passengers have safe mode of air transportation and we want to ensure that passengers have value for their money. We also want every Nigerian and the stakeholders to be proud of the environment of our airports. It’s a total transformation of the aviation sector,” she said.
Spokesman of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Akin Olukunle, said the level of decay was beyond what was envisaged by the government, a situation, which he said, led to the delay in the completion of the exercise.
He, however, assured airport users that the government would make the facilities meet international standards when the airports are fixed.
Olukunle said: “If you look at the level of work and other new challenges, you will appreciate what we have done. The government wants to meet international standards in what we want to give to the airport users. The level of decay is beyond what was contemplated in the first place in terms of transformation.
“For instance, the Kano Airport will soon be ready. We have finished the transformation work there and a few other places too. We are at 70 per cent stage in most of the airports, including the General Aviation Terminal at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos.”
Stakeholders in the sector however said the slow pace of work might not be unconnected with paucity of funds, but the spokesman to the Aviation Minister, Mr. Toyin Okpaise, told The Guardian that the projects were going according to plans.   He insisted that the 11 airports would be completed before December.
Shocked by poor state of the infrastructure at the airports, the minister had announced plans to give them a face-lift at the cost of N14 billion. But while Oduah-Ogiemwonyi put the cost at N14 billion, the Managing Director of FAAN, George Uriesi, said N19 billion would be needed to complete the work.
An airline operator, who pleaded anonymity, said airlines and passengers were the worst hit by the projects as he alleged that it was taking too long to complete them.
The source cited the case of Port Harcourt International Airport as one that appeared to be abandoned and called on the minister to put pressure on the contractors to speed up the pace of work.
President, Aviation Round Table (ART), Capt. Dele Ore, asked: “What is the contract scope of each of the airports? What is the pedigree of each of the contractors? What is the level of liquidity available to each of the contractors?
He stated that with the “shoddy jobs” done at the airports, it was obvious that those who have the capacity to do the job were not considered.
Others such as the Secretary of the Air Transport Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), Abul Razak Animashaun, said the workers expected 80 per cent completion of work at this time but lamented that it was still at 50 per cent.
“Work is going on as you can see but we are not comfortable with the slow pace. By now, we expected that the work will at least reach 80 per cent completion level but as it is now, it is just at 50 per cent. The slow pace of work is really affecting activities at the airports. We appeal to the government to do something to fast-track the exercise,” he said.
The Head of the Department of Public Affairs of the Airport, Ola Ogundolapo, said the delay in the projects was caused by the rains.
Meanwhile, stakeholders have alleged that Dana Air plane crash of June 3, 2012 has led to a significant drop in flights within the country.
They claimed that most air travellers were still afraid of flying the nation’s domestic airlines.
The operators feared that if nothing was done to address the situation, the few airlines might go into liquidation as revenue had significantly dropped due to low patronage.
At the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos Terminal 2 (MMA2), only a few passengers were seen at the airport at the weekend to embark on trips to some parts of the country.
An aviation consultant and Chief Executive Officer of Belujane Konzult Limited, Chris Aligbe, told The Guardian that the current drop in the passenger traffic was a usual thing because people always withdraw from air travel whenever there was a crash.
Aligbe said to improve the passenger traffic frequency, “we need to make more flights available that will make the fares attractive to passengers. So, when the passengers are sure of their safety and the competitions is there, then fares will come down and more people are able to fly than they are flying now,” he noted.
The Director, Research and Strategy Zenith Travel and Tours, Olumide Ohunayo, said after a crash, “naturally enplanement drops, but coincidentally, about three domestic airlines also stopped operations, thereby reducing frequency and capacity in the market at a rate higher than the aftershock.”
http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=96987:deadline-on-airport-projects-threatened-as-work-drags&catid=1:national&Itemid=559

FG Cautions Airlines against Air Returns written by Yemi Akinsuyi (Thisday)

Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah, Sunday said there was no justification for air returns based on poor weather conditions at the destination of airplanes, saying such incidents are occasioned by the failure of airline operators and pilots to get weather reports before take-off.

She therefore warned airline operators against non-compliance with weather rules. 

In a release signed by the Special Assistant, Media, Joe Obi, the minister attributed some of the air problems witnessed in the country to carelessness on the part of the operators.     

The statement reads: ‘Lately, it has been observed that only flight dispatchers go to the Aeronautical Information Service (AIS) to obtain meteorological folders without the pilots themselves actually receiving the weather briefing. This accounts for why aircraft take off and get to their destinations but are unable to land. 

“Henceforth, all airline operators and pilots are required to obtain and confirm their destination weather reports from the AIS before start-up and take-off according to international standard and best practices in order to prevent incidents of avoidable air returns due to unfavourable weather condition.

“This information, which is provided by NIMET and readily available at the AIS , is meant to guide pilots on destination weather and to assist them make informed decisions on whether or not to take off from one airport to another.”

Oduah said there is absolutely no reason and justification for an aircraft to make an air return on the basis of poor weather condition since initial weather report from the AIS would have been adequate to indicate the futility of an initial take-off under such harsh weather conditions.   

This recklessness on the part of airline operators and pilots, the minister warned, will no longer be tolerated and infractions would be met with serious sanctions as she noted that this has the potential of compromising the safety of the nation’s airspace.
http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/fg-cautions-airlines-against-air-returns/123302/

Imminent sack looms in aviation sector •As 8 FAAN GMs received sack letters written by Shola Adekola, Lagos(Nigerian Tribune)

IMMINENT sack looms across the aviation agencies in the country, with over 1,000 pencilled down for the exercise.
According to information gathered at the weekend, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) will suffer the highest casualty in an exercise which had already commenced.
Also, the sack of general managers who have been in positions for eight years fell in line with the latest directive from the office of the Head of Civil Service.
It was gathered that the Minister of Aviation, Mrs Stella Oduah, was said to have ordered the sack of more than half of the workforce of the FAAN, which currently had about 4,500 workforce nationwide.
When contacted on phone, the Special Assistant to the minister, Joe Obi, said he was not aware of such move.
Meanwhile, it has been gathered that general managers who had spent eight years and above in their positions, were the first casualties, while others, who have put in 25 years and above, might also be affected.
As at Friday, no fewer than eight general mangers in FAAN had been issued sack letters by the management.
http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/news/46572-imminent-sack-looms-in-aviation-sector-as-8-faan-gms-received-sack-letters

Bombardier invites Arik Air Chairman to Partners meeting in Montreal by Lateef Lawal (NigerianAviationNews)

World’s third largest aircraft manufacturer, Canadian based Bombardier Aerospace, has invited Arik Air Chairman, Sir Joseph Arumemi-Ikhide to a meeting of select business partners in Montreal, Canada.
Sir Arumemi-Ikhide is one of just four partners of Bombardier Aerospace invited for the meeting which will dovetail into the Premier CSeries (Bombardier’s Next Generation aircraft) event in Charlevoix, Quebec from August 25 to August 29, 2012.
The meeting between Arik Air Chairman and Bombardier Aerospace led by the President of Bombardier Commercial Aircraft, Mr. Mike Arcamore, will seek to strengthen the existing business relationship between the two.
Key areas of collaboration such as establishment of maintenance facility, support services, training and exchange of personnel are some of the issues that will be discussed at the business meeting. Future aircraft order by Arik Air will also be on the agenda.
Arik Air and Bombardier Aerospace have a long standing business relationship dating back to 2006 when the airline took delivery of three brand new Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft, and Sir Arumemi-Ikhide’s visit is expected to further cement that relationship and discuss more areas of cooperation between the two organizations.
Arik Air is one of Bombardier’s biggest customers in Africa. The airline is the first airline in Africa to operate the Bombardier CRJ900 and the Q400 aircraft. Arik Air currently operates four CRJ900 and two Q400 aircraft.
Sir Arumemi-Ikhide and other invited guests are expected to arrive in Montreal, Canada on Saturday evening from where they will be flying to Charlevoix on board the versatile Q400 Next Generation aircraft, for two full days of activities and evenings.

http://nigerianaviationnews.blogspot.com/

Airlines, Sabre to improve intra-African flight connectivity written by Oyetunji Abioye (PUNCH)

The African Airlines Association has partnered Sabre Network Solutions, a United-States-based airline global distribution system company, to inaugurate an Africa Route Network Cooperation Task Force with the aim of increasing intra-African flight frequencies, improving connectivity and offering flexibility to travellers.

Travelling in Africa today is much easier and more convenient than it was a few years ago, thanks to the intra-African spread of some of the continent’s carriers.

But the frequency of flights is still limited and the daily spread concentrated at peak times only.

Many of the airlines do not align their schedules with each other, resulting in missed connections, long layovers at airports and sometimes extra costs incurred in accommodating passengers in hotels.

According to AFRAA’s monthly bulletin for July, many African carriers currently optimise their own network but have limited coordination with other African carriers.

The airline body, however, said that changing this trend to a more cooperative, results-driven approach through schedule optimisation and code-share would deliver significant incremental revenue and benefits for airlines.

The AFRAA said that tapping into the expertise of Sabre Airline Solutions it hoped to ensure that the African airlines route networks were integrated and aligned to allow operators to generate both incremental traffic and revenue at minimal costs.”

“Sabre Airline Solutions will act as the independent third party consultant for the airlines, ensuring that the project is fully implemented and the benefit realised. The consulting firm has experience in implementing similar network cooperation projects for airlines in the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean,” according to AFRAA.

According to the bulletin, the team from Sabre Airlines Solutions overseeing the implementation of this project include the Head of Sales – Middle-East and Africa, Anick Leger; Consulting Delivery Manager, Mark Hess; and Solution Partner – Middle-East and Africa, Annika Akerman.

The AFRAA bulletin listed some of the benefits to include growing flights connectivity between African cities and between Africa and other regions by coordinating each carrier frequencies, day of operation, and departure time; developing the airline schedule on markets where the carriers have small or limited exposure; adding new destinations under the airline own code without operating the route.

Others are improving aircraft utilisation and use aircraft resources in new markets; enhancing elapse time on beyond markets to increase carriers market share; analysing new market opportunities by specific carrier and potential partners; reviewing opportunities to seasonally reduce schedules between two or more carriers in common markets.

http://www.punchng.com/business/transport/airlines-sabre-to-improve-intra-african-flight-connectivity/

Local aircraft insurance: Foreign reinsurers introduce stringent conditions written by Nike Popoola (PUNCH)

The parlous state of the nation’s aviation sector is making foreign reinsurers to be strict with requests to provide cover for aircraft operating in the country, investigations have shown.

Currently, the foreign firms are responsible for reinsuring about 70 per cent of aircraft risks in the country, while local insurance companies underwrite 30 per cent.

However, our correspondent gathered that the reinsurers had developed cold feet about providing cover for jets operating in the country due to the industry’s history of air disasters.

Instead of embracing the reinsurance of the Nigerian-based aircraft as they used to do, the foreign firms have come up with stiff conditions that the indigenous airlines must meet before they can do business with them.

According to findings, some of the conditions are that the airlines will have to pay heavy premiums, improve the maintenance of their aircraft and provide better aviation infrastructure.

The local insurance companies, who are already facing hard times as they make provisions to commence the 2013 reinsurance treaties for the aircraft, have attributed the decision of their foreign partners to the poor rating of the local aviation industry, which has been categorised as highly risky following the recent crash of a Dana Air plane in Lagos.

It is a convention that the local insurance companies begin the search for foreign treaties to reinsure aircraft in their portfolio during the last quarter of every year and usually conclude such deals by December.

Investigations revealed that the local underwriters were worried by the latest development and were complaining of the stringent conditions set by the reinsuers.

The President, Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria, Dr. Wole Adetimehin, said as a result of the crash of the Dana aircraft, local insurers and their foreign reinsurers might be considering raising their premiums.

“When the time comes for companies to review their aviation insurance contracts, we expect a review of premium rates on the policies,” Adetimehim said.

This, according to him, will make the insurance of aircraft more expensive in the country.

The Managing Director, Anchor Insurance Company Limited, Mr. Ademayowa Adeduro, said aviation insurance business was usually done in the country through the African Aviation Pool being managed by Africa Reinsurance.

He said African underwriters usually contributed into the pool to enhance capacity on the continent.

According to him, local insurers usually have three months’ notice of cancellation or renewal of aviation treaties in order to provide insurance cover for aircraft operating in the country, a process that is usually completed before the end of the year.

Now that the local underwriters are beginning to look for foreign cover for the year 2013, Adeduro expressed worries about the poor rating of the local aviation industry by leasing companies, especially in the United States.

“The foreign reinsurers may raise their rates or withdraw their treaties. They may even tell you that there are no aviation treaties because the Nigerian aviation industry has been rated as highly risky,” he said.

According to him, the foreign underwriters will like to see improvement in maintenance of aircraft in the country and improved infrastructural facilities in the aviation sector.

Adeduro said that the age of the aircraft was, however, not a major consideration by the reinsurers.

Prestige Assurance Plc had led six other local insurance firms to insure 30 per cent of Dana Air’s risk in the country, while the remaining 70 per cent was reinsured abroad

The Managing Director, Prestige Assurance, Mr. Anand Mittal, said the company used to retain only 10 per cent of Dana’s risk in the country, but only recently increased it to 30 per cent because of the local content policy of the government.

http://www.punchng.com/business/business-economy/local-aircraft-insurance-foreign-reinsurers-introduce-stringent-conditions/

Boeing unveils action plan for Nigeria’s aviation sector written by Sade Williams (BUSINESSDAY)

Some relief may finally be coming the way of Nigerian airlines, as giant aircraft manufacturer, Boeing and Nigeria’s Ministry of Aviation broker an 8-point Programme of Action expected to transform the sector, especially the lot of the airlines.

The deal was brokered with a team of Nigerian officials on the Investors’ Roadshow to the United States, led by Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah and top management of Boeing Corporation of USA.

Under the programme, will play a major role in the establishment of Maintenance and Repair Organisations (MROs) in the country, establishment of Boeing Training Hub in Nigeria, carry out technical assessment of all aircraft operated by domestic airlines in the country, fleet renewal and acquisition programme for the airlines, and develop an aviation database for the country.

The deal is expected to ensure the repositioning of Nigeria’s aviation sector as the reference point on all aviation matters in Africa, through a systematic approach that will enhance and sustain the nation’s safety record, develop the local industry as the hub on the continent and structure it as a major engine of growth for the nation’s economy.

The scope of the deal also covers the development of an Integrated Air Navigation System (based on PBN), Optimisation System Support for airports and airlines, as well as assessing existing spare parts and material marts in Nigeria, with a view to proposing a business partnership case for the establishment of an integrated spare parts super market in the country.

Under the technical assessment of aircraft operated by the domestic airlines programme, the action plan indicates that Boeing will assess the technical and operational conditions of all aircraft operated in the country and advise the ministry on measures that will ensure sustainable safety in the nation’s airspace. This includes a comprehensive assessment of the mechanical, technical, electrical, avionics and other components of all commercial aircraft, through physical inspection of the aircraft, and reporting of findings.

Boeing is also to provide a diagnostic kit for Early Warning Systems (EWS) on the physical and operational conditions of domestic carriers, and provide a check list for mitigating systems collapse. It will also assess the existing fleet capacity of domestic carriers and propose an appropriate model for fleet acquisition, management and renewal.

On the MROs, Boeing is to carry out a comprehensive assessment of all existing MRO platforms in Nigeria and report on their capacities in relation to all classes of mandatory maintenance checks, propose partnership models for the establishment of an integrated MRO platform for mandatory checks, up to C-Checks, and advise on infrastructural and operational requirements, to mitigate short-comings.

In order to achieve the ambition of making Nigeria a training hub on the continent and enhancing the capacity of the industry in the country, Boeing is to carry out an assessment of training facilities and operational capacity of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) Zaria, the capacity gaps in all its programmes, its operational capacity in relation to all categories of training requirements for all classes of airline services in Nigeria, and propose appropriate training curricula to be adopted by NCAT for all categories of training, amongst others.

Boeing, whose team was led by Lawrence Polliver, Director of Sales (Africa) expressed satisfaction with the ministry’s roadmap for the revival of the aviation industry in Nigeria, and declared its readiness to collaborate on the 8-point programme of action for repositioning the sector as the aviation hub on the continent.

http://www.businessdayonline.com/NG/index.php/news/76-hot-topic/43211-boeing-unveils-action-plan-for-nigerias-aviation-sector

Bombardier to partner Nigeria on aviation written by kelvin Osa okunbor (The Nation)

Bombardier, the Canadian-based third largest aircraft manufacturer in the world has expressed its readiness to partner the Ministry of Aviation in the establishment of a Repair, Maintenance Overhaul (MRO) facility in Nigeria.

The company has also agreed to work out modalities with the Nigerian aviation authorities to facilitate the acquisition of new aircraft by domestic airline operators .

Vice President, Public Affairs, Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility of the company, Helen Gagnon spoke yesterday in Montreal, Canada, when the company’s   management team received a delegation from the Ministry of Aviation, led by the Minister, Princess Stella Oduah at the company’s facility in Canada. 

Gagnon said Bombardier is very pleased with the visit of the delegation and the willingness of the Nigerian government to work with the company.

He said the establishment of an MRO facility in Nigeria holds huge potential for aircraft manufacturers because of the ready market in West African.

http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/news/58030-bombardier-to-partner-nigeria-on-aviation.html

Passenger traffic rises at airport ahead of Sallah written by Precious Igbonwelundu and Fisayo Ige( The Nation)

The domestic wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport and the General Aviation Terminal were a beehive yesterday. Passengers, many of who are travelling to celebrate Eid-El-Fitri outside Lagos, thronged the airport for flights.
At the domestic terminal the passengers were seen on long queues waiting to board their flights. Others came to buy tickets in advance.

A passenger, Alhaji Zaha Sanusi, said he just returned from Saudi Arabia where he performed the lesser hajj, adding that he returned to celebrate Eid-El-Fitri with  his family. 
He said he took Emirate flight while coming from Saudi Arabia and was preparing to take another flight to Kano for 2:00pm with IRS airline.

Sanusi said: “I went for the lesser hajj in Saudi Arabia and now I am back in the country because I want to celebrate Eid-El-Fitri with my family.”
Another passenger, Mr. Jones Otoh, who was travelling to Benin with Aero Airlines, said he was surprised at the traffic at the airport.
“Today seems to be very busy as it is a bit difficult because of the traffic at the airport. I am travelling to Benin City not necessarily for the Muslim celebration because it is obvious that the passenger traffic today is high” he said.

There has been considerable decline in passenger traffic on all domestic routes, in recent time following the June 3 Dana aircrash.
Airlines that currently fly in Nigeria include Arik Air, Aero Airlines, IRS Airlines and Associated Aviation as well as Overland Airways.
http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/news/58026-passenger-traffic-rises-at-airport-ahead-of-sallah.html

Aircraft lease rises as lessors classify Nigeria ‘high-risk’ nation written by Wole Shadare (The Guardian)

IT is another tough era for operators in the Nigerian aviation sector as wary international aircraft lessors have classified the country among “high-risk nations” for doing business.
The ‘strange status’ for the country is linked to the Sunday, June 3, 2012 crash involving Dana Air’s Flight 0992 in Lagos.
The Guardian learnt that due to the air mishap which claimed the lives of passengers and crew members, major aircraft leasing firms such as GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS), International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC), Cab Tree and Aercap have raised lease on aircraft to Nigerian airlines by over 40 per cent and with a plan to hike it to 50 per cent soon.
Prior to the Dana accident, a B737-500, which was leased for $120, 000, now attracts $200, 000 monthly.
For the new generation airplanes that are in high demand and popularly referred to as Next Gen (that is aircraft below 15 years), the lease, according to airline operators, has risen to $280,000 per month from $160,000.
Some airline chiefs, who spoke with The Guardian on the development, lamented that coupled with the declining passenger traffic, it has become very difficult for them to cope.
The lease remained stable from 2006 to June this year following near impeccable safety recorded in the aviation industry.
Added to this, is the belief in the international aviation sector that Nigerian operators lack skills in negotiating for aircraft lease; which has led to most airlines to be on the receiving end. Most local airlines are said to lack the ability to understand minimum flight hour and engine cycles for aircraft under lease.
Also, the dwindling of the sector, particularly the fortunes of the carriers, has equally made lease rentals to be on the high side because the foreign firms do not trust Nigerian operators enough with their equipment.
Currently, just three airlines among the hitherto big carriers are operating. Air Nigeria was over two months ago grounded over insolvency and safety issues. Dana Air remains grounded after the tragic accident that claimed over 153 persons, while First Nation Airlines has ferried its aircraft to Europe for mandatory maintenance checks. The airline is expecting its A320 airplanes back in the country.
The new high cost of lease is expected to affect the whole fiscal operations of the airlines, as they now find it difficult to buy fuel, pay workers’ salaries and still have enough operating cash.
GECAS is responsible for the leasing of aircraft and associated equipment to airlines. The firm buys aircraft from manufacturers like Airbus and Boeing and leases to airlines on three to five-year leases, usually on dry lease contracts. It also buys aircraft from airlines and leases them to others.
The primary competitor to GECAS is ILFC, but other companies such as Aviation Capital Group, AerCap, Babcock, Brown Aircraft Management and RBS Aviation Capital are also active in the industry.
GECAS is the largest aircraft lessor in the world by fleet size, according to the 2005 Air-finance Journal Operating Lessor Survey.
A representative of GECAS in Africa, who spoke with The Guardian on the hike in aircraft lease, hinted that a lot of things were taken into consideration before the company took the action. He listed them as asset value of Nigerian airlines and national risk assessment of the country, volatility of policies, state of the airports and fire tenders, which according to him, were adjudged to be inadequate in Nigeria.
The official, who preferred anonymity, said the only option left to lessors in the face of failure by operators to abide by the contract for release of airplanes to them was for them to repossess their equipment, which he said, could be a herculean task, despite the Cape Town Convention which Nigeria is a signatory.
On several occasions, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had intervened in the repossession of aircraft by the lessors, as such cases have ended up in courts, but with Nigeria as a signatory to the Cape Town Convention, which makes it a guarantor to the carriers, it becomes very easy for the leasing firms to get back their airplanes after a default by the carriers.
According to the firm’s chief, “some Nigerian operators have been less than honourable in meeting their obligations.”
The Managing Director of IRS Airlines, Yemi Dada, told The Guardian that the operating environment, insecurity, coupled with the crash of Dana plane had adversely led to high insurance premium.
He added that these risk factors put the operators in a disadvantaged position during negotiation with the aircraft owners, stressing that an operator can negotiate a lease rate with what is obtainable in Europe, but lamented that the conditions attached outside the lease agreement make it very complex.
His words: “The implication is that the operators pay higher for the leased aircraft. It equally has implications on fares and increase cost components. It is either the operators want to absorb it or it goes up on ticket fares.”
The Assistant Secretary-General of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), Muhammed Tukur, attributed the high cost to statements and actions from the Ministry of Aviation, which he said helped to fuel insinuations that the country was not safe for aviation business.
The situation, he disclosed, led to high insurance premium on aircraft and lease rentals by insurers and lessors.
According to Tukur, “the Dana crash exposed the government. Comments by government, especially the Ministry of Aviation, people who do not know anything about aviation and the panel, set up by government to investigate the cause of Dana crash without following the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) procedures created fear in the minds of these firms.
“The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) is the only one recognised by law to investigate accidents. ICAO, the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) were scandalised and the public hearing by the Senate further compounded the situation and these companies could no longer trust our system with the revelations that came out of the hearings.”
The AON scribe said aircraft lease had gone up by 50 per cent, adding that the best way to regain the country’s aviation reputation was to ensure that all airlines comply with the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) programme, adding that interference by the Aviation Ministry had further compounded the job of the NCAA.
The IOSA programme is an internationally recognised and accepted evaluation system designed to assess the operational management and control systems of an airline. It uses internationally recognised quality audit principles and is designed to conduct audits in a standardised and consistent manner. It was created in 2003 by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the clearing house for global airlines.
The auditing standards have been developed in collaboration with various regulatory authorities, such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the USA, Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority, Transport Canada and the Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA).
The Director-General of NCAA, Dr. Harold Demuren, had said that all Nigerian airlines must now be IOSA compliant. Apart from Air Nigeria, no Nigerian carrier is IOSA certified.
http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=95864:aircraft-lease-rises-as-lessors-classify-nigeria-high-risk-nation&catid=1:national&Itemid=559

Dana disputes AIB report on crashed plane’s pilot written byAde Adesomoju and Ayomikun Abiola (Punch)

Dana Air has disputed the claim in the preliminary report of the Accident Investigation Bureau that the pilot who flew its plane which crashed on June 3 in Iju-Ishaga, Lagos State, started flying for the company in late May.

The flight duration accrued by the deceased pilot within the period he flew for Dana has been the subject of controversy, with some saying it was a breach of the standard of International Civil Aviation Organisation.

Dana Air Director of Flight Operations, Mr. Edward Wilson, on Wednesday, said at a Coroner court in Ikeja that contrary to AIB’s claim, the 55-year-old pilot, who was employed by the company on March 14, 2012, “was released to fly as a captain for the company on May 1, 2012″.

AIB’s preliminary report on the crash says the pilot accrued over 120 hours from late May to June 3, 2012, the day he died in his last flight.

However, a former Nigeria Airways pilot, Tito Omaghomi, in his testimony at the proceedings of August 9, alleged that accruing over 120 flight hours within a period of about 13 days was a breach of ICAO standard.

Omaghomi told the Coroner, Mr. Oyatade Komolafe, that the ICAO standard stipulates that a pilot can only fly for a maximum of 100 hours within 30days.

Wilson, who was led in evidence by, Chief Bolaji Ayorinde, said it was “impossible” to accrue over 120 hours within the period as stated in AIB’s report.

According to him, if late May were to mean a period from May 20, it will mean the pilot flew “for about 11 hours everyday which is impossible”.

The cross-examination of the witness was adjourned till September 3, upon request by some counsel that they needed the transcript of his testimony.

Earlier, one of Dana’s maintenance personnel, Mr. Lawrence Edekobi, during cross-examination, said he was not a “technician” as being addressed by the lawyers.

Edekobi insisted that he was an engineer by the virtue of his certification by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority as an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer. This is despite his admission that he did not have a university degree in engineering and that he was not a member of Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria.

He said neither the possession of a university degree in Engineering nor membership of COREN was a requirement for certification as an engineer in the aviation industry.

The witness said he obtained ‘CT and Guilds’ in Electrical Engineering from Government Technical College, Onitsha; attended Nigeria Airforce Technical Institute where he obtained a certificate in aircraft maintenance; and later joined the Airforce as a technician in 1981.

http://www.punchng.com/news/dana-disputes-aib-report-on-crashed-planes-pilot/

Ethiopian Airlines to save cost on fuel, acquires 787 Dreamliner written by Doyin Adeoti (Businessday)

Ethiopian Airlines, which also operates daily flights into Lagos, has taken delivery of Africa’s first Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

The 787, which so far is operated only by two Japanese airlines, is Boeing most advanced plane. It is made out of lighter, composite material-50 percent of the plane is carbon fibre, allowing airlines to save on fuel costs.

The Airline says the aircraft will first be used around routes on the Continent. It added that the Plane’s maiden flight is to carry 250 select customers and VIPs, who will fly around Mount Kilimanjaro on the Tanzania-Kenya border.

“We are really excited to become the first carrier in Africa, Europe, Americas and Middle East to operate this modern aircraft,” Ethiopian Airlines chief executive, Tewolde Gebremariam, said.

Ethiopian Air will put the 787 on its African routes first on Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe before it flies to other international destinations, such as Washington, D.C.

“This is a game-changer aircraft. It will completely change how people travel across the globe. Not only will we enjoy a 20 percent reduction in fuel cost, it is environmentally friendly with less carbon emission than any other similarly sized aircraft,” Tewolde said.

http://www.businessdayonline.com/NG/index.php/aviation/42876-ethiopian-airlines-to-save-cost-on-fuel-acquires-787-dreamliner

Airports’ safety projects suffer as road-show, remodeling gain priority written by Sade Williams(Businessday)

As part of the remodelling project of the Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah, some airport terminal buildings are being renovated.

Akin Olukunle, spokesman for Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), said the aims are to change the obsolete infrastructure at the 22 airports managed by FAAN as well as turn around the fortunes of the aviation industry in consonance with the Transformation Agenda of the President Goodluck Jonathan Administration.

A visit to, at least, domestic and international wings of the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA) in Lagos showed this, even though the project is receiving so many criticisms because of the alleged illegal use of $70 million from the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) account for the project.

At the site of many of the reconstruction works, there are no dates of completion, no contractor names, among other vital information.

“Rather than wasting $60 million from the BASA fund as recently alleged on airport terminal remodelling, government should give these airports out as concessions to private institutions and airlines to develop as public private partnership and there are many of them willing to take up these airports as commercial challenges,” John Ojikutu, a retired Airforce group captain, said.

While the road show by Stella Oduah in three countries: China, United States of America and Canada, to woo investors into the planned Aerotropolis project, the runway 19 Left lighting system had remained abandoned for over five years.

The non-completion of this runway lighting system is a serious safety issue and the reason for diverting all air traffic to the international runway 19 Right after sunset thereby causing increasing delays of air traffic in the holding on the ground for departing traffic and in the air for arriving traffic.

“Some major safety concern one would expect government to seriously pay attention to instead of the wasteful spending of public money is the runway lights. Aside from causing air misses, such delays which are additional cost to the airlines on fuel consumption could result to avoidable emergency situations if the delays are longer than necessary,” Ojikutu noted.

Additionally, experts have identified that the provision of Emergency Operating Centers, Pilots Briefing Rooms for the four international airports and the deployment of Doppler Weather Radars in the country which were part of the infrastructure that were planned to be funded with part of the first intervention fund have been abandoned, and there is nothing to suggest that there are plans to have them revisited.

Apart from the foregoing, there are concerns too on the porosity of airport perimeter fences which are daily challenging the effectiveness of the National Civil Aviation Security Program (NCASP).

“There were cases of aircraft being controlled to land on closed runway and others being cleared to land when herds of cattle were crossing the runway. There are still unresolved cases of aircraft accident investigation for well over six years when there are some beliefs rightly or wrongly that the air and ground services providers negligence are the causes of the accident.

These are some of the reasons why foreign airlines provide enhanced secondary security screening at extra cost which they pass over to the first and club classes’ passengers traveling from Nigeria.

Recently Aero management cried out that it lost over $103 million to poor airport facilities occasioned by long time neglect by government.

A major instance cited by the airline is the absence of runway lights at Lagos airport.

Akinlawon George, its managing director said the situation had eaten deep into the finance of the company, adding that there is need to overhaul airport facilities.

He said the situation which automatically resulted into lack of night operations, also shrinks their businesses. At some airports, the runway lights fail, especially when pilots are about descending.

This also leads them to divert to alternate airports.

“Airport infrastructure needs to be overhauled, lack of runway lights in Lagos alone costs Aero N60 million in a year; lack of night operations at the other airports is a loss of $35 million; lack of lighting of taxiways means a drastic reduction in safety of passengers and failure of Runway lights at Lagos, Abuja Enugu and Calabar has cost aero an additional N4million in 2012 alone,” George said.

He said FAAN has not done enough on wildlife control at airports, adding that between January and June this year, the airline lost over $8 million to bird strikes which had impacted on aircraft engines and blades.

Ojikutu lamented that the deficiencies are some of the risks associated with the operation of the industry that call for urgent attention than the airport terminal remodelling.

“These risks are part of the reasons why none of the airports, including the premier ones at Lagos and Abuja, have not been certified or licensed safe in spite of Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority regulations and oversight programmes rated as category One by the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

“Government should therefore concentrate its energy and the resources of BASA on these challenges and the regulations for the development of the industry to meet best practices or international standards,” Ojikutu said.

http://www.businessdayonline.com/NG/index.php/aviation/42877-airports-safety-projects-suffer-as-road-show-remodeling-gain-priority

Govt terminates N23bn hotel project at Lagos airport written by Wole Shadare(The Guardian)

THE Federal Government has terminated the $146 million (N23 billion) four-star hotel project, which was to have been constructed in front of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) terminal, over alleged non-performance by the concessionaires for the scheme.
The project, being handled by Terminal Zero Nigeria Limited, was started in 2005 during the administration of Professor Babalola Borisade as Minister of Aviation.
In its place, the site for the hotel project will now be re-modelled as a multi-storey car park.
Spokesman of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Akin Olukunle, who made the disclosure exclusively to The Guardian over the weekend, however stated that in re-awarding the contract, due process would be followed to ensure that work starts in earnest.
The current makeshift car park at the airport has been assessed to be inadequate and lacks adequate security for users.
At MMIA and Port Harcourt Internatinal Airport, receiving incoming passengers has been a harrowing experience, with those awaiting their arrivals being made to stand outside the terminal buildings, which have no good waiting facilities.
Most users of the airport also told The Guardian that the indiscriminate and illegal parking of vehicles in the area, especially by government officials, has accentuated their pains, while seeing-off or welcoming passengers.
Worse still, the premium portion of the current car park has been allocated to some government officials and multinational companies, with others pushed to the remote part of the facility, even when the favoured allocated area was not being patronised.
The car park itself is a den of beggars, touts and currency dealers, a very unbefitting feature for an international airport trying to ‘compete’ with the best airports in the world.
The Managing Director of Terminal Zero Limited, Gbenga Obadina, recently said the company was given the mandate to commence the construction of the four-star hotel at the airport.
Obadina explained that the project was 100 per cent private sector initiative on “our part and our partners,” stressing that a couple of investors were involved in the project.
He said: “When we got here, the old car park had about 600 parking slots. We were to build about 2,000 capacity at the current parking facility, which we believe to be futuristic, in addition to the hotel project”.
A source close to the firm however, denied the allegation of non-performance leveled against it by FAAN, adding that the bottlenecks put on its path by the aviation agency was the reason for the slow pace of work.
The official, who preferred anonymity, said the project promoter had scaled the environmental impact assessment hurdle of FAAN and was prepared to spend $146 million (about N23 billion) on the construction of the four-star and a car park within the vicinity.
When completed, the project was expected to ease travellers’ accommodation pains, while the promoter was said to have assured that the edifice would eventually change the outlook of the airport on completion.
He said the hotel, which was expected to have 400 rooms, would be called Terminal Zero Holiday Inn on completion, stressing that it was in line with situation in other international airports, such as Heathrow Airport in London and Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris, France where five star hotels are situated within the airport premises.
http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=95420:govt-terminates-n23bn-hotel-project-at-lagos-airport&catid=31:business&Itemid=562

Major African Airlines Move to Dominate W’African Market written By Chinedu Eze( Thisday)

Successful African airlines like Ethiopia Airlines, Kenya Airways and South Africa Airways (SAA) are trying to take over the lucrative West African air transport market long dominated by Nigerian airlines.

To actualise this objective, the airlines floated regional carriers with operating hubs in West or Central Africa.

Ethiopia Airlines few years ago, funded the establishment of Asky, which has its operating hub in Lome, Benin Republic, while Kenya has 49 per cent stake in Precision Air, which is based in Tanzania and is aiming to come into West African market.

South Africa Airways has stakes in RwandAir, which is already operating into Lagos and intends to expand its network in the sub-region.

West Africa is the only sub region in West Africa that does not have dominant national carrier since the demise of Nigeria Airways, Air Afrique and Ghana’s national airline.

The sub region has huge travelling market that is open to new and old airlines that can make successful inroad.

Nigeria leads the market with 14.6 million frequent flyers and a throng of business men and woman who travel to Asia, Europe, North America and other parts of the world and each of these airlines is eager to take a chunk of this market: operate into some West African cities and eventually make it to Lagos or Abuja.

To strengthen this effort, an airline known as Fast Jet owned by a Greek entrepreneur has started operating in Ghana from where it hopes to extend its tentacles to Nigeria and other parts of the sub region.

Ecobank partnering with investors has planned establishing an airline known as Ecowas Airways, which is planned to network its routes in West Africa, but THISDAY learnt that there was a plan to hijack it by Asky, which would have metamorphosed to Ecowas Airways, with Ethiopia remaining its major stakeholder.

That effort was scuttled, THISDAY learnt when the biggest Nigerian airline in a crucial meeting recently vehemently opposed it, insisting that an airline from East Africa cannot establish such airline in West Africa and suggested that airlines in the sub-region should get together and establish the airline.

Meanwhile, Fast Jet, which was begat from an airline that operated in many parts of Africa known as Fly 540 is aiming to dominate West Africa and using Accra, Ghana as its hub; the airline plans to extend its operations to Nigeria.

Unfortunately, Nigerian airlines which have most of the advantages as the carriers of the most populated country in the sub region have their competitive edge blunted by inimical government regulations, including high cost of aircraft and parts importation, high charges, high cost of aviation fuel, high taxes and exorbitant interest rate on credit facilities.

These have crippled their ability to dominant the sub region and beyond and government seemed unperturbed about denying its airlines such huge advantage.
http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/major-african-airlines-move-to-dominate-w-african-market

Chinese Firms Scramble to Invest in Nigeria’s Aviation Sector written byChinedu Eze(Thisday0

Recognising Nigeria as huge investment opportunity with unquantifiable returns on investment, Chinese investors are eagerly accepting the Federal Government’s call investment in the aviation and other sectors of the economy.

Seeing such beckoning response the Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah who was in China as part of the Aviation Ministry investment road show, has redefined the investment model for entrepreneurs and organisations wishing to do business in the aviation industry.

The minister told the Chinese Business Community that all projects contained in the investment baskets currently being marketed through the Investors' Roadshow are to be executed under the Contractor-financed Business Model and not through concessioning or the Public Private Partnership (PPP) business model as obtained in the past.

The minister who made the position of government known during the Investors' Forum in Beijing, China said the Ministry was looking for investors who are interested in investing in the Nigeria Aerotropolis Cities and the aviation sector in general who would partner with Nigerian indigenous investors in growing the aviation industry in the country.

She explained that government was "actually looking for is contractor-financed investors who can finance the projects while the government provides the enabling environment; we are looking for investors that can have Joint Ventures with our local, indigenous companies where together, they can contractor-finance the various projects".

Meanwhile, China's state-owned construction giant, China State Construction Engineering Corporation Ltd (CSCEC) has given its commitment and readiness to invest in the development of Nigeria's aviation sector, especially the construction of Aerotropolis within the major international airports in Nigeria.

Overseas Operations Vice President of the Corporation, Yu Zhende who made the pledge at the headquarters of the corporation in Beijing, China during a visit by the delegation from the Aviation Ministry, said Nigeria is a major country in Africa hence the development of her aviation sector would establish the country as a major hub on the African continent.

Yu Zhende said a delegation from CSCEC would soon visit Nigeria to study and deliberate more on the concept of Aerotropolis development, and expressed the readiness of the company to sign an agreement and mobilise to site as soon as the Nigerian and Chinese governments arrived at a compromise.

"We will send a delegation to Nigeria to conceptualise this project, subsequently we will work with the Chinese government to finance this project", Zhende stated, adding that it would take the support of both governments to actualize the project but "we will move as fast as the Nigerian government wants us to move".

He assured that financing the project would not pose any serious challenge for the Chinese government once an agreement was reached.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/chinese-firms-scramble-to-invest-in-nigeria-s-aviation-sector/122242/

Aircraft age reduction does not guarantee air safety written by Wole Shadare (The Guardian)

THE recent proposal by the Federal Government to reduce aircraft age operating in the country to 15 years was one that was taken in panic.
Each time there is a crash; the first thing the Minister of Aviation does is to phase out airplanes considered as getriatric.
The government had, in the wake of Sosoliso, Bellview and ADC crashes in 2005 and 2006 barred aircraft that were 22 years old. They argued that age, rather than maintenance led to the crashes even when investigations were yet to be carried out.
What happened eventually? BAC 1-11, B727, DC 9, B737-300 and others were phased out and the operators lost considerable amount of money.
The reports however did not put the crashes to the age of airplanes, rather, it  blamed bad weather (wind shear) for both Sosoliso and ADC crashes, while the report of Bellview is yet to be made public.
The crash of Dana’s MD 83 aircraft in Iju Ishaga penultimate month equally forced government to take a very hasty decision to say invariably that the cause of the crash was as a result of old age. This is presumptuous, as the preliminary report of Accident Investigation Bureau did not say that the crash of the American built airplane was as a result of its age. Another bad policy coming from bad advisers if one may say.
Reduction of the age of aircraft fleet does not guarantee safety. Record shows that British Airways B777 on January 17, 2008, heading for London Heathrow Airport belly-landed on the airfield. The aircraft was six years old.
The same for Air France’s A330 that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on June 1, 2009 killing all onboard. The airplane was four years old.
Also, an Airbus 330 belonging to Afriqiyah crahed, killing all on board. The plane was 8 months old.
Same goes for Asiana Airlines that had its five year old aircraft crashed on July 28, 2011, killing all the passengers.
In Africa, Nigeria is the second largest country with an aircraft fleet above 15 years of age. While, Ethiopia, Morocco and Egypt appear to have smaller amount of aircraft above 15 years, the countries have also benefitted from strong national, flag carriers and government support. They also have significantly domestic traffic compared to Nigeria.
Currently, there are 26, 508 aircraft captured across the various continents with 59 per cent of aircraft above 15 years of age. Oceania tops the list with 82 per cent of its aircraft above 15 years.
While Oceania still tops the list of continents with aircraft above 15 years of age, North America ranks second within the list of FAA approved Category One countries.
In Asia, you have a number of oil and resource rich countries that have government backed fleet renewal programme for their national or flag carriers, with little or no domestic traffic.
In Europe, you have very strong fleet renewal support from aircraft manufacturers, there are incentives from the European Union and access to favourable financing terms from lessors, especially Western European countries.
In South America, most countries operate predominantly 15 years and older aircraft, with the exception of Brazil and Chile, both of which benefit from EOM and government backed national or flag carrier support.
It would be recalled that India lost its Category One aviation status with 89 per cent (355) of its aircraft below 15 years and 11 per cent (43) above 15 years.
The Ministry of Aviation should know that sustenance of Cat one is not based on the age of aircraft.
Accidents are not limited to older aircraft alone. Data shows no correlation between aircraft age and propensity for or predisposition to accidents.
Infact, more so called “never” aircraft (less than 20 years) have been involved in fatal crashes in the last five years than older aircraft (greater than 20 years).
With all the major fatal crashes that have occurred in the last five years globally, it is interesting to point out that none of the carriers have had their AOC suspended or revoked. Virtually, all are still operating and flying today with the exception of Spanair, due to bankruptcy.
http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=95028:aircraft-age-reduction-does-not-guarantee-air-safety&catid=32:business-travel&Itemid=563

Dana crash victims’ relation accuses airline of insincerity written by by Agency Reporter(Punch)

A relation of one of the victims of the June 3 Dana plane crash, Mr. Ogbonnanta Uwaeme, has said the management of the airline is not sincere and sensitive to the demands for payment of compensation.
Over 153 passengers, crew and persons on the ground died when a Dana Air flight from Abuja to Lagos crashed into four buildings in Iju-Ishaga area of Lagos State.
Uwaeme told newsmen at the Lekan Ogunsola Memorial Mortuary, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital that Dana officials were trying to frustrate the payment of the compensation through unnecessary bureaucratic processes, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.
Uwaeme, who lost nine family members, expressed bitterness at the entire process of claiming the money.
“I am extremely bitter about the airline because Dana is doing some funny things. They are not being considerate.
“They are not thinking about the trauma they have already caused people.
“Look at the compensation they said they want to pay to relatives, just $30,000 or about N4.8 million?
“The normal amount of compensation should be a minimum of $100,000 or about N1.6 billion. But this is not what we are getting,” he said.
He said Dana would not allow the victims’ relatives to show the compensation form to their lawyers.
He regretted that the airline’s officials insisted that relatives must sign and return the form at its office.
“If you bring a lawyer there, you will see how Dana lawyers will start behaving. Something is not right, so we are appealing to the Federal Government to defend us in that area.
“The most important thing is not even the compensation. What we are interested in is that there shall be no further loss of lives due to carelessness,” he added.
Uwaeme appealed to the Federal Government to put measures in place to ensure justice for those concerned.
He lauded the efforts of the Lagos State Government on the DNA processes, urging other family members to be patient with the procedures.
“The best thing that has happened after the unfortunate crash is the DNA test. With the DNA, you know you are taking the bodies of your relatives, not someone else’s.
“The DNA results, I understand, were done abroad. They said they are still working on some other results.
“We know what the best practice is and we are all civilised people and the world is moving away from mass burial. This is perfect,” he stated.
http://www.punchng.com/news/dana-crash-victims-relation-accuses-airline-of-insincerity

ICAO scores Nigeria’s aviation safety oversight high written by by Agency Reporter (Punch)

The International Civil Aviation Organisation has scored the safety oversight carried out by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority high.

The global aviation community has continued to rise in support of Nigeria in the wake of the tragic Dana Air accident of June 3, 2012.

ICAO said it was satisfied with the safety oversight functions of the NCAA.

ICAO’s President, Mr. Roberto Gonzalez, gave the commendation in an online letter accessed by our correspondent.

“Nigeria is one of the 13 countries, out of the 54 in Africa, whose Level of Effective Implementation of the critical elements of ICAO safety oversight is above the world average,’’ Gonzalez said in the memo.

The critical elements are legislation, regulation, organisation, technical staff and training, technical guidance and tools, licensing, certification, approval, continuous surveillance and resolution of safety concerns.

Gonzalez noted that the NCAA had established and implemented the elements in a consistent way, scoring 86 per cent in compliance during the audit conducted by ICAO officials.

The endorsement was reaffirmed by ICAO President, Roberto Kobe Gonzales, while addressing African Aviation Ministerial Conference on Aviation Safety in Abuja in July.

Also, similar affirmation came from Director-General of the 240-member IATA, Mr. Tony Tyler; Airports Council International; and the Under Secretary of the United States Department of Transportation; and Flight Safety Foundation who all commended the regulatory agency at the conference.

It would be recalled that the International Air Transport Association and ICAO in July also expressed confidence in the competence of the NCAA.

http://www.punchng.com/business/transport/icao-scores-nigerias-aviation-safety-oversight-high/

Dana Air pilot acted unprofessionally - Captain Tito Written by Shola Adekola and Yejide Gbenga-Ogundare(Nigerian Tribune)

WITH the release of the preliminary report on the cause of the Dana Air crash at Iju/Ishaga, Lagos, National President, Concerned Aviation Professionals (CAP), Captain Tito Omaghomi, on Tuesday, said that the pilot of the ill-fated aircraft acted unprofessionally.

Omaghomi, a former pilot with the defunct Nigeria Airways Limited (NAL), made this assertion while speaking to newsmen on issues in the aviation sector. He said the profile of the pilot of the crashed plane should be traced to know how he got 120 hours of flight time between the time he was employed and when the plane crashed on May 3, 2012.

“He was employed by Dana Air on March 14,  2012. He began flying line operations for the company in late May 2012 and had since accrued over 120 hours of flight time,” Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) had said.

Comparing it with the pilot hour of what obtained in NAL, Omaghomi said that for a pilot to become a captain in NAL, he must have flown 6,000 hours.
He argued that from the little released by the AIB, it was clear that both the captain and the first officer acted unprofessionally by not using the normal check list and not telling Nigerians when they lost the first engine.

He said, “the pilot did not use the check list. They acted unprofessionally. It was like a cowboy operation.”
While noting that the greatest emergency that could happen was the loss of cabin pressure, the former NAL pilot said the handling of the Dana Air plane crash was the most unprofessional  that he had ever known, adding however, that if the rescue operation was handled properly, there was every tendency that lives would have been saved.

AIB, he said, had nothing to hide as far as the Dana Air plane crash was concerned, stating that some of the facts at the site of the crash were tampered with by the crowd that rushed to the site after the accident, attributing the development to ignorance.

According to him, “emergency does not kill. It is the action or inaction that kills.”
On the report released by the Group Captain John Obakpolor-led nine-man committee, the former NAL  captain said that there was  credibility issue with some of the members.

According to him, when he heard about the committee and some of the members, he advised Group Captain Obakpolor and Captain Mfon Udom to resign because they did  not have the moral justification to be in the committee but they did not listen.
He explained that Obakpolor was a contract staff with the NCAA while Udom was a management staff of the Airline Development Company (ADC), an airline that could not pay compensation when its aircraft crashed in 2006.

Meanwhile, a witness in the ongoing coroner inquest into the cause of the Dana Air crash, Mr Kayode Ajiboye, on Tuesday, while giving testimony stated that it was another aircraft belonging to Dana Airline that once had hydraulic pressure problem.
Ajiboye, who is the General Manager of Air Worthiness, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), gave this information while testifying before Magistrate Alexander Oyetade Komolafe at the resumed hearing of the inquest at the Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja.

While answering questions from lawyers at the inquest, he explained that the incident happened before the June 3, 2012 crash of Dana aircraft involving the plane with registration number 5N-RAM, explaining that it was the aircraft with registration number 5N-SRI that had hydraulic problem.
According to him, contrary to the views in some quarters, the aircraft that crashed was not the one that lost hydraulic pressure while air-borne, explaining that the aircraft with registration number 5N-SRI  was on return trip to Lagos from Uyo when it lost hydraulic pressure in the air on May 10, 2012.
It was his testimony that due to this problem, the plane had to be quickly cleared ahead of others, to make emergency landing on arrival in Lagos, adding that some of the passengers in the plane later called the Consumer Protection Department of  NCAA to complain about the state of the aircraft, including the failed air conditioner.

Ajiboye explained further that the plane was, however, taken for repairs at My-Technic Company Limited, Turkey, an aircraft maintenance and servicing company. He added that the Dana Air plane that crashed on June 3, 2012 was serviced and that a flight check was carried out on it on June 2, 2012.
It was also his testimony that the plane did not show any sign of problems during the flightcheck, adding that this was why it was scheduled for flights for the following day.

According to him, on the day of the crash, the plane still made three take-offs and two landings and that it was on the return trip to make the third landing that it crashed at Iju/Ishaga, Lagos.
Another witness, Mr Alistair Morrison, who is the Managing Director of SO Aviation Fuel Limited, a subsidiary of Sahara Group of Companies, informed the coroner that his company supplied 4,000 litres of aviation fuel to Dana Airline between 5.00 p.m. and 6.00 p.m. on June 2, 2012 in Abuja.
Morrison, who also confirmed that his company supplies aviation fuel to both local and international airlines, stated that, “on the average, we fuel about eight airlines per day, all receiving fuel from the same tankage. SO Aviation does about 50 fueling daily nationwide and all the airlines receive fuel from the same batch of fuel.”
http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/front-page-news/45503-dana-air-pilot-acted-unprofessionally-captain-tito