Appointment of new head of aviation regulatory agency confirmed

Nigeria's upper legislative chamber, the Senate, has confirmed the appointment of Mr. Fola Akinkuotu as

the Director-General of the regulatory Nigeria Civil AviationAuthority (NCAA).

Wednesday's confirmation came over three months after he was appointed by President Goodluck Jonathan

and his name forwarded to the Senate for confirmation, the local media reported Thursday.

Mr. Akinkuotu,who until his appointment was the rector, International Aviation College in the central city of

Ilorin, succeeds Dr. Harold Demuren.
http://www.afriquejet.com/news/8576-nigeria-appointment-of-new-head-of-aviation-regulatory-agency.html

Source:AfriqueJet | News Informations

Power failure in Nigerian airports will be history by 2014- Minister

The Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, on Thursday at the 2013 ministerial platform said that power failure in airports will be a history by mid 2014.

She said the aviation industry will provides two million direct employments following the emergence of aerotropolis projects.

Aerotropolis is a plan where an economy is centered around an existing airport.
“The aerotropolis airport city projects we are working on will create two million direct employments to Nigerians,” Ms. Oduah said.

The aerotropolis development she said are in four locations: Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt and Kano.
She said Abuja and Lagos will have a mix of agro processing, manufacturing, construction, IT, shopping and Conference/ Hospitality while Kano will focus primarily on perishable goods, agro processing and storage of food since it is close to the food baskets. Ms. Oduah said Port Harcourt will be used mainly for manufacturing and oil servicing and also providing an opportunity for conferencing and hotel facilities.

Ms. Oduah assured that the Nigerian airspace is safe for passenger travels.
“I want to assure you that our airports and air environment is very safe; our airspace is 150 per cent safe,” she said.

She said various agencies have been able to minimize communication between the pilots and the towers through an automated system where every flight is totally automated and monitored to ensure that they only go to places they indicated they will be going to.

As regards passenger’s rights, Ms. Oduah said that the sector is working on a passenger bill of rights aimed at protecting the interest of air passengers.
“It simply tells you that you must be respected because it is your money,” she said.

Dana crash
Ms. Oduah said that Dana has paid about 60 per cent of its debts. She said the company is currently facing issues of multiple claims and until it is clarified, it will be difficult to settle these claims. She also stated that the ministry has given Dana till December to round up its compensation payments or face sanction from the aviation ministry.

“On the Dana compensation, there have been cases of multiple claims; we would continue to clarify until we ascertain who exactly is next of kin or who should collect compensations for these victims but Dana has till December to clear all these, if not we’ll have to sanction them,” she said.
http://premiumtimesng.com/news/national/139747-power-failure-in-nigerian-airports-will-be-history-by-2014-minister.html
Source: Premium Times

Nigeria: Arik Air Stresses Quality Service and Safety, Chairman Says

The airline industry in Nigeria has faced many challenges in recent years, including the collapse of

several airlines and a crash in Lagos a year ago that claimed 163 lives. As a result, the market "has

been reduced to an effective duopoly," the Centre for Aviation reported earlier this year. Other

carriers are emerging, but Arik Airlines, which began operations in 2006, is the market leader with

service across west Africa and flights between Lagos and both London and New York. Sir Joseph

Arumemi Ikhide-Johnson, the company's founder and chairman, described the airline's activities

and planned expansion in an interview with Reed Kramer at Arik headquarters. Excerpts:


What is your vision for Arik and how do you differentiate from other airlines in Nigeria and beyond?
We want to operate with the same quality as top airlines in the United States and Europe. We pay special attention to maintenance. We don't cut corners. We operate with new aircraft. We do everything according to international standards. We have a partnership with Lufthansa to handle maintenance, and we're building a maintenance facility that meets international standards.

What is the size and composition of your fleet?
We have 23 aircraft now, including the two wide-bodied Airbus A340-500s for long-range flights. We have 13 units of the 737s - that is our regional aircraft. We have four CRJ-900 from Bombardier, and the two Q-400s from Bombardier as well. We have two Hawker 125-800XP that we use for charter. All these aircraft belong to us. They were financed by the U.S. Export-Import Bank and Export Development Canada.
This month, we are taking two Airbus A330-200s from Pembroke in Ireland.
They are four years old, and we hope to use them for eight years and then swap them for new A-350 Airbus.
We hope the U.S. Ex-Im Bank will approve our application for loan guarantees. We have seven units of 787-9 on order from Boeing and two units of 747-800. And we have eight units of 737-800 Skyline ordered from Boeing as well. Let me take this opportunity to thank Ex-Im because the initial 13 engines - Boeing 737-700 and 800 engines - we bought all of them with backing from Ex-Im. We also thank the U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S. government more generally for supporting us.
By 2015, we'll finish our payment for these.

You said Arik will retire the current Ex-Im indebtedness by 2015. What about additional borrowing: is Arik Airline able to service its debt?
Yes, we are considering additional borrowing from Ex-Im and other financial institutions to re-fleet. We have some aircraft on order and we will definitely require financing when the aircraft are to be delivered. Arik is able to service its debt. That is why we have finished paying for some aircraft bought in 2006, and that is why we are optimistic that US Ex-Im will support us again, because we are repaying, as, and when due.

What is your reach across Africa today and what plans do you have for panAfrican expansion?
We focus a lot on west Africa. We have a direct flight from Lagos to Dakar. We have round-trip service from Lagos to Freetown, to Banjul to Dakar. We go to Accra and Roberts Field/Monrovia. We used to have 'Savannah Express' going from Lagos to Cotonou (Benin), Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) and Bamako (Mali) and then to Dakar. But the unstable situation in Mali meant we had to stop that. We will resume as soon as everything settles in Mali.
We are talking to the authorities in Cote d'Ivoire. We want to go there.
We want to go to Togo, but the authorities of Togo haven't allowed it, because they are working with ASKY [an airline headquartered in Lome owned by Ethiopian Airlines and Togolese interests].
In Nigeria, we try to assemble a fellowship with other countries, but some other countries don't reciprocate. We don't believe it's right for these authorities to block our application to operate in our airline, and we're working on this.

And beyond west Africa?
We fly to Douala in Cameroon and to Kinshasa. We're going to Luanda in Angola and to Johannesburg. In 2014, we want to extend our reach and "spread our wings" across more of Africa. We're expecting two units of 737-800, the Skyline. With that, we should be able to go to Egypt and North Africa and then to East Africa and add more frequencies to South Africa.
We go to New York three times a week. To go to New York from Lagos, we need two planes on a daily basis, so with the added A330-200s, from October 2013, we should be going Lagos to New York on a daily basis.

Do you find yourself at a disadvantage to be a Nigerian company operating outside Nigeria?
It's a bit of a disadvantage. Many Nigerians like to fly foreign airlines. If you make a shoe in Lagos, nobody will buy it. If you make that same shoe let's say in Ghana or Egypt or the U.S. they will buy it.
But we think we're winning out. Many thought because it's a Nigerian airline, we can't afford a new aircraft. But we use new aircraft, straight from the factory. They're not pre-owned. We show Nigerian movies and we started serving Nigerian cuisine, along with western food.
We did this to encourage Nigerians [to fly with us]. We also have many non-Nigerians flying with us.
We maintain a very high standard. Our cabin crew and all our pilots are well-trained. We have a partnership with Cranfield University in the United Kingdom to provide ongoing professional training for all our staff, to improve their skills. We're focusing on quality.

What difficulties do you face operating in Nigeria?
This business in Nigeria is a bit difficult. There's a lot of inconsistency. My view is that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) needs to upgrade its operations. The aviation industry needs a lot of support from government, and everybody needs a lot of training.
There's a lack of maintenance capacity in Nigeria. A lot of it has to be done in Malta. Our maintenance is handled by Lufthansa - both the Bombardier fleet and the Boeing fleet. They have about 27 German engineers here, and we are training Nigerian engineers. We won't compromise safety. We don't compromise that.

How difficult was for you to get landing rights in the United States?
It was difficult. The United States has stringent requirements. Arik is one of the few airlines in Africa with U.S. landing rights. We are very proud of it.
We want to thank Ambassador Robin Sanders [the U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria from 2007-2010] - because it's under her watch that Nigeria was certified as CAT 1.

[Editor's note:
To achieve a 'Category 1' rating from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, which is required for civil aviation landing rights in the United States, a country must meet safety standards set forth by the International Civil Aviation Organization.]
And now we are getting landing rights in Israel as well. We want to fly to Tel Aviv.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201306270599.html?viewall=1
Source:allAfrica.com

NCAA To Recertify AOC Holders

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has disclosed plans to recertify airlines that got their Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) before 2009.


This is to ensure that airlines comply with the regulatory authority’s new processes for the issuance of an AOC. Arik Air was the first Nigerian carrier to scale through the new process introduced by NCAA for the issuance of AOC. The AOC empowers airlines to operate flight operations.

Acting Director- General of NCAA, Dr Joyce Nkemakolam, who disclosed this to journalists in Lagos yesterday, also dispelled arguments that it takes a long period for the authority to issue airlines with AOC.

His words: “I also want to clear the air on the allusion that AOC takes a long time to be issued. I don’t agree with this. Our experience is that some intending operators will come and we tell them please go and provide so and so. Some will go and will not come back in a long time and probably due to financial constraints.”

He also spoke on the new aviation policy, which some industry stakeholders have alleged that it reduced the autonomy status of NCAA as enshrined in the Civil Aviation Act of 2006.

According to him, the new policy has not threatened the autonomy of the agency or impacted negatively on its functions but strengthened its roles as a regulator.

Nkemakolam explained that the new policy has been in operation ever since and that there was no problem in that, adding that the authority remained a parastatal under the supervision of the aviation ministry.

Nkemakolam further warned airlines to obey regulations in order not to have their operations grounded, adding that the agency was planning to re-sensitise airline operators on the need to adhere to regulations guiding their operations.

“If there is no violation or flouting of these regulations of course, there will be no sanctions. We want to eradicate the culture of impunity which some operators have penchant for.”

On private jets ownership, Nkemakolam explained that there were limitations and restrictions on the operation of private jets for leisure adding that anybody flying with friends should make sure they were covered in their insurance policy in case of accidents.
“If you have a Third Party Insurance Policy, you can fly with them (friends). However, if you don’t, you are working outside the realm of your license. You must make sure that those you intend to carry are covered as well.”
On compliance by airlines to the Aviation Revenue Automation Programme, the acting DG said there was a high level of compliance.
http://leadership.ng/news/250613/ncaa-recertify-aoc-holders
Culled from Leadership

Experts seek antidote to aviation security challenges

Stakeholders in the aviation sector have expressed the need for the industry players to provide strong security measures, as well for travelling passengers to imbibe the culture of self-security, which would improve safety at the nation’s airports.

They concluded that terrorism threat had been potent and remains the greatest challenge to aviation safety and a source of worry to the world. Consequently, they tasked aviation security personnel to be more vigilant at all times as terrorists are evolving new ways of beating security.

The experts also advocated for inter-agency sharing of information at the airports, stating that the provision of several explosive detector equipment and body scanner machines at major airports would not achieve much without the cooperation of security operatives and the other stakeholders in the nation’s aviation industry.

To them, pilfering at the airports had become an embarrassment, just as they urged the authorities to improve surveillance of luggage and for travelers to keep their eyes on the luggage.
Speaking at a seminar recently, with theme, “Dealing with emerging challenges in aviation security’’, the

Acting Director-General, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, (NCAA) Mr. Joyce Nkemekolam, who was represented by Director Consumer Protection Directorate, Alhaji Adamu Abdullahi , stated the  need for passengers to keep an eye on their luggage to guard against pilferages and stealing from the aircraft.

He noted that through the CCTV cameras installed on the aircraft, the NCAA and other security agencies at the airports have been able to arrest those who commit infractions.
His words: “We should be first and foremost the first to enhance security and safety wherever we find ourselves”.

The Chief Executive Officer, Mish Aviation, Capt Ibrahim Msheila, who spoke on the role of journalists in reporting aviation industry, stated also that security is everybody’s business and not the airlines operators job alone, adding that ground handling companies should continue to contribute to the security of passengers by ensuring that they collect their luggage at the baggage collection point with dispatch.

He also called for sharing of information among the agencies, airline operators to enhance safety and security at the nation’s airports

Speaking in the same vein, the Managing Director of the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency Muyiwa (NAMA), Mr. Nnamdi Udoh, who presented a paper on “safety and security using the minister of aviation’s road map”, said that the national safety and security challenge has been taken care by ICAO annex 17 and stipulated what everybody should do .

He said that Nigeria like other countries is facing security threats at their airports, just as he identified natural challenges and human resources, post 9/11 era as some critical areas for improvement.

Udoh pointed out that human resources would require the leadership to have modern aviation in Nigeria where there would be safer skies, modern airports, secured, autonomous civil aviation regulators, low cost carriers, and strong project matrix enviornment to actualise plans, highly skilled and modern workforce.

He also identified safety challenges such as accidents and incidents caused by safety gaps that could increase into security issues through human errors.

He canvassed the training and retraining of core personnel, succession planning very important, workforce motivation, clearly defined roles, responsibility and performance.
http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=125052:experts-seek-antidote-to-aviation-security-challenges&catid=32:business-travel&Itemid=563
Author:Chika Goodluck-Ogazi
Culled from The Guardian Nigeria

Arik Air Inks Firm Agreement for Three CRJ1000 NextGen Regional Jets and Four Q400 NextGen Turboprop Airliners

Bombardier Aerospace announced today that Lagos-based Arik Air has signed a firm contract to acquire

three CRJ1000 NextGen aircraft and four Q400 NextGen turboprop airliners.


Based on the list price of the CRJ1000 NextGen and Q400 NextGen aircraft, the contract announced today

is valued at approximately $297 million US.

Arik Air currently operates four CRJ900 aircraft and two Q400 NextGen aircraft.


About Bombardier

Bombardier is the world's only manufacturer of both planes and trains. Looking far ahead while delivering

today, Bombardier is evolving mobility worldwide by answering the call for more efficient, sustainable and

enjoyable transportation everywhere. Our vehicles, services and, most of all, our employees are what make

us a global leader in transportation.


Bombardier is headquartered in Montréal, Canada. Our shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange

(BBD) and we are listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability World and North America Indexes. In the fiscal

year ended December 31, 2012, we posted revenues of $16.8 billion. News and information are available

at bombardier.com or follow us on Twitter @Bombardier.


Please visit Bombardier's Web site dedicated to its upcoming events at the International Paris Air Show:

airshows.bombardier.com.
Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20130619-908242.html

New civil aviation policy bars private jets from commercial operations

Air charter operators in Nigeria will likely begin to witness a business boom, as aviation authorities foreclose private jet owners from hiring out their aircraft.


Business for the air charter operators had been strangulated over the past one year, on the back of a sudden and significant increase in the number of ‘private jets’, a term which refers to privately owned non-commercial aircraft.

The new Nigerian Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP) released in April this year, has foreclosed private jet owners from engaging in charter business.

Wings Aviation, Top Brass Aviation, Kings Airlines, Associated Airlines, Aerocontractors Airlines and VistaJets, are the major licensed charter operators in Nigeria, and are recognised by the new policy to provide such services.

Prior to now, these listed charter companies had seen competition from unregistered operators who used their jets for commercial purposes.

BusinessDay learnt that as a result of the business downturn, three registered charter operators had closed shop, while the others were losing revenue to illegal operators.

Also, in recent times, many Nigerian business moguls, religious leaders and politicians who previously patronised charter operators, have been acquiring their own private jets.

A cross section of analysts who spoke to Businessday said it is a good development for the charter business, but wonder if the policy would be implemented effectively.

Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah, had said that the policy on jets and charter operation was last reviewed about 12 years ago, and that the new one is aimed at sanitising the system and aligning it with global standards.

Part of the new policy says “for private aircraft owned or leased by individuals, only the family members of the owner / lessee of the aircraft will be permitted on board as passengers. For private aircraft owned or leased by companies or corporate entities, only the employees and members of the boards of directors of the companies will be permitted on board as passengers.”

The new policy further states that “ all operators will declare the identities of all passengers on non- revenue charter flights in the appropriate General Declaration Forms, prior to obtaining ATC (Air Traffic Control) clearance.”

An industry analyst said “with this, the ministry has curtailed the perceived excesses of the private jet owners who do not pay any dues to the country. That is one of the reasons government wants to know the manifest. This will limit the number of passengers on that jet, so that it will not be used as charter, when there are registered charter operators who can carry the persons”.

Speaking on the matter earlier, Yakubu Dati, coordinating spokesman for Aviation Agencies had also lamented that charter services by private jets have become a lucrative business in the country because 80 per cent of these private jets have private licence, but carry out commercial operation.

He added that these illegal charter operators have taken away substantial business from scheduled airlines because those that would have filled the business class cabin are now being airlifted by illegal private charter services.

“This explains why our airlines are not growing. Instead of marked growth of our airlines, it is the number of private jets that is growing. This is an aberration, so government cannot fold its hands and watch this unfavourable situation which has already started affecting the nation’s economy, knowing the crucial role scheduled airline operation plays in any country.”

He said government is now ready to put a check on the abuse of the use of private jets in Nigeria.
Sam Akerele, a former director in the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, hailed the new restriction but expressed worry that the implementation may not go far.

“Yes the Ministry said it was going to sanitise the system and it is good for the charter operators, but let us see how far this will work in a couple of months, that is when we can say the policy has come to stay”, he said.
However, an analyst says as good as the law is, it should be enshrined in the Civil Aviation Act and not contained in the policy, for stricter enforcement.

“Why is it that they cannot go to the United States of America and do that? This is because there is a severe law against that over there. The law says that you cannot operate private aircraft for reward or hire for reward. Here, people give out their airplanes to their friends and they use it for charter”.

John Ojikutu, a former airport commandant also observed that even though the policy is meant to favour the business of licensed charter operators, he is of the opinion that it should also ‘specify and differentiate the type of aircraft/capacity meant for business/charter from those meant for private use’ for efficiency.
http://businessdaynigeria.com/new-civil-aviation-policy-bars-private-jets-commercial-operations
Culled from Businessday

CPC Calls Ethiopian Airlines to Order over Passengers' Ill-treatment

The Consumer Protection Council (CPC) has kicked against the ill-treatment meted out to passengers of Ethiopian Airlines of May 18, 2013 at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja, describing it as a violation of international best practices.

The Council, in a release signed by the Spokesperson, Mr. Abiodun Obimuyiwa, called the airline to order, and said its reaction was based on several complaints received from passengers of the said flight, particularly those of the Business Class, who felt their rights were wantonly abused.

CPC, while noting, in its letter, that Ethiopian Airlines being the oldest African airline with record of international best practices displayed in other routes, wondered about the poor service delivery, which it said “is notoriously Nigerian specific”.

According to the agency, the passengers were not only shabbily treated by the airline’s ground staff members, they were made to go through harrowing check-in process, faulty weighing scale and indiscriminate boarding.

The Council pointed out that the process of checking in at the Business Class line was unnecessarily long and arduous and that “the complaint of passengers was met with an unapologetic wave of hand by the male supervisor on duty, passing off the fault to system failure”, stressing that when accosted about his insolent attitude by its Director General, Mrs. Dupe Atoki, who was one of the passengers on the queue, he became confrontational, recalcitrant, and impenitent.

The agency disclosed further that its DG’s threat to file a complaint against the airline’s worker did not make him sober as he thundered back, saying ‘you can write whatever you please’ and that it took the intervention of other Business Class passengers, who were distraught with the conduct of the staff, to bring him and the acrimonious situation under control.

Some of the Business Class passengers on the queue, who were distraught with the conduct of the staff in question, included Mr. and Mrs Suraj Yakubu, former Executive Secretary of Nigeria Investment Promotion Council (NIPC); Ambassador, Prof. Okon Edet Uya, former Chairman National Electoral Commission and Member, African Union Panel of Eminent Person (APRM); Stephen Danyo of the World Bank; and Gary Offner from the USA, the Council stated further.

The agency also stated that “the weighing scale by the check in counter was faulty with the consequence that both Business and Economy passengers had to painfully queue on the same long line. “At the end of a gruesome check in process, passengers were boarded without regard to their class of tickets, contrary to international best practices thus generating a rowdy process”, it added.

While reminding the airline of its obligation to comply with all relevant national laws in the country, the Council called on its management to investigate the reported incident and report to it, to ensure the scale located by the check in counter is repaired to avoid passengers’ discomfort in wheeling their luggage to another part of the airport for weight check and to ensure that boarding process recognises the various classes of passengers with the priority attendant to such class.

Similarly, CPC recommended training of all the airline’s staff on acceptable service delivery in line with the contractual obligations of the airline and international best practices, stressing that “at all times, staff of ET must display expected courtesy and professionalism in their duty both in the normal course and during crisis situations”.

The Council said, in line with its mandate, it “will carry out monitoring visits to assess the implementation of these recommendations and calls on Ethiopian Airlines to ensure proper service delivery to all passengers in line with their obligation under the IATA”.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/cpc-calls-ethiopian-airlines-to-order-over-passengers-ill-treatment/150131/

Culled from Thisday

Arik Air Introduces Online Check-in For Passengers

Arik Air has introduced a new online check-in service to further boost its passenger experience.

The service is designed for customers who want a streamlined travel experience by reducing queuing times at the airport, especially for those travelling without check-in baggage.

The new service is designed to provide customers with the ability to check-in from 24 hours to three hours before their flights; select their seats and print a boarding pass.

 Passengers with baggage to check-in can still check-in online and proceed to the check-in counters at the airport for baggage drop and standard security checks.

The service has been introduced in Arik Air’s international destinations - Johannesburg, London and New York - as well as the key domestic locations of Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt, with full network coverage of domestic and regional locations to be progressively rolled out in the coming months.

Arik Air’s Managing Director/Executive Vice President, Chris Ndulue, commented: “We believe that the addition of the online check-in service will offer greater flexibility for our guests (travellers) and is just one in a long line of upgrades to our technology offering we will be releasing over the coming months.”

“As the number one airline in Nigeria, we have an obligation to our guests to ensure we utilise all forms of technology to improve our customer experience.”

http://leadership.ng/news/110613/arik-air-introduces-online-check-passengers
Culled from Leadership Newspapers

High operational costs weaken African carriers performance, says IATA

Africans airlines may continue to record the weakest performance in air travel business in the world, as the region’s carriers have to face high operating costs, especially for fuel, which is 20 per cent costly than in other parts of the globe.


Also, as a result of their long haul service that faces stiff competition from carriers outside the region, including political barriers that still stand in the way of enhanced regional connectivity, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), recently

Nigerian domestic airlines are not exempted in this situation, indeed, the operators have been crying out on the high operational cost of running airline business in the country, ranging from high aviation fuel, otherwise called Jet A1, charges for custom duties on spares parts and aircraft importation and high leasing cost, among others.

For aviation experts, the price of aviation fuel is unduly high, not reflecting the price trends in the international market and because fuel accounts for some 30 per cent of the operational cost of airlines, it impacts on the fares these airlines charge.

Some of these charges, according to them are paid by passengers through high fares, which the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has described as extremely high, noting that, in many countries of the world an hour flight is less than $100.00 (N16, 000) ticket, but in Nigeria the average fare ticket is more than that.

The airline operators complained that high cost of aviation fuel, double taxation on spare parts, huge amount of money in foreign exchange on maintenance and other agency charges are impacting negatively on their operations.

They asked government for urgent bailout plans and reduction or elimination of some charges that were perceived as unnecessary, some of which were not obtained in other countries.

Also, the operators were of the opinion that it is only in Nigeria that Jet-A1 (aviation fuel) are sold at higher prices than other commodities, adding that it is the cheapest in other countries where same aviation laws apply. At that, airlines were leaving the stage almost on a monthly basis due to the effect of the economic recession, coupled with Nigeria’s harsh operating environment.

According to the Director General, IATA, Tony Tyler: “This is a very tough business. The day-to-day challenges of keeping revenues ahead of costs remain monumental. Many airlines are struggling. An average airlines will earn about $4 for every passenger carried, less than the cost of a sandwich in most places.
http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=123760:high-operational-costs-weaken-african-carriers-performance-says-iata

Culled from The Guardian Author: Chika Goodluck-Ogazi

IATA Predicts Accident Reduction in Africa by 2015

The Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Tony Tyler, predicted monday  that the high rate of air crashes in Africa would significantly reduce by 2015 as every airline operating on the continent would be required to pass IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), which stipulates stringent safety conditions for its members.

Tyler made this known in Cape Town, South Africa at the on going 69th Annual General Meeting and World Air Transport Symposium  (WATS) expressed regret that air accidents in Africa was 18 times worse than the global average, adding that in 2012 when Dana Air crashed and killed about 160 people in Nigeria, there was no major air crashes among the 240 member airlines or among the 387 airlines on the IATA Operational Audit registry.

The IATA boss recalled that shortly after the Dana Air flight 0992 crash last year, ministers of air transport in Africa met in Nigeria’s capital, where they made the Abuja Declaration, which stated that by 2015 all airlines operating in the continent must have IOSA certification.

“Geographically, the biggest challenge is Africa where the accident rate is 18 times worse than the global average. But the safety performance of Africa airlines on the IOSA registry, including our African members, aligns with the global average.

“This means that world class safety is possible in Africa. With the Abuja Declaration, African governments have committed to achieve world class levels by the end of 2015. By then IOSA will be required across the continent. As partners, we are engaging African airlines directly to meet IOSA’s over 900 standards and join the registry,” Tyler said.

Tyler also criticised the European Union (EU) for its ban on most African airlines because of its emission regulations, saying the ban had not helped Africa. He further advised EU to reconsider its policy now that Africa airlines would submit to the stringent safety conditions of IOSA.

South Africa’s Deputy President, Kgalema Motlanthe, said in a speech at the event, that aviation was important to Africa because the continent offered the most viable growth for global aviation, which cannot be realised if governments in Africa did not play their roles well.

He said one of the ways by which Africa hopes to overcome the challenge of capacity development in air transport is to attract more young people into aviation, remarking that in 2012 South Africa attracted 9.2 million international travellers in spite of the problems bedevilling air transport in the continent.

Motlanthe said air transport in Africa was dogged by poor inter connectivity, advising that governments of the countries in the region must be ready, able and willing to take the decisions that will be able to drive the process of growth “because there is every reason to believe that aviation in South Africa and in the whole of Africa will continue to grow. But government must take action in the area of policy direction, operational efficiency, safety and transparency.”

Also the South Africa Minister of Transport, Benedict Martins regretted that Africa had failed to adopt the Yamoussoukro Declaration (YD) in practice which is aimed to enhance inter connectivity on the continent, noting that although YD was ratified by the ministers of states but the policy has not been adopted by individual countries in their operation. He added that the implementation of the decision was also hampered by poor infrastructure, uneven development, higher user charges, limited capacity and poor safety record.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/iata-predicts-accident-reduction-in-africa-by-2015/149333/

Culled from Thisday

Author:Chinedu Eze