Oyibo man supports #BuyNaijaToGrowTheNaira movement by flying Arik, commends Ben Bruce

Michael Moszynki, CEO and founder of a UK Advertising agency shared a photo of him on an Arik international plane. "I'm flying Arik to support #BuyNaijaToGrowTheNaira and I am not Nigerian but I love Nigeria. Welldone @Benmurraybruce"

The man whose twitter account says he is based in London, added: "Wouldn't it be a good idea to set up a national Made in Nigeria Awards to celebrate the best locally made products"

culled from: Lindaikeji.com

Arik Air Increases Frequency on Dakar, Banjul Routes

Arik Air CRJ 1000 Photo credit: www.arikair.com

West and Central Africa’s largest carrier; Arik Air has announced plans to  increase frequency on the Lagos-Dakar (Senegal) route to a daily service up from six weekly flights commencing February 22, 2016.

According to a statement from the airline, the new schedule will operate with four of the Lagos-Dakar flights routed via Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire instead of the previous routing via Banjul. The other three flights will continue to operate via Accra, Ghana.

The Lagos-Abidjan-Dakar service will operate on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday while the Lagos-Accra-Dakar service will operate on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

The statement revealed that with the new schedule, Arik Air will be able to provide its customers convenient access between Lagos, Abuja, Accra, Abidjan and Dakar markets.

The airline will also be increasing its frequency on the Lagos-Banjul route from three weekly to four weekly flights effective March 14, 2016. All the flights will be operated via Accra using a Boeing 737-700 Next Generation (NG) aircraft.

The Lagos-Accra-Banjul service will be operated on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Sunday, making Arik Air the only airline operating non-stop from Banjul to Accra. Additionally, Abuja passengers can connect conveniently to Banjul via Accra on all four days.

Arik Air’s Chief Commercial Officer, Mr. Suraj Sundaram commented: “Being the largest airline in West and Central Africa comes with the responsibility to meet the increasing demand from our customers to improve connectivity in the region. We are committed to improving these connections to facilitate the movement of passengers and cargo seamlessly across our expanding network.”

 

Airline Operators Support FG's Plan to Concession Lagos,Abuja Airports

 The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) has given a nod to the plan by the Federal Government to concessionaire the Abuja and Lagos airports, after the completion of their new terminal buildings.

AON's president, Capt. Nogie Meggison, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos.
NAN reports that the Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, had announced the plan while defending the ministry's budget before the National Assembly.

Capt. Meggison while noting that the privatisation of Nigerian airports is long overdue emphasisedthat government has no business managing airports and airport facilities.

According to him ``Everywhere in the world, what government is involved in is the concessionaire of public-private partnership or Build, Operate and Transfer. So government cannot manage the facilities properly.
``When you compare the Murtala Muhammed Airport 2 which is managed by Bi-Courtney to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, you will understand what we are talking about.’’
He said despite making more money annually than MMA 2, the international airport was operating at a lower standard of service delivery because it was government-owned.
``So when you look at it, you will realise that it is time to move on. If Nigeria wants to become a hub like we are planning, then privatising the airport is the way to go,’’ Meggison said.
He, however, advised government to jettison the idea of establishing a new national carrier, like the defunct Nigerian Airways.
According to him, the government should give priority to upgrading critical facilities that will improve the nation's aviation sector. (NAN)

Direct flight to Gabon will boost trades with Nigeria

Gabonese Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Corentine Hervo-Akendengue, has hailed the decision of Arik Air to operate to the Central African nation, saying direct flight from Nigeria to Libreville would boost trade between the two countries.
He spoke at the inaugural flight of Libreville from Lagos en-route Port Harcourt at the weekend.

Mr. Corentine Hervo-Akendengue with the Chairman of Arik Air Sir Johnson Arumemi-Ikhide

Photo credit:Adeyanju Olowojoba

The ambassador said both countries have something in common, adding that many Nigerians live in Gabon.
Gabon is an oil producing nation, and oil and gas companies in Nigeria have longed for direct connection between Nigeria and Gabon.
He said by introducing a direct flight between the two countries, Arik Air had solved the problem being faced by corporate organizations and Nigerians who live in Gabon.
Many Nigerians used to spend two days or more to connect either of the countries, but direct flight takes about one and a half hours.
Arik Air’s Chief Commercial Officer, Mr. Suraj Sundaram said the two countries would increase trade ties.
“A lot of Nigerians from the South East travel to Libreville on regular basis and we also have corporations that are dominant in Nigeria which transact business in Gabon because the two countries are oil producing, so there is a lot of traffic between the two points. It is in the interest of the two countries that there should be direct flight services,” Sundaram said.
The flight would be operated three times weekly while the frequencies would be expanded based on demand, he said.
He said the airline planned the flight in a way that there is a late evening departure from Lagos and this enables all domestic flights to come into Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt to make the necessary connections.
source: dailytrust.com.ng