Airport Reporters

Air Peace deepens regional operations with night flights Posted By:  Kelvin Osa Okunbor   On:  September 3, 2018  In:  News ,  News Update Air Peace at the weekend boosted its regional operations with the introduction of night flights out of Lagos, Accra, Banjul and Dakar. A statement signed by the carrier’s Corporate Communications Manager, Mr. Chris Iwarah quoted the Chief Operating Officer, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Olajide as saying the new flights were part of the airline’s strategy to make air travel on the West Coast of Africa seamless and more beneficial. Olajide described the night flights, which commenced from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport,…  Read more

Why African air navigation service providers must train personnel     Members of Air Traffic Safety Electronics Personnel (ATSEP) have urged Civil Aviation Authorities (CAAs) and  Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) in Africa to embark on relevant training of aviation professionals to enhance their services. The aviation professional body said CAAs and ANSPs should as  a matter of urgency, make use of International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) doc 10057 and 1007 for ATSEPs and Communication Navigation and Surveillance  (CNS) inspectors respectively to develop their capacity . The body said this could be achieved through training of highest standard as a way of improving their competencies and service delivery in pursuit of aviation safety and security. The call by the body  was part of the decisions reached at the recent 8th International Federation of Air Traffic Safety Electronics Associations (IFATSEA) Regio...

Dana Air adds Boeing 737- 700 aircraft to fleet ft to fleet   As part its ongoing partnership with Asky Airlines , Dana Air has introduced a Boeing 737-700 aircraft to its fleet to operate its ‘early bird’ flights between Lagos and Abuja  effective   September 10,  2018. The airline in a statement by its Media and Communications Manager, Kingsley Ezenwa, said  the service will be operated using a Boeing 737-700 aircraft from its partners Asky Airlines  According to him, the addition of the B737-700 aircraft to  operate  its newly- introduced flights between Abuja and Lagos was a demonstration  of  the airline’s commitment to providing its passengers  more options, convenient timings and comfort. Ezenwa said the early bird service was in response to the yearning of its esteemed passengers who have continually requested for an efficient  flight option from Abuja to Lag...

NCAT graduates first set of multi crew             The Flying School of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria,  has graduated  four  participants in its first Multi Crew Cooperation Course N0. 1 (MCC.1). Chief Information Officer of the College, Balarabe Mohammed has disclosed.  According to him, three  participants  for the course were sponsored by Arik Air and one was  the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria.  The ceremony  had in attendance the Rector/ Chief Executive of the College, Capt. Abdulsalami Mohammed, and the head of Flying School Capt. Mohammed Barau and other top management officials of the College.  In his welcome address, the Head of Flying School Capt. Mohammed Barau, said that the fresh graduates are the brand ambassadors of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, in the Civil Aviation industry and urged them to know the technological world ...

Visa on arrival counters at MMIA gets more space  Comptroller General of Nigerian Immigration Service ( NIS) Mr Mohammed Bandede has granted  approval for more space for  Visa On Arrival counters of the service at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport( MMIA), Lagos Command. Currently, NIS has two Visa on Arrival counters at the D and E wings of the airport. The move to increase the counters was sequel to available space, that would make it conducive for foreigners seeking visas on arrival into the country. Investigations reveal that Visa on Arrival counters at the two wings of the Lagos International Airport, could only accommodate about 30 passengers. The new arrangement scheduled to take effect in a few  weeks, will now provide more space for processing of passengers and significantly increase turn around time. A source close to immigration said with more space more  foreigners requiring visas on arrival in the country would be attend...

NAMA hold maiden forum   The  Minister of State, Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika is to lead a high-powered federal government delegation to Lagos as the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) holds its first stakeholder’s interactive forum for the year 2018.  The NAMA Stakeholders’ Interactive Forum which is scheduled to take place next Tuesday in Lagos  is expected to attract key industry players, experts, service providers, chief executives of aviation agencies and other stakeholders.  The Managing Director of NAMA, Capt. Fola Akinkuotu in a statement said the agency would use the opportunity of the forum to enlighten its esteemed customers about important developments in the agency’s critical infrastructure and service delivery processes in keeping with its statutory mandate as the nation’s air navigation service provider as well as Executive Order 001 on the ease of doing business.  Akinkuotu said the feedback fr...

Arik Air diverts Warri flights to Benin as NAMA closes Osubi Airport Arik Air has announced the diversion of all its flights arriving into Warri to Benin following the closure of Osubi Airport,  Warri by Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA). NAMA in a circular issued on August 29, 2018 said it was withdrawing Air Traffic Services (ATC) from Osubi Airport from 0000 hours on September 3, 2018 until further notice. In order to minimise the disruption of travel plans of its valued customers, Arik Air said all its flights into Osubi Airport Warri from Lagos and Abuja will be diverted to land at the Benin Airport from Monday, September 3, 2018, until the Warri Airport is reopened.  Customers who have booked to travel to Warri with Arik Air have been implored to  bear with the airline in this period as a result of the disruption of se...

Agency earns $16.98m as ticket sales Posted By:  Kelvin Osa Okunbor   On:  September 3, 2018  In:  News ,  News Update Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has said it has earned over $16.98million as Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) from international airlines between January and August. Director-General Cpt. Mukthar Usman said at the weekend that the authority also raked in N9.16billion from local airlines in the period under review, using its automation system. The amount, he said, was the statutory five per cent due to the authority from the tickets sold. Usman said the amount expected to be collected by the NCAA…  Read more

Why Nigeria Air must fly, by expert Posted By:  OUR REPORTER   On:  September 3, 2018  In:  Featured ,  News ,  News Update ,  Special Report Nigeria Air opponents have been told to pull the brakes on their battle to stop the venture. Their positions are a disservice to their fatherland. In this article titled: “Nigeria Air: Time to engage”, aviation consultant Chris Aligbe claims that the benefits of floating the national carrier outweigh the demerits. In the aviation sector, the most trending news is all about the proposed new national carrier - “Nigeria Air” recently unveiled at the Farnborough Air Show by the Minister of…  Read more

Developing maintenance capability for aircraft in Africa  Posted By:  KELVIN OSA OKUNBOR   On:  September 3, 2018  In:  Issues Despite the huge market potential, aircraft maintenance in Africa is still underdeveloped. Failure on the part of a few Maintenance Repair Organisations (MROs) to pool expertise and tools is costing Africa millions of dollars in capital flight. To reverse the trend, experts say there is need for operators and investors to adopt the right business model in the running of such facilities. KELVIN OSA OKUNBOR reports. The global landscape for aircraft maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities has assumed dramatic dimension, as market size is projected to grow…  Read more