Author: Wole Shadare

    No fewer than 200 Nigerians stranded in Canada will be airlifted back to Nigeria, by Air Peace Airline. The Nigeria High Commission in Canada said that the stranded persons, because of the COVID-19 travel restrictions would be airlifted on Thursday, May 14. A Boeing 777 aircraft operated by Air Peace had been specially arranged to bring back the returnees on Thursday. It noted that it could be the only special evacuation flight for…

  Local airlines are already at the receiving end of COVID-19 pandemic. They have been dealt yet another blow as they miss out in the evacuation of Nigerians abroad amid huge implications. WOLE SHADARE reports The neglect The age-long neglect of Nigerian carriers in crucial moment when it comes to making them take part in making money in difficult times came to the fore again recently. Just last week, the action of the Federal Government to engage foreign…

  The Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc (NAHCO) has ruled out waiver for cargo agents who are asking for 100 per cent waiver on storage. The demand of the agents is based on the premise that an agency of government, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) is taking on the financial burden of the 100 per cent  waiver at the seaports and issuing credit notes to port terminal operators. The firm however said this is not the case…

  In what can be described as the proverbial killing of two birds with a stone, mega carrier,  British Airways’ B747-400 that brought 253 stranded Nigerians to the country departed Lagos airport for London with 258 British citizens and 34 crew.   The aircraft was pushed back at 17.44 hour and departed at 18.02 hours.   The aircraft arrived at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos at 1.44 hours.  But passengers did not disembark until after about…

  It was a case of tears for many Nigerians who returned to the country from United Kingdom on Friday. They expressed disappointment with the way they were treated when they arrived, describing it as horrendous. The returnees said they would have preferred to remain in the UK if they knew they were going to be subjected to inhuman treatment. There are indications that the country did not put facilities in place for a seamless…

  Air Peace to airlift returnees to Abuja for quarantine A British Airways’ B747 plane with 253 Nigerians landed at the Murtala Muhammed International as part of emergency evacuation of Nigerians from the United Kingdom.  The airplane landed at exactly 1.44 pm. An Emirates flight had on Wednesday brought back 256 Nigerians from the United Arab Emirates in what was the first batch of Nigerians that are being returned to their country. The passengers were…

  Sector faces liquidity crisis, tasks FG to do more Industry contributed $1.7bn to nation’s GDP   GDP The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has called for aviation-specific financial relief measures from the government of Nigeria to address the severe impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the air transport sector. IATA’s Regional Vice President for Africa and the Middle East, Muhammad Albakri in a statement said given the importance of air transport for Nigeria’s economy and…

The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, has said the sector has been the worst hit since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in the country. Sirika said this on Wednesday during the daily briefing by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Abuja. He said: “We are in very difficult moments like everyone else. “All of this started because someone travelled and unfortunately came back home with it and the consequence is what we’ve been going…