Author: Wole Shadare

   Agency survives on IGR amid dwindling revenues As the deadline draws closer for airlines to reconcile their debts, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has said there was no going back in its action to recover close to N10billion owed it by airlines. Speaking to Woleshadarenews, Managing Director of the agency, Capt. Fola Akinkuotu, said NAMA has concluded plans to re-introduce the Pay As You Go system to airlines before they are cleared for take-off. To…

incorrect reading discovered in initial calibration-Minister Foreign airlines that before now diverted Lagos bound flights to Accra, Ghana and other places are now landing their air planes following the calibration of the newly acquired, state-of the art category III Instrument Landing System (ILS). The equipment is an upgrade on the category 2 ILS which had been in use for many years at many of the country’s international airports. The new navigational aids helps to make…

Apologise to customers Mega carrier, British Airways has explained why some of its passengers were left stranded in Accra, Ghana following the diversion of flights occasioned by Harmattan haze that disrupted air travel. For four days, many foreign had to divert flights to Lagos over inclement weather coupled with insufficient landing aids at the airport. International airlines like BA, Emirates, Delta, Ethiopian Airways and others lost estimated N3b to the natural phenomenon that grounded their…

United Airlines and Vistara have announced the start of a new code-share agreement allowing United customers to book travel on 68 Vistara-operated flights to 26 destinations throughout India for travel beginning February 28. The code-share builds on the agreement between the airlines in which MileagePlus and Vistara’s loyalty program members earn and redeem miles when flying on either of the airline’s route network. The United and Vistara agreement offers customers a simplified experience when planning travel between dozens…

    The Managing Director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria FAAN, Captain Hamisu Yadudu has applauded the efforts of the Service department of the agency in creating a friendly business environment.   He observed that this had helped in growing customer confidence, enlightened many and also resolved some passengers’ challenges as they arrived the airport in a timely, reliable, honest, transparent and efficient manner.   Declaring open the SERVICOM and Customer Service Department retreat in…

  To guarantee safety of the country’s airspace and in a bid to curtail or minimize weather related incidents, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) has acquired new radar system called Doppler Weather radar. The weather system gulped N400 million. The Doppler radar used in weather forecasting measures the direction and speed, or velocity, of objects such as drops of precipitation. This is called the Doppler Effect and is used to determine whether movement in the atmosphere is horizontally toward…

    The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the International Post Corporation (IPC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to reinforce cooperation between the two organizations. The aim for both IATA and IPC is to promote the development and expansion of safe, secure, accessible and high-quality airmail and air cargo services to help their respective members provide quality solutions aligned to consumer needs. IATA’s Director General and CEO, Alexandre de Juniac said, “International e-commerce is growing at around 20% per year, leading to rapidly changing market conditions for…

  The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Captain Musa Shuaibu Nuhu for appointment as the Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). President Muhammadu Buhari had earlier forwarded his name to the Senate. The nomination letter dated January 7, 2020, was read by President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan. It reads in part: “Pursuant to Section 8, Part IV of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (Establishment) Act, I hereby write to request…

  One exception to this story has been Ethiopian Airlines. Its net profit in 2018/19 financial year stood at $400 million. All others including Nigerian carriers are loss making ventures, further signposting the precarious situation of the continent’s airline industry writes WOLE SHADARE Dire straits African airlines are in dire straits and it does not take extra lessons to discover that the carriers in this part of the world are sick and need more than surgical…