Author: Wole Shadare

Nigeria boasts of population many say is almost 200 million. This, however, does not translate to huge traffic due more to prevailing economic situation. WOLE SHADARE writes Paradox Nigeria despite a significant increase in domestic passenger traffic in 2018 by almost 30 per cent, there is still a huge gap in travel demand by Nigerians. No fewer than 15 million air travellers both domestic and international went through Nigeria Airports in 2018, according to figures released by…

Qatar Airways has agreed to take a 60% stake in a new $1.3 billion international airport in Rwanda, the state-run Rwanda Development Board said on Twitter on Monday. The board said a first phase of construction would provide facilities for 7 million passengers a year in the Bugesera district, about 25 km south east of the capital Kigali. A second phase, expected to be completed by 2032, would double capacity to 14 million passengers a…

Arik Air received two aircraft from C-Check over the weekend, thereby boosting the operations of the airline in the coming festive season. The two aircraft include a Q-400, while the Boeing 737-800 check was conducted by Lufthansa Technik AG in Malta. Over the last two years the current management has been working hard to improve the number of serviceable aircraft in the airline ’ s fleet. The efforts are yielding results. The Arik fleet are…

  ●Seek law to protect sector Except a truce is reached, engineers and pilots of two domestic airlines (names withheld) may down tool over pay disparity between them and their expatriate counterparts. The Nigerian workers are frustrated by the huge gap created by their employers at the detriment of more qualified indigenous pilots and engineers. Experts are demanding the enactment of local content caw to protect indigenous workers. National Vice President, National Association of Aircraft…

  Stakeholders in the aviation sector spoke in unison that for the aviation industry to grow and take its rightful place in Africa, there should be a concerted effort by policy makers, airline owners and service providers to chart a path for sustainable development.   They made their voices heard at the Fourth Quarter Business Breakfast Meeting organised by the Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI) in Lagos with theme Aviation in Nigeria beyond 2025….

Air Traffic Engineers have been tasked to invest more in building capacity of members in the area of cyber security in order to forestall cyber-attacks on the Communication Navigation and Surveillance / Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) domain. Speaking at the 2019 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the National Association of Air Traffic Engineers (NAAE) which held at the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Conference Centre, Abuja, President of the association, Ishaya Dung said as a key…

Faults Banks for aiding over-invoicing, others Sharp practices by airline owners such as over invoicing, unwholesome practice have led to the precarious situation of airline business in Nigeria especially for purchase of airplanes according to the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON). The Chief Executive Officer of AMCON, Ahmed Kuru who was represented by Group Head ,Asset Management, the Mr Tajudeen Ahmed said that was the case with Arik Air and Aero which almost led…

  Set to deploy A350 on London-Lagos route   It is not often you see the Chief Executive Officer of Virgin Atlantic, Shai Weiss who visited Nigeria for the first time,   Weiss was in Nigeria as part of the airline’s strategic growth to reposition and consolidate on its lucrative London-Lagos route which was launched 18 years ago and to hold business meetings with airlines strategic partners.   Speaking to the media, Weiss unfolded many…

Lawmakers seek facility’s relocation, lauds AIB The N600 million metallurgical science laboratory located in Abuja rots away more than eight years after the facility was built to cater for critical analysis of aeroplanes during crashes. Commissioner, Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), Akin Olateru made the disclosure when the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation rounded off its oversight of the aviation sector at the AIB head office in Lagos. He said the facility had not been…

N’Assembly seeks fresh funding for NAMA to tackle decrepit facilities The Federal Government has concluded plans to assist Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) tackle the myriad of infrastructure deficit bedeviling the nation’s airspace. This is coming as the House of Representatives has equally thrown its weight behind expediting approval for budgetary allocation to tackle many of airspace infrastructure. Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Aviation, Nnolim Nnaji whose committee carried out oversight on the aviation…