Author: Wole Shadare

 They anticipated a boom when Kaduna airport was hurriedly put together to allow for Abuja airport repair. But the reverse is the case WOLE SHADARE writes   Cloudy sky  The blue skies of Kaduna airport should be clear for airlines but they are not. Fuel bills may be a fraction of their problem; but there are some nasty headwinds appearing.  Nigerian airlines have clandestinely announced a fall in ticket price that shot up to between N38,…

**Lagos, Abuja to get ICAO certification            Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika said he was ready to resign if the Abuja airport runway is not fixed within the six weeks slated for completion of work on the facility that defied new maintenance procedure, necessitating the shutdown of the facility. This came as the Minister disclosed that the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos is in line for certification May this year…

The  Federal Government may have concluded plans to offset the entitlements of ex workers of Nigeria Airways 14 years after the carrier was liquidated. The government is shopping for N73 billion to pay off the workers.   A source close to the Ministry of Transport, told our correspondent that the final retirement benefits may be paid to the workers from next month. This is coming as many of the ex workers based in the West coast…

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has said the facilities at the Kaduna International Airport are in proper condition. The Acting General Manager, Safety Services Elifue Agbi during media inspection at the Kaduna International Airport said: “The operations at the airport since the diversion of traffic from Abuja airport has been smooth. To move traffic to this place, we decided that the airport should be upgraded and the upgrade was done. We make sure…

***Gets one week ultimatum, meet operators   For violation of the country’s airspace, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has sanctioned on Lyxor International, a non – schedule general aviation operator. The agency disclosed that the action was a consequence of the operator severally violating the terms of its approved flight clearances for non – scheduled international air services. According to the Letter of Sanction written to the airline, NCAA’s Aviation Safety Inspectors (ASI) on…

*7000 deported from Libya since 2001 The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in collaboration with Nigeria Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) again assisted in facilitating the return of 155 Nigerians from Tripoli, Libya. The returnees arrived the cargo wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos yesterday at 6.20 pm aboard a chartered aircraft. Most of them were crest fallen, lamenting what had befallen them. But some of them expressed joy that they arrived home safely.  The…

Virgin Atlantic has once again stepped ahead of competition by unveiling the most affordable student fares in the Nigerian aviation market to two exciting destinations from Lagos. According to the airline, travellers can now fly from Lagos to London for $212 and from Lagos to JFK airport New York at $324. These fares are return and are exclusive of taxes, while Virgin Atlantic also offers a one way fare of $183 on the Lagos London…

Carrier vows legal action against interference   Activities of the troubled Arik were yesterday grounded as three aviation unions, National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) over labour related issues.   The union members arrived the headquarters of the airline as early  as 4.00 am to literally ground the operations of the airline. The union members carried out…