Author: Wole Shadare

Fifty five years after direct flights from the United States to Havana, Cuba was embargoed as a result of political instability between US and Cuba, Delta Air Lines has concluded arrangement to resume flight services to Havana.   The carrier said it would service this route from New York-JFK, Atlanta and Miami. The disclosure was made by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). This is coming as the American carrier lauded the DOT for awarding the airline…

All over the world, airports are regarded as economic and social infrastructure and expected to be catalyst for accelerated development of the areas they are sited. But in Nigeria, the reverse is the case. Aerodrome construction, more less, serves as conduit pipe for siphoning money, writes WOLE SHADARE The rate at which states are embarking on airport projects makes one to think that there is more to building airports than meets the eye. In the…

  African airlines’ traffic rose by 9.5 per cent, continuing the trend of strong growth that is linked to the expansion of long-haul networks by the region’s carriers, particularly Ethiopian Airlines. Capacity rose 10.4 per cent, and load factor slipped 0.5 percentage points to 64.5 per cent. The disclosure was made by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) adding that global passenger traffic results overall for May shows that demand (measured in revenue passenger kilometers,…

*Aviation contribution to GDP may drop to 2% *More airlines offer zero commission to travel agencies Nigeria is at the risk of declined air traffic following the withdrawal of airlines and the cut down of capacity on the lucrative Nigerian routes by foreign airlines. The implication of this situation is that the revenue expected to go to agencies like the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Nigerian…

The aviation industry in Nigeria is not immune from the recession that has hit airlines globally. WOLE SHADARE writes on other issues that shaped the second quarter of 2016 The aviation sector in the last quarter was on a slow path. It was a mixed grill for a sector that is globally hit by recession. For Nigerian airlines, they are very much faced with hard times, leading to the cutting down of routes, especially on…

Want Bills To Agencies Settled In Naira Foreign airlines operating in Nigeria are seeking a fresh window for stable foreign exchange rate to ease their operations, woleshadare.net gathered. Besides, they said the new forex opening would help to stem the astronomical rise in prices of air ticket. According to three of the major airlines that spoke with our correspondent, the airlines wanted a stable exchange rate for their carriers, stressing that the flexible exchange rate…

Drop in air traffic imminent, bookings cancelled Stop selling tickets in dollars, NCAA warns airlines Air travellers from Nigeria are having a horrid time, as airfares on international routes have jumped over the roof, prompting prospective passengers to either postpone their trips or opt for outright cancellation. Two factors – depreciation of local currency against the United States dollars and the rush for summer holiday – have pushed airfares up by between 70 and 100…

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has warned airlines, particularly foreign airlines to desist from selling tickets in United States dollars. The aviation regulatory body said the action is a flagrant contravention of Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) prerequisite guiding cost of products or services in Nigeria. According to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) circular issued on  April 17, 2015, it directs that “Pricing of any product shall continue to be in Naira only…