Author: Wole Shadare

*Under-aged among returnees *IOM offers $50 to each deportee Two hundred and fourty one Nigerians were voluntarily returned to Nigeria. The Assisted Voluntary Returnees (AVRs) came aboard a Libyan Airlines’ Airbus A330-200 chartered flight. They had in the last few weeks pleaded to return to their home country to escape alleged hostility faced in the host country. It was learnt that most of them were stranded in Libya after they failed to cross high sea to…

Anytime airlines are asked to reconcile their debts with all the aviation agencies, that is when you begin to hear excuses, intimidation and blackmail from the operators, accompanied by threats of shutting their operations. Airlines in Nigeria are known to behave irresponsibly each time they are asked to pay up. This article does not in any way, support the actions of the agencies in their revenue recovery drive. Most times they apply tactics that are…

Air transport workers under the aegis of Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and  the National Union of Pensioners (NUP) today took to the street to protest the concessioning of the four major airport terminals. Their protest caused traffic gridlock along the roads leading to Ikeja and Oshodi. The protest was peaceful.   Many of the protesters were seen singing and trekking from the Federal Airports…

Emirates, voted the World’s Best Airline 2016 at the Skytrax World Airline Awards, announced today that it will operate its flagship A380 on services between Dubai and Guangzhou from 1st October 2016, the 67th National Day of People’s Republic of China. This follows the airline’s recent announcements of A380 deployment on its Milan and Johannesburg routes. Guangzhou will join more than 40 destinations on Emirates’ extensive global network served by its highly popular A380 aircraft,…

Alleges ex-minister cancelled prejudgment bills Airlines such as Triax, Sosoliso, Air Nigeria, Premium Air Shuttle, Gas, Okada, Sahara, Oriental and Chanchangi among others, closed shop because of hostility meted out to them by government agencies in their bid to recover their debts, the Airline operators under the aegis of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) has said. Chairman, AON, Capt. Noggie Meggison, disclosed this to woleshadare.net in Lagos. He described the over N38 billion allegedly owed NAMAN8.08 billion,…

Dearth of skilled manpower in Nigeria’s aviation has compounded the woes of the industry, Woleshadarenews has learnt. This is said to be threatening the ability of the industry to meet her safety oversight functions. This problem is, however, not limited to the aviation sector in Nigeria. For the past nine years, a major obstacle in Africa’s inability to meet its safety oversight functions is the lack of requisite competent manpower. President, Nigerian Aviation Safety Initiative…

Med-View Airline PLC, a flag carrier for the 2016 Hajj operations, has airlifted over 10,000 pilgrims to Saudi Arabia in less than two weeks. While over 9,500 were airlifted from Nigeria, 1000 were airlifted from another West African country, Mali since August 8 when it commenced the airlift. Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the airline, Alhaji Muneer Bankole disclosed this on Sunday during the annual Hajj seminar for international hajj pilgrims going through…

*Carpets agencies over inefficiency, plans to cripple carriers Airline Operators under the aegis of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) has described the debts they allegedly owe virtually all the aviation agencies as ‘phantom’, one that does not exist. The airlines, including those that have ceased operation owe Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) debts amounting to over N30b. The Chairman of AON,…

The tough economic situation has slowed airlines’ expansion programme. Banks’ double interest rates are killing, while financial institutions that fund the sector are also feeling the heat; signposting a very difficult period for carriers. WOLE SHADARE reports Hope Dims Nigerian airlines’ last ray of hope for bank funding seems to be fading. The airlines passing through financial turbulence are finding it difficult to approach banks to rescue them following huge indebtedness to various financial institutions….