Aviation

Ethiopian community in Seattle make donations to battle COVID-19  Aircraft giant, Boeing and Africa’s most profitable airline, Ethiopian Airlines have launched their 40th humanitarian delivery flight. This was done when the airline’s new 787 Dreamliner departed Everett, Wash., carrying more than 20,000 pounds of humanitarian supplies. The shipment, including supplies for health care and family needs, will be distributed to hospitals, clinics and charities in the Addis Ababa region. “Ethiopian Airlines has been deeply involved…

AIB to train all accident investigation in West Africa   Commissioner, Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), Akin Olateru said the agency would not relent in its vigorous pursuit of aviation safety, stressing that it would continue to up the ante of safety in Nigeria and Africa. Speaking at the regional enlightenment symposium in Enugu, Olateru who was represented by General Manager, Public Affairs of the agency, Mr. Tunji Oketunbi reiterated the importance of safety in the…

Major U.S. airlines plan to make a last-ditch bid to persuade Congress to grant them a new $25 billion bailout to help avert thousands of employee furloughs set to begin October 1, even as a separate $25 billion in government loans for the sector sits untapped. The chief executives of American Airlines, United Airlines and JetBlue Airways and major aviation unions were scheduled to hold a news conference on Capitol Hill on Tuesday afternoon calling…

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has called for the development and deployment of rapid, accurate, affordable, easy-to-operate, scalable and systematic COVID-19 testing for all passengers before departure as an alternative to quarantine measures in order to re-establish global air connectivity. IATA stated that it would work through the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and with health authorities to implement this solution quickly. According to the clearing house for over 290 airlines, international travel is…

The Federal Government has taken the reciprocity policy between Nigeria and some countries to a notch higher as the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) said the reciprocity policy would also focus on charges. This new measure was unfolded by the Director-General of NCAA, Capt. Musa Nuhu, stressing that If the foreign countries have airlines coming to Nigeria give the country’s airlines’ unfair charges, Nigeria would also do same to their carriers. Only Air Peace operates…

Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika said Nigeria has barred Emirates Airlines from operating into Nigeria. He stated this in a Tweet on his verified twitter handle late Friday night. He said the ban would take effect on Monday, September 21, 2020. Sources said the Federal Government was piqued by the decisions of UAE not to issue visa to Nigerians and the decision not to renew visa for Nigerians who had applied for renewal. Emirates Airline’s situation…

vow to tackle challenges, elect new exco   The newly elected members of the umbrella body for airlines, the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), said they were ready to confront issues that have affected airline operations in Nigeria. The executives listed airlines’ challenges as multiple taxation, high per cent Value Added Tax (VAT), scarcity of foreign exchange and removal of duty waiver, which they said have crippled their operations. Nigerian airlines are faced with 34…

The presidential task force (PTF) on COVID-19 says some international flight passengers who presented negative COVID-19 results tested positive for the virus on arrival in Nigeria. Sani Aliyu, national coordinator of the PTF, disclosed this on Tuesday while appearing before a joint senate committee on health and aviation. Appearing alongside Osagie Ehanire, minister of health, Aliyu said there was an instance in which 40 percent of passengers on a single flight tested positive for COVID-19,…

The weight of the coronavirus crisis on air travel could cost the Nigerian and other African economies 3.5 million aviation jobs, triggering a contraction of continental Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by $35 billion in 2020, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on Wednesday. Until the pandemic outbreak, aviation’s contribution to African labour force and GDP  topped 6.2 million jobs and $56 billion respectively. In its commentary on aviation business in Africa and the Middle East, the…