Aviation

Nigeria’s flag carrier airline, Arik  is resuming its Garden City Express which enables customers to fly direct to the heart of Port Harcourt City from MMA2 terminal in Lagos. The daily flight service which commences on February 12, 2018 will depart from Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 2 (MMA2) Ikeja, Lagos and arrive at the Nigeria Air Force (NAF) Base Port Harcourt, a 10 minutes’ drive from down town. Arik Air maintains a well-resourced terminal at NAF Base Port Harcourt and assures passengers…

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Travelstart Nigeria have entered into historic agreement to support Nigeria female Bobsled and Skeleton team. The two partners have joined forces to fly the flag carrying team to South Korea to aid their quest for gold. The full team will fly from Murtala Mohammed Airport in Lagos through Amsterdam to Incheon International Airport in Seoul, the capital city of South Korea. Athletes, Seun Adigun, Ngozi Onwumere, Akuoma Omeoga and Simidele…

As part of its commitment towards sports development in Nigeria and making the Nigerian professional Football League more glamorous,  Dana Air today unveiled another sponsorship deal worth millions with the current NPFL league leaders Akwa United FC of Akwa Ibom state.   Under this deal, Dana Air will get branding opportunities for the duration of the season and fly the team to all its away matches in the 2018 NPFL season.  Also as part of the deal, the club’s…

Helicopter pilots earn more that fixed wing crew Despite crisis that has rocked Nigeria’s foremost Helicopter operators, the airline’s national pilots and engineers are said to be some of the highest paid in the helicopter business. A document obtained from the airline puts the annual salaries of pilots and engineers at N56 million ($155, 550) and N40 million ($111, 111) putting them at some of the top earners. The source who spoke on condition of…

How airline violated expatriate quota law NAAPE’s allegations inaccurate-Management Aircraft pilots under the aegis of National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) have withdrawn their services from Bristow Helicopter Group. The group has also shut supply of aviation fuel to the airline, a situation that has indefinitely led to the shutdown of the carrier which services the oil and gas sector aside the charter operations it does. Reacting to the shutdown of operations of the…

A321 Long Range  flight-test programme now underway Up to 240 passengers and 4,000 nm range  The first A321LR (Long Range) has taken off on its maiden flightfrom Hamburg Germany at 11:06 hrs local time, commencing its flight test programme. The aircraft, MSN7877, is powered by CFM LEAP-1A engines.   The aircraft’s crew comprised: Experimental Test Pilots Yann Beaufils and Peter Lofts as well as Flight Test Engineers Frank Hohmeister, Jim Fawcett, Cedric Favrichon and Cabin Specialist Alexander…

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released full-year 2017 data for global air freight markets showing that demand, measured in freight tonne kilometers (FTKs) grew by 9.0%. This was more than double the 3.6% annual growth recorded in 2016.   Freight capacity, measured in available freight tonne kilometers (AFTKs), rose by 3.0% in 2017. This was the slowest annual capacity growth seen since 2012. Demand growth outpaced capacity growth by a factor of three.  …

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has commenced evacuation of abandoned aircraft at the airside of the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos. Plans have also reached an advanced stage for the agency to install Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras at the strategic locations within the airside in order to forestall aircraft poaching and other incidences. At least, 13 aircraft belonging to different airlines have been abandoned at the airside of the airport for several…

Nation’s carrier pleads for time   As Nigeria and 23 other African nations converged on Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, last weekend, to ratify the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), there are indications that the policy could exponentially increase the countries’ Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by $300 billion, Woleshadarenews has learnt. Besides, the policy is expected to lead to catalytic benefits to every other sector such as increased choice of carriers, convenience and ease of travel, better connectivity…

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) says it welcomes the launch of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) initiative by the African Union (AU) to open up Africa’s skies and improve intra-African air connectivity. The Association in a statement today, said enhanced connectivity will stimulate demand, improve the competitiveness of the African airline industry, and make air travel more accessible, adding that In turn, this will enable higher volumes of trade, expanded tourism and…