Aviation

Qatar gets Abuja nod Ministries working to re-open P’H, Kano, Enugu airport to int’l flights The Federal Government has lifted flight ban on Air France, KLM and Lufthansa German Airline. The three airlines can now resume flight services between Paris, Amsterdam and Frankfurt to Lagos according to Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika who made the announcement via his verified twitter handle @hadisirika. This is coming as the Minister said, the Ministry of Aviation was working with…

Sirika lists options for FAAN workers As the concession of four major airports in Lagos, Abuja, Port-Harcourt and Kano gathers momentum, the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, said workers would have the option to return to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) after a period of 18 to 24 months. The minister also said workers not required by a concessionaire shall be allowed to return to FAAN after the 18 to 24 month period,…

Aero, Arik, Ibom may be affected   Rather than being a succour for them, airline operators are at loggerheads over modalities for sharing the N4 billion bailout fund approved by the Federal Government for airlines that have faced threat of extinction occasioned by COVID-19 outbreak. There are indications that state-funded airlines like Aero Contractors, Arik and Ibom may not benefit from the largesse as many private-owned carriers are  canvassing for their exclusion from the fund, which they…

Director-General of International Air Transport Association (IATA) Alexandre de Junaic has predicted tough times for African airlines, saying airlines will go bust without support from governments in the form of bailout. He disclosed that already, four African carriers have ceased operations and two are in administration, stressing that without financial relief, many others will follow. Just last week, Nigerian government harkened to plea of stakeholders and airline operators by releasing N4b to struggling carriers which…

Gives nine safety recommendation, laments delayed reports   Twelve years after the accident involving a Chanchangi Boeing 737-200 aircraft at the Port Harcourt Airport Omagwa, the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) has released the report of this accident and three others.  This is coming as the agency has released three other investigation reports including a Nigerian College of Aviation Technology ( NCAT) Tampico TB-9 aircraft with registration 5N-CBJ, a Beechcraft aircraft with registration N564UZ belonging to…

Operators seek to repeal of 5% ticket sales charge Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika made a startling revelation on the humongous debts Nigerian airlines owe various aviation agencies. Sirika who made the disclosure in Abuja on Monday at the ongoing stakeholders and general public hearing on the repeal and enactment of civil aviation bills of all the aviation agencies put the staggering debts of airlines at $6, 993, 284 million and N19, 365, 374,336 billion…

Carriers projected to lose $9bn in 2020 The Secretary-General of African Airlines Association (AFRAA), Abderahmane Berthe, said the group was pushing for free COVID-19 tests for passengers on African airlines within the continent. The AFRAA scribe, who spoke at the 29th African Aviation Summit – Air Finance Africa 2020, which was monitored online by Woleshadarenews at the weekend and put together by Chairman, African Business Aviation Association (AfBAA), Nick Fadugba, stated that the unharmonised COVID-19…

Amount too meager for carriers-Senate The Federal Government has approved N4 billion as bailout fund to airlines to cushion the effects of the impact of the devastation of COVID-19 on their operations. Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika made the disclosure on Monday in Abuja on three day public hearing to repeal and enact Acts of Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT),…