Business

  Carpets Unions, denies N2b indebtedness to agency     Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL) faulted claims by the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) Air Transport Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSAN) and the National Union of Pensioners (NUP) that it is indebted to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to the tune of N2b.   The firm stated that FAAN’s violation of an agreement that led to the construction of the…

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) could raise its revenue base to over N70 billion per annum if the major airports are transparently concessioned, experts have said. The experts, who backed the Federal Government’s policy, told Woleshadare.net that the concession would help to block loopholes, adding that FAAN can increase its annual revenues from the present N45 billion to about N70 billion. Aviation security consultant and former Commandant, Murtala Muhammed Airport, Group Capt. John Ojikutu (Rtd), said…

Book a ticket in a conversational way via a service bot on KLM’s Messenger. As of today, KLM customers can book a ticket on Messenger with the help of artificial intelligence.  KLM’s new service bot is called BlueBot (BB). On behalf of KLM, BB helps customers on Messenger in a conversational way to book a ticket. With this kind of artificial intelligence, customers can easily book a ticket without the intervention of a KLM agent. BB…

The die is cast. As the Federal Government approves concession of major airports. WOLE SHADARE weighs the pros and cons Airports have evolved mainly as government-run enterprise. Now, many airports seek privatisation or concession in part to improve their abilities to compete in global economy. The manner of ownership covers a wide spectrum: government-owned and controlled airports, government-owned corporations, independent airport authorities, public-private partnerships with the government majority ownership or with private majority ownership. For Nigeria, the…

Aviation Editor of New Telegraph Newspapers, and CEO of Woleshadare.net, Wole Shadare, has been named Aviation Writer of the Year at the 11th edition of Nigeria Media Nite-Out Awards (NMNA) 2017. Shadare also won the 10th edition of the award in the same category beating four others to the award. At the award ceremony held on Sunday at Airport Hotel, Ikeja, Shadare was announced Aviation Writer of the Year, ahead of Comfort Oseghale (Punch), Olusegun Koiki (National Mirror),…

Experts, workers differ The government of Nigeria has approved the concession of the two main airports in Nigeria, located at Lagos and Abuja. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo announced the development Monday, at the presidential quarterly business forum in Abuja. Although, the Vice President did not disclose the preferred concessionaire, there are indications that the bidding for the aerodromes may have been concluded with plans to unveil them at a later date. The Federal Government had made…

      First airline in Europe to offer WiFi on all services   Virgin Atlantic is the first carrier ever to bring Wifi to Nigeria. Virgin Atlantic has also become the first carrier in Europe to offer WiFi across its entire fleet – ensuring customers can remain connected across flights to and from the US, Caribbean, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.   From today millions of customers travelling with Virgin Atlantic will be able to email,…

Long-time customer grows future with Airbus, changes models    United Airlines has increased the number of A350 XWB aircraft it will bring into its fleet, updating and expanding its previously existing order for 35 A350-1000 to 45 A350-900 wide-body aircraft to replace older, less efficient aircraft, supporting future growth at the airline.   The A350-900 is the cornerstone member of the A350XWB (Xtra Wide-Body) family, which is shaping the future of air travel. The aircraft…

Med-View Airline has taken delivery of B777-200ER aircraft to boost its international routes network.   The aircraft with registration no.CS-TFM arrived the Murtala Muhammed International Airport at 11.48 pm to the jubilation of airline staff and airport workers.   The modern generation aircraft will be positioned on Sunday to service the Lagos-London route.   The aircraft is configured to sit a total of 326 passengers- 24 (flat bed seat) business class and 302 economy. The aircraft is also installed with IFE on…

Initial airline financial results from Q2 2017 have been more robust than earlier in the year, and suggest that the squeeze on profit margins from higher costs and weak yields peaked in Q1, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).   Meanwhile, having trended downwards since 2013, the latest monthly data suggest that passenger yields have now started to trend upwards. Exchange rate-adjusted yields were broadly unchanged from their year-ago level in May. The…