FEATURES

There is still no solution to the skyrocketing price of aviation fuel otherwise known as Jet A1. WOLE SHADARE x-rays some of the challenges that has seen to unabated rising costs of the commodity in Nigeria Steady increase Since January 2021, the price of Jet A1 was approximately has been skyrocketing to the chagrin of airline operators. A litre of aviation fuel in the domestic scene goes as high as N305 and N315 per litre, depending on the airport…

The last few months have been harrowing for international airlines and passenger facilitation. FAAN has been called to question for not quickly filling the void left by the coming to end of SITA deal. However, there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel. Time will tell how much long travelers and airlines would have to wait to truly see this come to a quick end, writes, WOLE SHADARE Excruciating pain The difficulty of…

  As travel rebounds in many parts of the world after excruciating lockdown of air travel occasioned by COVID-19 pandemic, many countries are still hit by high costs of PCR tests-the so-called gold standard, writes, WOLE SHADARE Air travel hampered Restarting international travel is vital to supporting the 46 million travel and tourism jobs around the world that rely on aviation. Meanwhile, high cost of testing will bear heavily on the shape of the travel recovery….

Nigeria is witnessing a new normal in flight delays and cancellations. The double whammy is taking the joy out of air travel. WOLE SHADARE writes that at their core, airlines promise a simple service — timely transportation — yet they make little progress toward improving that basic offering Sirika worried, kicks The pronouncement by the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, last week, that passengers whose flights are delayed by over two hours are bound to…

No doubt, this is the year airlines, aviation firms and others are trying to pick the pieces after the devastating effects of COVID-19. It is equally a defining year for Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika to bring to fruition his aviation sector road map, writes, WOLE SHADARE Huge moment  Year 2021 and perhaps half year 2021 is expected to define the future of aviation in Nigeria. COVID-19 has disrupted economies and businesses, locked down billions of people,…

Despite having the continent’s largest economy and population, and strategic location in the middle of West and Central Africa, Nigeria is yet to capture what some would refer to as its rightful position as an aviation hub. However, demand-side inhibitors, such as the lack of a national carrier, high airline fees, infrastructure, sound and workable policy to make the nation’s airlines thrive among others must be addressed if the country is to fulfill its potentials,…

Nigerians who missed Dubai, United Arab Emirates thought that issues that held them from travelling to Dubai had been sorted out when the UAE on Saturday lifted the air travel ban on Nigeria. For Nigeria, it sounded like a Pyrrhic victory until the Arab nation re-imposed the ban on the country till ‘further notice’, writes, WOLE SHADARE When two elephants fight…. There is a popular saying that when two elephants fight, the grass is the one that…

In-flight catering that was suspended in the wake of COVID-19 has returned. It brings to the fore the overstretching of airlines’ finances and, at the same time, trying to abide by regulatory directive, WOLE SHADARE writes Going back memory lane The first airline meals were served on a Handley-Page flight from London to Paris on October 11, 1919. They were pre-packed lunch boxes at three shillings each. United Airlines is the first airline to install kitchens…

The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated global aviation. The fallout is being severely felt across the African continent, writes WOLE SHADARE Negligible impact Even before the pandemic, only 9% of the continent’s air traffic was between African countries themselves. It’s common to hear stories that the fastest, easiest, and sometimes cheapest way to fly within the continent is via one of the big hubs in Europe or the Middle East. It’s no surprise that intra-regional African traffic…

While birds, mammals and airplanes may seem to peacefully share the space at and around airports, their co-existence is burdened with extreme risk. The birds have the potential to cause severe damage, leading in some cases to the loss of the aircraft, its crew and passengers, writes, WOLE SHADARE Searchlight On January 15, 2009, a US Airways aircraft took off from New York City’s LaGuardia Airport. Two minutes after take-off, the plane was struck by a…