FEATURES

Forget about delivery of new aircraft, purported on-time- performance and other perks. At their core, airlines promise a simple service — timely transportation — yet they make little progress toward improving that basic offering, WOLE SHADARE writes Nasty experience The experience has been excruciating. Passengers travelling across the country have one tale of woe or another to tell about chaotic scenes at airports, occasioned by flight delays. Delays and cancellations affect both passengers and carriers….

No doubt, in many climes, especially Africa, civil aviation authorities face enormous pressure, particularly from powerful airline operators, politicians and within the system itself. Ability to withstand such pressure would readily stand the country’s civil aviation authority out and guarantee air safety. WOLE SHADARE writes that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is on the right path to saving the industry from avoidable accidents as Azman and other operators have a penchant for compromising safety…

The world-renowned Economist Magazine once dubbed Africa the “hopeless continent.” In 2019, in a stark contrast, it published a cover that read “The new scramble for Africa.” The Open African skies and AfCFTA, which are African Union (AU) flagship projects would help to harness the continent’s aviation potential and the over $2 trillion region’s GDP, writes WOLE SHADARE Making the leap It has been suggested that greater investment and growth would come if all countries…

The evolution of UK’s BAA aptly illustrates how airports have attracted a range of investors over time, as well as signifying the critical impact of regulatory intervention on airport investors as the concession of Asaba Airport could bring exponential growth and more prosperity to Delta State. WOLE SHADARE writes The Heathrow example In 1987, the United Kingdom Government founded BAA Plc, now known as Heathrow Airport Holdings Ltd, to raise funds as part of a…

How quickly good things can turn to a nightmare overnight. That was the story of Boeing’s best selling aircraft, the B737 MAX, as the beleaguered airplane gets reprieve. Wole Shadare writes From best seller to the grave The Boeing 737 is the best-selling airliner of all time with over 15,000 aircraft ordered. The Max is the most recent model of Boeing’s 737, a type of aircraft with many variants over the decades. More than 10,000…

More airlines are making inroad into Nigeria’s aviation industry at a time passengers’ propensity to fly is abysmally low. WOLE SHADARE writes on what the new entrants are bringing to the table to ensure sustainability and desire to remain in the highly volatile sector New airline debuts, others get set The last few weeks has brought a flurry of activities in Nigeria’s aviation industry. Airlines are springing up as many more are at the verge…

  Job insecurity and worse employment contracts could cause pilot shortfall in the future if profession remains unattractive, says report Pilots flying for Middle Eastern and African airlines have some of the highest stress levels in the industry and are some of the most despondent crews in the world, according to a new survey published as the pilot unemployment rate hits 30 percent. The COVID crisis has wreaked havoc across global aviation markets causing thousands…

It is no longer news that COVID-19 has had negative impacts on air travel globally. Measures like rapid tests are being carried out by airlines. Restrictions and boarder closures have been seen. Are the travel ban/ restrictions necessity or mired in politics, asks, WOLE SHADARE Off guard  The COVID-19 pandemic caught many airlines by surprised. Not a few of them predicted the huge impact border closures and restrictions would have on the burgeoning global aviation industry….

The global commercial aircraft market is dominated by two manufacturers, European conglomerate, Airbus, and Seattlebased aerospace giant, Boeing. WOLE SHADARE writes that their innovations amid stiff rivalry is helping to reshape the travel industry Race for market share Their drive to secure market share is affecting everything from which aircraft you are on, to what routes you can choose from and how many passengers you share the cabin with. The rivalry between the two is…

Poor communication in Nigeria’s airspace has continued with so much effort to stem the tide with little progress made. WOLE SHADARE highlights the consequences to poor safety in the air Efforts with little progress Although, there has been a remarkable improvement with pilot-air traffic controllers’ communication in the last few years, it is a shame that for more than 20 years, the country’s aviation is still grappling with such difficulty in 2021. The goal of…