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Nigeria’s current infrastructure deficit is estimated to be in excess of $200 billion, Chief Executive Officer, Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited, operator of the ultra-modern Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA2), Capt. Jari Williams, has said. Williams, who quoted the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), spoke at a conference on privatisation/concession of Nigerian airports held in Lagos last Friday. Consequently, he said sadly, that aviation has not been spared in the wind of controversial concessions, which he said…

Aviation Editor of New Telegraph Newspapers, Wole Shadare, has been named Aviation Writer of the Year at the 10th edition of Nigeria Media Nite-Out Awards (NMNA) 2016.  At the award ceremony held on Sunday at Time Square Event Centre in Ikeja, Lagos, Shadare was announced Aviation Writer of the Year, ahead of Comfort Oseghale (Punch), Olusegun Koiki (National Mirror), Loius Ibah (Sun) and Kelvin Osa Okunbor of The Nation. Speaking at the event, founder of…

Their combined ages are just 45. But that didn’t stop 26-year-old captain Kate McWilliams and her 19-year-old co-pilot Luke Elsworth from flying hundreds of passengers to their destinations this week. The young pilots manned a flight from London to Malta, after McWilliams earlier passed a course ascending to the rank of captain. Their employer, the British carrier Easyjet, believes McWilliams has become the world’s youngest commercial airline captain — with co-pilot Elsworth also one of…

*Airline may get more funds for expansion   Wole Shadare President, African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), Benedict Oramah said the firm is collaborating with Nigerian flag carrier airline, Arik to promote intra-Africa trade, saying its partnership with the airline has been mutually rewarding. Oramah made the disclosure when he led his team to hold a business strategic meeting with the management of the carrier at its headquarters at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos at the weekend….

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is working with Egyptian authorities to find a practical solution to release foreign exchange funds claimed by international airlines operating to Egypt. Since March 2016, airlines have been unable to repatriate the full amount due them under international conventions, as a result of restrictions imposed by the Egyptian Government. The current value of funds blocked in Egypt stands at $275 million.     Discussions between airlines, the Central Bank…

*Bruce, Ore, Williams back action *Demuren, Meggison seek clear cut concession direction Stakeholders in the aviation industry were sharply divided over the plans by the Federal Government to privatise four of the major aerodromes across the country. The four airports that are slated for concessioning are those in Lagos, Abuja, Port and Kano. To show its seriousness, the Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika had already set up two committees to midwife the process….

No fewer than 3,000 pilgrims, who performed the 2016 Hajj in Saudi Arabia have arrived on Medview flights to Lagos, Kaduna and Kano. The latest flight arrived on Friday morning at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, with 323  pilgrims. The pilgrims comprised those who travelled through Med-View Travels Konsult and some other tour agents as well as pilgrims from Oyo State. They were conveyed in a Boeing 777-200 deployed for Hajj operations by Med-View Airline. The…