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*Refutes fold up claim FirstNation Airways has again denied reports that it is at the verge of folding up, stating that the act of taking aircraft out for maintenance is not the same as winding up operations. A statement by the Head, Corporate Affairs of the airline, Rasheed Yusuff disclosed that the carrier’s current fleet is undergoing engine maintenance, adding that global airlines have had cause to ground larger aircraft fleet types to enhance safety…

Airline operators can now heave a sigh of relief as airline operators can now do heavy maintenance of their airplanes in the country to save costs as a new aircraft maintenance base has been set up in Lagos. With that, Nigeria will be saving $3bn annually as airlines have indicated their interest to patronise the facility. Speaking to Woleshadare.net, the Managing Director of Onedot Aviation, an aircraft maintenance base in Lagos, Capt. Henry Oludotun Ogunyemi…

By Clement Uwiringiyimana Rwanda has signed a deal with the African division of Portuguese construction firm Mota-Engil to build an international airport at a cost of $818 million, the company and government officials said. They said the first phase of the airport, which is part of a push to attract more tourists and boost Rwanda as a conference destination, would cost $418 million and is expected to start in June next year and be completed…

…. To represent Nigeria on the board of AATO   The nation’s foremost ground handler, the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc has been elected into the Council of the Association of African Aviation Training Organisations (AATO).    The membership is for a first term of three years. With the membership, NAHCO would, in conjunction with other council members, be in a position to make policies that would further the development of Aviation training and development in…

*To meet AMCON to resolve crisis   Aero Contractors workers can now heave a sigh of relief as the Federal Government has assured the workers of Aero Contractors that none of them would lose their jobs just as he promised to restructure the airlines.   The Minister who identified some of the challenges facing the airline said he would meet with Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) and the management of Aero Contractors and he would…

*Calls for state of emergency in air transport sector The National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) has called for a state of emergency in the country’s aviation industry with the hope of stemming the rot that has pervaded the sector. President, NANTA, Bankole Bernard in an interaction with travel journalists in Lagos said if nothing was done; the sector would continue to witness the precarious situation it has found itself. He noted that Ghana…

*Gulf carriers pay FAAN N320 monthly as charges *Reject payment in dollars      Despite the Internally Generated Revenues (IGRs) and the government intervention funds in the sector, there is a discontent that there have been no appreciable returns in quantity of infrastructure in the aviation sector. Consequently, foreign airline operating to the country have petitioned the Ministry of Transportation over appalling facilities at virtually all the airports across the country. The carriers which spoke…

*Aero, FirstNation Airways not folding up-NCAA The Federal Government is shopping for N2.4 billion as severance benefits of workers of Aero Contractors Airlines that have been asked to go on ‘indefinite’ leave. There are two possibilities here. Paying off the workers suggests that the airline may not come back if the government is already shopping for the amount to pay off the over 1, 200 workers who barricaded the airline’s headquarters at the Murtala Muhammed…

By John Ojikutu The Nigerian civil aviation industry and in particular, the domestic airlines is gradually collapsing like a pack of cards if the sustained media reports about its comatose state have not been controverted by both the operators both public and private, and even the regulator of the industry. It is better to voluntarily collapse them into manageable numbers for effective and efficient operations than to allow them go into extinction particularly, the domestic…

*First Nation airplanes on maintenance check The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has come in defence of airlines, saying they are folding up‎ but “merely suspending their operations temporarily to enable them undertake certain operational overhaul and strengthen their overall operational outlay.” A statement by the Director-General of NCAA, Capt. Muhtar Usman explained that Aerocontractors Ltd., at present has only one serviceable aircraft, adding that this in contradiction to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARS)…