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With airline operators abandoning fuel guzzling four-engine airplanes for more efficient models, there is a huge shift from super jumbo jets like the B747 and A380 for medium size editions probably for economic reasons. Wole Shadare writes End of the road? Could the end be near for passenger flights on four-engine jets? That’s a question Boeing and Airbus may soon have to answer as sales of their four-engine passenger planes languish at the world’s two…

  ….spurs over N5bn loss annually The resurgence of bird strikes in Nigerian aviation industry and its economic losses to airlines, which is put at approximately N5billion annually, has become a source of worry to operators. Although bird strike is a global phenomenon, many factors such as the nation’s carelessness to the environment culminating in over grown bushes and other untidy behaviours around the aerodromes are escalating the activities of birds and animals around airport…

  South Africa’s struggling state-owned airline South African Airways (SAA) could cut more than 900 jobs as it restructures to stem severe financial losses, the airline said in a statement. SAA said it had started consultations with its more than 5,000 staff and was talking to labour unions. The airline has not made an annual profit since 2011 and is grappling with severe funding difficulties and an inefficient and ageing fleet of airplanes, reports Reuters….

  The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has commenced the trial run of the newly installed Category III Instrument Landing System (ILS) at Runway 18 Right, Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos. The exercise which started on Monday indicated that the equipment is fully operational on test basis, even as all the ILS components – Localizer, Glide Slope and Distance Measuring Equipment are propagating signals optimally. Speaking at the commencement of the test run, Managing Director…

  The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has listed Safety, cost-competitiveness, opening the continent to travel and trade, and ender diversity as four key areas of priorities governments and industry in Africa should to focus on to allow aviation to drive economic and social development on the continent. It stated that this would help to enrich people’s lives and enable the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDG’s). Director General and CEO of IATA Alexandre de Juniac made the…

  The Airlines Association of Southern Africa (AASA) welcomes the waiver on the requirement for foreign minors to carry unabridged birth certificates when travelling to South Africa. On the weekend AASA, together with other aviation and tourism industry bodies, were advised by South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs that it had implemented the waiver while waiting for enacting legislation to be passed. “This is welcome relief and will help South Africa regain its competitive position…

Mega carrier, British Airways has  entered into a partnership with leading Pan African financial institution, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc . The deal seeks to reward loyal customers who are cardholders of the bank. The promo which will last for six months from November 2019, will see UBA customers getting significant discounts when they purchase their British Airways tickets using their UBA cards. Specifically, the promo which will allow customers to enjoy between 10%…

  Police have swarmed to Schiphol Airport this evening after reports of a suspected hijacking during boarding of a plane. There are unconfirmed reports that men armed with knives have attempted to hijack an Air Europa plane that was due to fly to Madrid Wednesday evening, reports mirror.co.uk. At least 27 passengers were on board when the hijacking alert was reportedly triggered. Some flights at the airport have been grounded, according to a passenger on a…

  90 passengers on-board, AIB begins probe   A B737-500 aircraft belonging to Air Peace which departed Lagos for Owerri lost one of its two engines morning. The six man crew which departed Lagos airport returned to Lagos airport 19 minutes after take-off. According to air traffic controllers, the flight crew declared engine failure at 07:47 local time and subsequently made an air return to Lagos with 90 passengers and six crew members on board. The Accident…

  Common sense seems to have prevailed with the acquisition of multi-million dollars calibration aircraft. WOLE SHADARE writes that Nigeria is saving so much for in-house navaids calibration and possible commercialisation   Intervention Safety is the number one priority for air transportation industry, which is the second largest industry sector in the world with regard to revenue after oil and gas. Globally, governments and airport managers spend billions on safety, including on safety beacons (called navigational aids) that…