Nigeria’s Aviation News Headlines for Friday August 19, 2016
It’s Friday! I am excited to bring you headlines of the
trending topics in Aviation today.
I encourage you to visit the links provided to read the
stories in full.
Foreign Airlines Servicing Nigeria Now Operate from Ghana(Thisday)
Some international airlines, which hitherto had their operational bases
in Nigeria, have started relocating their offices to Accra, Ghana from where
they come to pick passengers in Nigeria.
The airlines, THISDAY gathered, cited the poor value of the naira, high
cost and paucity of aviation fuel as some of the reasons for their relocation.
Already, one of the major international operators in Nigeria, Emirates
started last Sunday to pick up Nigerian passengers and take them to Accra,
where it refuels and before heading back to Dubai, its operational hub.
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| Engineer Saleh Dunoma, Managing Director, Federal Airport Authourity of Nigeria |
Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), has warned the general
public, especially government officials and others with VIP status, against
flagrant abuse of traffic and operational rules at airports nationwide.
FAAN said that the disregard for rules, which has become the norm
lately, has further exposed the airports, particularly the Murtala Muhammed
International Airport in Lagos to security risks.
Managing Director of the authority, Saleh Dunoma, said that the
development was not acceptable, as he insisted that all concerned organisations
and individuals who use the airport facilities must obey traffic rules to
sustain the safety and security that is dear
to all.
Zero Duty Policy: Customs dated PCs stall Aircraft
Importation(DailyTrust)
The implementation of the zero duty policy on importation of commercial
planes and spare parts into the country is being stalled because the central
computer system of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has not been updated,
operators have confirmed.
The waiver on importation of spare parts was announced a month ago was
received with excitement by airline operators after receiving a communication
from the NCS through a letter dated June 20, 2016.
Cartel Hiked Aviation Fuel to Defraud Nigerians — Airlines(DailyTrust)
Capt. Nogie Meggison is the chairman of Airline Operators of Nigeria
(AON). In this chat with Daily Trust, he said airlines are ready to pay their
bills to aviation agencies if they come up with accurate figures as those being
bandied about are virtually non-existent.
He also speaks on the challenges airlines face on the perennial scarcity
of aviation fuel.
What is the situation now regarding the scarcity of aviation fuel?
It is sad and pathetic that for the past two to three months, we have
been experiencing unstable fuel supply. It is really affecting us in different
ways. One of them is that it is not just epileptic, but you are not sure when
you are going to fly. It is also making us
delay our flights and unable to provide service for our clients. Almost
50 per cent of our flights are either being delayed or cancelled. You see a
businessman coming to the airport for a 9 a.m. flight and departing at 4 p.m.
Olayinka: Airline Operators are Tax Collectors(Thisday)
The country manager of British Airways, Kola Olayinka, in a presentation
at the just concluded Aviation Round Table in Lagos, raised controversial
issues in the aviation industry.
Dollar Scarcity
Dollar scarcity as I said earlier is one of the issues I will discuss. I
will rather not call it dollar scarcity; I will call it economic realignment. I
think Nigerians needed to get to some point that something needed to jar us. We
should thank God for this dollar scarcity.
We needed to be woken up, not just in aviation, but in every sector of
the economy. There have been frivolities; there have been excesses. Even at
home, I had to talk with my wife on economic adjustment. This is reality. There
are some things we probably
should not be doing that we are doing and doing them excessively.
How Strategic Partnerships Drive Survival, Growth in Recession(Guardian)
Domestic airlines will emerge bigger, stronger and reliable with
improved partnership
A myriad of challenges facing the aviation sector notwithstanding,
operating domestic airlines stand a chance of surviving the odds with improved
collaboration that promotes healthy competition and real development in the
industry.
Concerned stakeholders, who gave this submission, noted that the
aviation sector, like others around the world, is too large an industry for a
one-man show, self-isolation and rivalry.
Ethiopian Airlines takes A350 to London Route(Guardian)
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| Airbus A350 XWB |
Africa’s first and most technologically advanced aircraft, Airbus A350
XWB, has been launched on the London Heathrow route by the Ethiopian Airlines.
According to the carrier, passengers on its daily non-stop services
between Heathrow to Addis Ababa, will be able to benefit from the cabin
interior features with the latest high-definition touchscreen personal
monitors, as well as a higher selection of movies, television series and audio
channels.
Maiden Flight of World’s Longest Plane Delayed over Technical Issues(New Telegraph)
The maiden flight of the world’s longest aircraft has been postponed at the last minute.
The Airlander 10 – part plane, part airship – was due to take off from Cardington Airfield in Bedfordshire on Sunday but a ‘technical issue’ meant they had to abort the test for safety reasons.
The aircraft can only fly in daylight for a test flight and it was feared the flight would not have been completed before dark by the time the issue was resolved, an organiser said.It is not known when another attempt at a test flight will be made.
Its developers say it can travel at up to 90 mph (148 kph) and stay aloft for up to two weeks.
It was first developed for the US government as a long-endurance surveillance aircraft but it fell foul of defence cutbacks.
British firm Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) launched a campaign to return the Airlander 10 to the skies in May 2015.
The huge aircraft will be able to stay airborne for around five days during manned flights.
http://guardian.ng/business-services/maiden-flight-of-worlds-longest-plane-delayed-over-technical-issues
As Clamour for MRO Heightens (Thisday)
It has become very clear that there is need to establish Maintenance,
Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility in West Africa to service aircraft operating
in the West Coast and central Africa.
Already, some organisations have indicated their interest in the
huge project.
THISDAY investigations have reveal that this is an offshoot of
competition and the strive for dominance by airlines who see the veritable
Nigerian market which has exponential possibilities to grow by projected 15
percent from the next couple of years, as huge
attraction.
Bird Strike Forces Qatar Airways Emergency Landing in Turkey(NewTelegraph)
Video footage showed flames spitting out of the left engine of the Airbus 330 as it prepared to land at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport. It made it safely to the ground.
Doha-based Qatar Airways later issued a statement to The Associated Press saying that “all 298 passengers and 14 crew disembarked normally.” However, local Turkish news agencies reported one woman on board was hospitalised after suffering a fainting spell.
It said it would send
a replacement aircraft to Istanbul to ferry waiting passengers onward to its
hub in the vast new Hamad International Airport in Doha, which is preparing to
host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The airline blamed
the fire on Flight QR240 on what it described as a “bird strike,” without
elaborating. Typically, such strikes can see birds sucked into a passenger
plane’s jet engine, sparking a fire and shorting it out.
Lassa Fever kills Doctor, three others in Anambra(Nation)
Lassa
fever has killed a doctor and three other persons in Anambra State.
The
Ministry of Health broke the news yesterday in Awka, the state capital, during
a training workshop on Lassa fever.
One
of the resource persons Dr Jane Ezeonu said the doctor died three days ago at
the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH) at Nnewi.
The
state’s Director of Public Health, Dr Emmanuel Okafor said three other persons
had died of the disease.
Ezeonu
said the late doctor was referred to NAUTH from Asaba, the Delta State capital.
She
warned against drinking raw garri, adding that the residents should protect
their foodstuffs and related items from rats.
The
expert noted that people don’t acquire immunity after suffering from Lassa
fever.
Ezeonu
said general hygiene was important in Lassa fever prevention.
Okafor
said the essence of the workshop was to train professionals who would educate
rural dwellers on the prevention of the disease.
He
said: “In Anambra State, we don’t know the number of cases of the disease. But
we have three confirmed deaths.”
The
director urged health workers to follow a high health standard in handling
Lassa fever cases.
Naira Sinks to all-time Low of 365.25/Dollar(Punch)
The
naira traded at an all-time low of 365.25 to the dollar on Thursday in a single
interbank market trade of $1m, Thomson Reuters
data showed.
Interbank
trading started two hours after the market opened and offered the currency
sharply lower against the dollar. A total of $13m had been traded by 1235 GMT.
The
naira plunged to a record low and forwards rose, suggesting traders expect
further depreciation, as the economy struggles amid a dearth of dollars.
Three-month
non-deliverable forward contracts climbed by 4.1 per cent to 364.5 against the
greenback, Bloomberg
reported.
Contracts
maturing in a year rose by 3.5 per cent to 403, also a record.
The
local currency has slumped by 38 per cent since the Central Bank of Nigeria
ended a 16-month peg of 197-199 per dollar on June 20.
The
capital controls needed to defend the fix sent foreign investors fleeing and
took the economy to the brink of recession.
The
International Monetary Fund forecasts a 1.8 per cent contraction of the economy
this year.
What is electronic Indian Visa (India e-Visa)?
ReplyDeleteGovernment of India has launched electronic travel authorisation or eTA for India which allows citizens of 180 countries to travel to India without requiring a physical stamping on the passport. This new type of authorisation is called an eVisa India (or electronic India Visa). It is this electronic India Visa Online that allows foreign visitors to visit India for five major purposes, tourism / recreation short term courses, business, medical visit or conferences. There are further number of sub-categories under each visa type. All foreign travellers are required to hold an India eVisa (India Visa Online application process) or a regular/paper Visa prior to entry into the country as per Indian Government Immigration Authorities.
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