Nigeria’s Aviation News Headlines for Thursday August 25, 2016

 

Wow! how time flies!! It’s Thursday already.

Please find today’s headlines below and follow the links provided to read the stories in full.

Revenue Plunges as Nigeria Loses Aviation Hub to Ghana

Ghana Airline

• NNPC, MOMAN move to tackle fuel challenge
Nigeria has lost its status as the aviation hub in West Africa to Ghana, a neighbouring country.
Already, the revenue that accrued to Nigeria from the fuelling of aircraft and accommodation of cabin crews of foreign airlines has been taken over by Ghana, which now provides these services.
The situation is partly attributable to the 100 per cent increase in the price of aviation fuel in Nigeria, while Ghana slashed the same product by 20 per cent.

Besides, regulatory agencies like the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) are losing revenue. The price of Aviation Turbine Kerosene (ATK), also called aviation fuel or Jet-A1, rose from N120 some months ago to N240 per litre since the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) introduced the flexible foreign exchange policy.


http://guardian.ng/news/revenue-plunges-as-nigeria-loses-aviation-hub-to-ghana
 

Do not Kill Domestic Airlines, AON Chairman Cautions Agencies

Photo credit: google.com

The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) has called on the various aviation agencies to tread cautiously in their move to recover their debts from the domestic airlines.

According to Captain Nogie Meggison, Chairman, AON, the need to caution the service providers became pertinent as similar attitude had in the past run many of the airlines out of business.
“We strongly decry the ongoing action by the various government agencies in the aviation sector whereby they threaten to deny airlines services for their operations or completely ground them, as this is likely to force airlines out of business.
“Because of the economic hard times of today, airlines have become a soft target and are seen as a cash cow for everyone else to prey on easily. However, the agencies need to realise that air transport is the engine of the economy. Hence, if they disturb Nigerian airlines, they will damage the efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari to restore the economy.
“Without the airlines, there is no aviation in the first place. It is because of the airlines that airports are built and managed by FAAN. It is because of the airlines that an agency like the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) exists to provide navigational services. The airlines also are the reason why we have catering companies, ground services providers, fuel marketers and other ancillary service providers in and around the airport,” Meggison said.


http://tribuneonlineng.com/not-kill-domestic-airlines-aon-chairman-cautions-agencies
 

Exporters Lose N100m to Airport Warehouses Closure
Key exporters of perishable cargo/vegetable commodities have warned that the international market might shun Nigeria due to activities of some ‘overzealous government officials’.

The concern was triggered by last week’s closure of export warehouses of the Nigeria Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) and Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCOL) by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) over alleged hoarding of prohibited items.
The NCS reportedly acting on a tip-off, sealed off the export’s section for three days before they were eventually reopened. The operation was carried out by the Federal Operations of Customs in Lagos.
The exporters however said such actions sent wrong signals to the comity of international agro-allied supply chain.
In a briefing in Lagos, an exporter, Captain John Okakpu of ABX World, estimated that exporters lost over N100 million worth of goods within the period the export sheds at the Lagos airport, were shut down.
He stressed that agro-allied exporters were yet to recover from the closure which had caused huge economic loss.
Okakpu called on the federal government to urgently commence full-scale investigations into the immediate and remote causes of the warehouses’ shutdown to prevent re-occurrences.
http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/business/exporters-lose-n100m-to-airport-warehouses-closure

Delta Introduces World’s first all-suite Business Class

Delta Air Lines is redefining international business class travel with the introduction of the Delta One suite, the first business class cabin to feature a sliding door at each suite.
Designed with an emphasis on exceptional customer comfort and privacy, the Delta One suite offers each customer a private space accessed by a sliding door with thoughtfully designed personal stowage areas, an advanced in-flight entertainment system and premium trim and finishes to create an unparalleled business class experience with a comfortable, residential feel.
The Delta One suite will debut on Delta’s first Airbus A350, due to enter service in fall 2017. Each aircraft will feature 32 suites.
In addition to full flat-bed seats with direct aisle access, which the airline introduced eight years ago, the Delta One suite features a full-height door, an industry first for a business class cabin with sliding privacy dividers between centre suites.


http://tribuneonlineng.com/delta-introduces-worlds-first-suite-business-class
 

 

‘FAAN will Ensure Smooth Return of Muslim Pilgrims’

For the umpteenth time, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) yesterday, advised the Muslim pilgrims embarking on this year’s holy pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia to desist from smuggling prohibited items into the holy land.
This is just as the organisation responsible for managing airports across the country, has assured that it will ensure that the return journey of the pilgrims back to Nigeria will be made safe and secured through the preparations that have been put on ground.
Speaking to the Nigerian Tribune at the weekend, the General Manager, Corporate Affairs, FAAN, Yakubu Dati, attributed the hitch free exercise so far recorded across the airports where pilgrims were airlifted to the rigorous preparation put on ground by the FAAN personnel.
Dati cited the hard efforts made by the organisation led by the Chairman of the Aviation Monitoring Committee from the Ministry of Transport, Alhaji Adamu Wakil, to ensure safety and security at the airports while the exercise lasts.
In line with this, Dati said the committee chairman was at the Sokoto airport with top directors in FAAN in company of the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’adu Abubakar; Governor of Sokoto, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal and his Zamfara State counterpart, Abdul-Aziz Yari Abubakar, to confirm the level of preparedness for the exercise.


http://tribuneonlineng.com/faan-will-ensure-smooth-return-muslim-pilgrims