Nigeria's Aviation News Headlines For Monday November 14, 2016
It's a another week of hope for the aviation industry in Nigeria !Read the headlines and follow the links to read the stories in full.
Exit of Global Carriers: How Nigerian Airlines Can Fill Void
Indeed, a combination of factors including scarcity of aviation fuel as well as CBN forex policy that has denied operators the repatriation of about $600million of foreign airlines funds), had got some of the foreign carriers angry and frustrated. While Iberia and United Airlines pulled out completely from Nigeria, other international airlines like Emirates and Kenya Airways have cut down on their flight frequencies into Nigerian airports. Also, the international airlines which find it hard to refuel in Ghana at a far more cheaper cost, have resorted to the use of smaller fuel efficient aircraft for their Nigerian flights in order to cut fuel costs.
The exit and reduction in number of foreign airlines flying into Nigeria has however come at a huge cost to the country.
Not only have there been some job losses by the Nigerians working in such airlines, but there have also been loss of revenue by government agencies like the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nigerian Meteorology Agency (NIMET), and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Agencies (NCAA). Aside FAAN which benefits directly from the take-off and landing charges paid on each aircraft that operates from Nigeriaís international airports, other agencies all benefit from a five percent ticket sales tax paid on each ticket purchased by passengers to the NCAA and shared to the other agencies.
We’ll Ensure Transparency in Airports’ Concession, New National Carrier – FG
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| Minister of state for aviation: Sen Hadi Sirika Photo credi: DailyTrust |
The Federal Government has assured aviation stakeholders that it would ensure transparency in the planned concession of airports and creation of a new national carrier for the country. The Minister of State, Aviation, Mr Hadi Sirika, gave the assurance at the Second Aviation Stakeholders’ Forum in Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the government had indicated interest to concession airports in Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt in order to increase their capacity and efficiency.
Sirika disclosed that transaction advisers that would be saddled with coordinating both projects would be announced by the government within the next two weeks.
He reaffirmed that concession was not tantamount to privatisation or outright sale, explaining that the facilities involved in the exercise remained the property of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
“Public-Private-Partnership and concession in the airports have never been done in a structured and transparent manner. The contracts are not properly prepared, no risk analysis and no financial models. Consequently, it is not surprising that they ended in litigation.
“I want to assure stakeholders that we will be transparent and the concession is in the best interest of the country,” he said.
FG to close Abuja Airport Runway for Rehabilitation
The
Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) runway may be closed to
traffic any moment from now to enable the government rehabilitate it.
The federal government has already deployed about N1 billion to urgently carry out the rehabilitation of the dilapidated runway.
Airline Operators had decried the state of the runway in the nation’s
second busiest airport, calling on government to fix it to prevent
disaster. However, it was reliably gathered that the Minister of State,
Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika had set up a committee to supervise the
rehabilitation work.The federal government has already deployed about N1 billion to urgently carry out the rehabilitation of the dilapidated runway.
An informed source hinted that the ministerial committee is expected to schedule the maintenance dates, which are expected to run from days to weeks.
Part of the committee’s work would be to also decide whether the runway would be closed daily or some hours of the day during the rehabilitation work.
While the rehabilitation is going on, some flights would be diverted to Kaduna International Airport which was said to have been designated as alternative airport.
The source said, “Government is not unaware of the bad state of the runway. So government is making urgent move to start the rehabilitation of the runway which would commence anytime soon as fund to that effect has been approved.”
AVIATION: Airport Security Personnel to Bear Arms – Minister
He described Nigeria’s airport security apparatus as appalling and laughable, stressing that the planned reformation was no longer an option but a necessity if the sector was to attain greater heights.
Speaking at an aviation forum at the weekend, Sirika said the ministry had received the Presidency’s nod to immediately overhaul FAAN’s AVSEC and transform it into an efficient body similar to the United States Transport Security Administration (TSA).
“Our aviation security is laughable and we now have approval to reposition the AVSEC to take the shape of the TSA of the USA, fully-kitted, well-trained, well-educated with firearms. We have the approval and have gone to the Ministry of Interior to enquire what is needed to achieve this. We are engaging them in an inter-ministerial capacity and when we iron it all out, you will see the changes,” the Minister said.
Sirika further disclosed that the ongoing restructuring at the FAAN was far from over, adding that the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) have also been penciled down for the same exercise.
According to Sirika, the ministry has begun redeploying, re-assigning, demoting and terminating appointments of staff after discovering a perennial manpower imbalance in various parastatals, especially FAAN.
http://sunnewsonline.com/aviation-airport-security-personnel-to-bear-arms-minister
Applicants Stranded as Booklets’ Scarcity Hits Passport Offices
Daily Sun’s investigation also revealed that several applicants are stranded in several passports offices across the country as Nigerian Immigration Service says the booklets have been out of stock since five months ago. At the Ikoyi, Festac, Ikeja offices of NIS, among other popular places, thousands of Nigerians can be seen waiting in the scorching sun queueing to procure the much desired green travel booklet, only to be told at the end of the day that they have to wait for a while.
International passport is an official document issued by a government to its citizens authenticating the bearer’s identity and right to travel to and return from other countries.
Speaking to Daily Sun, an applicant, Iyare Odili, said he had paid about N30,000 for a 64-page passport but had not been able to receive the document in the last two months.
“This issue is not peculiar to me alone; almost everyone who is here has similar stories to tell. The hype about 24 hours issuance is long gone because the immigration officers cannot say categorically when the booklets will get to the country. They keep saying it is government business to ensure that the booklets are imported.
“Must we import everything? Why can’t the government procure the machine and produce the quantity needed here. It is not just fair. Nigeria is called the giant of Africa but still behaving like a dwarf.
“This should be a wake up call; every citizen should have this document as it has remained one official document even for financial transactions.”
http://sunnewsonline.com/applicants-stranded-as-booklets-scarcity-hits-passport-offices
More Heads May Roll in Aviation Agencies
Minister
of State for Aviation Senator Hadi Sirika at the weekend in Lagos said
the restructuring of aviation agencies would continue in order to
achieve efficiency.
He also gave a hint at the possibility that some staff may lose their jobs.
The restructuring commenced with the Federal Airports Authority of
Nigeria (FAAN) leading to the sack and demotion of some directors and
general managers.Speaking at a stakeholders’ forum, the second to be held this year, Sirika also disclosed government’s plan to train and arm aviation security personnel, saying security at the airports was laughable.
He said government would not only properly place workers of the agencies, their morale would be boosted.
He added that the Transportation Ministry had secured approval to restructure the agencies, saying soon it would extend to others.
Sirika said, “First and foremost to align them with the Acts (establishing them), then later restructure them so that they would be very efficient and face reality. So we got approval to do those, that’s why we started the proper placement (in FAAN) even though it is not concluded. We will continue with all the agencies very soon because that will bring efficiencies.”
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