Travel & Business News

Ms. Victory Yinka-Banjo, Grand Prize Winner, NTEC 2018 Nine (9) years after debuting on the National Travel Essay Competition (NTEC) platform, Ms. Victory Yinka-Banjo has achieved global academic recognition as the Overall Best Candidate in the World in the Cambridge English Examination. The Princeton High School, Lagos graduate is currently a PhD candidate at Cornell Medicine’s Tri-Institutional Computational Biology & Medicine program in the United States.  The milestone underscores the multiplier effect of structured talent-identification initiatives within Nigeria’s aviation and education value chain. Yinka-Banjo’s recent Cambridge performance generated full-tuition scholarship offers exceeding $5 million from 19 institutions across the United States and Canada, including MIT, Stanford, Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Brown, Johns Hopkins and the University of Virginia. She was earlier nationally distinguished for obtaining nine consecutive A grades in the West Africa...

(L - R) Mr. James Nganga, Kenya Airways Country Manager; His Excellency, Mr. Isaac Keen Parashina, Kenyan Ambassador to Nigeria; Mrs. Pauline Ngatia, Director, Public Relationship & Partnership, and Mr. Khurram Jamal, Chief Operating Officer, both of Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya. Kenya Airways (KQ) has restated its strategic focus on Nigeria, announcing increased flight frequencies, network expansion plans, and deeper collaboration with travel trade partners to drive traffic between Nigeria, Kenya and connecting points across Africa and beyond via its Nairobi hub. Speaking at a trade partner appreciation dinner in Lagos, Country Manager Mr. James Nganga said the carrier was intensifying connectivity from Lagos while also positioning Kenya for business, leisure and medical travel: “We are enhancing our connectivity out of Lagos. We are also supporting more business into Kenya because we feel there are a lot of opportunities. We are promoting Kenya as a ho...

Flight dispatchers were positioned as safety-critical operational control professionals at the 2026 Annual Conference of the Flight Dispatchers Association of Nigeria (FLIDAN), where regulators, industry leaders and technical experts called for full implementation of ICAO standards, competency-based training, and structural reforms to strengthen Nigeria’s aviation safety framework. Held on July 15, 2026 at the NCAA Annex Training Hall, Lagos, under the theme, "Safety and Efficiency: The Flight Dispatcher’s Role", the conference convened the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), airlines, Approved Aviation Training Organizations (AATOs), airport operators, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and other aviation stakeholders. In his welcome address, FLIDAN President, Daniel Ayuba, spoke about the elevated role of flight dispatchers and how this affects safety: "It is my great honour and priv...

The African Airlines Association (AFRAA) convened its 198th Executive Committee Meeting on Saturday, 11th July 2026, in Nairobi, Kenya, under the chairmanship of Capt. George Kamal, acting Group Chief Executive Officer of Kenya Airways. The session focused on strategic actions and policy advocacy initiatives designed to further AFRAA’s mandate and to advance the commercial and operational interests of its member airlines across the continent. The Executive Committee comprises the Chief Executive Officers of the following carriers: Tunisair, serving as 1st Vice Chairperson; RwandAir, serving as 2nd Vice Chairperson; and Ethiopian Airlines, EGYPTAIR, TAAG - Linhas Aéreas de Angola, Air Tanzania Company Limited, Royal Air Maroc, Congo Airways, ASKY Airlines, LAM Mozambique and Fly Gabon. In accordance with AFRAA’s governance framework, the primary responsibility of the Executive Committee is to oversee and direct the affairs of the Association. This includes the formulation an...

Ethiopian Airlines (ET) has inaugurated passenger operations to Mauritius, effective 12 July 2026, marking a further expansion of the carrier’s intra-African route network.  The new service will operate three times weekly, linking Port Louis to ET’s primary hub at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport. The addition provides Mauritius with direct access to the airline’s extensive global connectivity through Addis Ababa, enabling onward travel to destinations across Africa, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the Americas. Mauritius, recognized for its established tourism sector, cultural assets and expanding economy, represents a strategic addition to the airline’s African footprint. The direct air link is projected to improve passenger convenience and to support increased trade flows, tourism activity, and bilateral engagement between Ethiopia and Mauritius. Commenting on the new service, ET's Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Mesfin Tasew, said: “Mauritius is a destin...

Air Peace Limited has taken delivery of a factory-new Embraer E175, the first of the type in the carrier’s fleet and the first brand-new E175 to enter service in Nigeria. The 88-seat regional jet, registered 5N-CGH, arrived at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, at 20:32 on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, following a ferry flight from Brazil after formal handover by manufacturer Embraer. The induction represents the latest phase of Air Peace’s fleet renewal program and supports its expansion across domestic, West and Central African, as well as international markets. As West and Central Africa’s largest carrier by network and capacity, Air Peace positioned the acquisition as part of a strategy to deploy younger, more fuel-efficient airframes to improve reliability, unit economics, and passenger experience. Configured in an all-economy 2-2 layout with 88 seats, the E175 eliminates middle seating and is optimized for short-to-medium-haul sectors. Cabin specifications includ...