Travel & Business News

The Institute of Nigerian Aeronautical Engineers (INAE) has conferred its gold medal award on the Executive Chairman of United Nigeria Airlines (UNA), Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, citing the carrier’s commitment to safety, engineering capacity development, and sustained growth amid macroeconomic headwinds. The honour was presented by INAE National President, Dr. Ebitei Charles, during the Institute’s International Conference and Fellowship Conferment held in Lagos on Wednesday. The award is designated for individuals whose contributions have measurably advanced aeronautical engineering practice in Nigeria. INAE, a professional division of the Nigerian Society of Engineers regulated by COREN, noted that Okonkwo was recognised for steering UNA’s rapid expansion since commencing operations in February 2021, a period that coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic and a global economic downturn. Representing the Chairman at the ceremony were the airline’s Director of Continuing Airworthines...

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, has commissioned the newly refurbished Muhammadu Adamu Dankabo Domestic Terminal at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), describing the project as a critical component of the Federal Government’s infrastructure modernization program under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. The event, held on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at MAKIA in Kano, brought together senior government officials and aviation stakeholders. Attendees included the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria's (FAAN) Governing Board Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje; FAAN Managing Director, Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku; the Executive Governor of Kano State, Abba Kabir Yusuf, represented by the Kano State Commissioner for Transport, Barr. Haruna Isa Dederi; Minister of State for FCT, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud Bunkure; and the Director of Air Transport Management, Mr. Ahmed Tijani. The domestic terminal has been named after Mallam M...

Kenya Airways (KQ) has entered a strategic brand partnership with Nigerian artist Yemi Alade as part of a wider push to deepen its footprint in West Africa and engage new customer demographics across the region. The alliance was unveiled by Julius Thairu, Chief Commercial and Customer Officer of Kenya Airways. Thairu emphasized that the initiative aligns with the carrier’s objective to strengthen market penetration in West Africa and adjacent markets through targeted cultural and commercial alliances.  “This partnership underscores our focus on growing the KQ footprint in the region and beyond,” Thairu stated during the announcement. The move coincides with a capacity uplift on the carrier’s Nigeria route. Kenya Airways recently deployed the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner on services to and from Lagos, increasing frequency to six weekly rotations. The wide-body aircraft offers expanded seat capacity and improved operating economics on the high-demand corridor, supporting the a...

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...