Travel & Business News

  In an unprecedented move, Kenya Airways has launched a new product called Economy Max, which allows customers to book additional seats or rows closest to their main seat, in order to obtain additional space on a flight. This innovative product was brought about after the airline reviewed the results of a survey conducted in July 2020 by IATA, which sought to know the measures that could be put in place in order to encourage more people to travel. Economy Max is the first of its kind for an African carrier, and proves to be quite dynamic too, as passengers can purchase it between 48 and 3 hours prior to the scheduled departure time of every global Economy Class flight scheduled by the airline. Julius Thairu, Kenya Airways’ Chief Commercial and Customer Officer said, “The world we live in has changed. As an airline, we continue to adapt to the evolving needs of our customers, even as we recover from the effects of the pandemic. Economy Max puts passengers in control of their...

Mrs. Senait Ataklet    Mrs. Senait Ataklet is now the new Traffic and Sales Manager for Ethiopian Airlines in Abuja – Nigeria, a development which comes as no surprise as the airline is known for empowering women. She is the second woman to hold the position. Mrs. Senait holds a B.Sc in Management Information Systems, and specializes in Customer Services and Sales. She began her career at Ethiopian in 2002, and has worked her way up the corporate ladder by serving and proving herself in various positions at the airline. Before her redeployment to Abuja, Mrs. Senait piloted the airline’s Holiday Product Development team in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and has shown expertise in handling the sales of inbound and outbound trip packages for various clients to new and already existing destinations served by the airline. According to sources, the new sales Manager has a vision, which is to “connect Africa to the world” – a vision she looks forward to implementing in her new position...

Fire  on right engine of B777-200   A rigorous investigation by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is ongoing to determine the cause of an engine failure incident that occurred on United Airlines flight 328 shortly after takeoff from Denver International Airport on February 20. The 231 passengers and 10 crew members landed safely with no injuries recorded. According to NTSB, two fractured fan blades that started a fire on the aircraft’s right engine were partly responsible for the incident. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) immediately carried out an emergency inspection of the blades, while Boeing has called on operators of the B777-200 not to operate them until further notice. Sources say that following the incident, United Airlines grounded its 24 affected aircraft. “We will continue to work closely with regulators to determine any additional steps to expect,” United had said. FAA Administrator Steve Dickson is calling on Pratt & Whitney...

  Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Troudeau In a recently published travel advisory, the Canadian government enjoins all its citizens to be wary of “non-essential travel” to Nigeria due to the “unpredictable security situation throughout the country.” In the advisory, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, Zamfara, Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Yobe, Imo and Anambra States were listed as “Avoid-all-travel” areas, while the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Calabar were considered “more stable and more developed than the rest of the country.” Canadian citizens were further advised to exercise extreme caution when in Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Ondo and the Niger Delta in the Gulf of Guinea, where according to sources, hijacks are rampant. “Those crimes, often perpetrated by small groups of armed individuals are indiscriminate. Residents and foreigners alike have been held captive, sometimes for days, until a ransom was paid. Deaths have also been reported”, the advisory read. This ...

  A new partnership has been born between Omni-Blu Aviation Limited and the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) in a joint effort to provide Search, Rescue and Surveillance (SeRAS) services to the Nigerian oil and gas sector. The flag off of SeRAS services took place at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos, during which the Managing Director (MD) of Omni-Blu Aviation, Capt. James Daniel expressed his pride in the fact that Omni-Blu is presently the only company approved by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to operate ambulance services within the sector, with SeRAS now being an extension of that service. According to Mr. Daniel, while Omni-Blu will launch SeRAS services with only two aircraft, the company plans to procure three more AW-139s as the service expands. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of DPR, Mr. Sarki Auwalu applauded the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari in making this historic partnership possible, and expressed satisfaction in the e...

  Otunba Segun Runsewe  It was with great pride that a number of newly designated Ambassadors and Consul Generals were recently inducted to promote Nigerian culture and heritage abroad, a move spearheaded by the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC). Speaking at the event, the Director General (DG), NCAC, Otunba Segun Runsewe eloquently outlined the cultural map of Nigeria, noting its potential to attract foreign investment and to diversify the economy of the nation, if and only if it is properly exploited. “We have shown over the years that Nigerian culture has the capacity to enthrone peace and promote harmony to a world troubled by many irritations and uncertainty. It is within your call to put these attributes to the use of Nigeria and your hosts for the good of mankind”, said Otunba Runsewe to the elated delegates at the event. The ambassadors were further enjoined to use the Nigerian culture as a tool to “tell a refreshing story about Nigeria and help change...

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has confirmed that seven people lost their lives in a recent air crash involving the NAF’s Beechcraft KingAir B350i (NAF 201). The seven people who lost their lives in the accident had travelled on the aircraft to Minna on a surveillance mission over Niger State and its surroundings. The mission was in line with security measures carried out in conjunction with efforts to secure the release of the abducted staff, students and other persons – an incident that occurred barely a week ago. The calamity occurred while the jet was on its way to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport – Abuja after the crew had reported engine failure on its way to Minna earlier. As expected, the Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Vice Marshall Oladayo Amao has put together a team responsible for spearheading an investigation to determine the remote and immediate causes of the accident. NAF has also released the names of the seven deceased persons who died in the crash and has e...

Air Côte d’Ivoire , the national carrier of Ivory Coast has become the first airline operator of its kind in West Africa to have an Airbus A320neo in its fleet. The aircraft took off from Toulouse, carrying medical equipment, toys and a ton of humanitarian goods meant to serve local NGOs in Abidjan. The transportation of the above goods was possible because of the airline’s partnership with Aviation Sans Frontières and the Airbus Foundation – agencies that support the education and health sectors in Ivory Coast. Experts opine that the A320neo is a highly efficient aircraft because it incorporates the most updated technologies such as Sharklets; modern aerodynamics and is powered by CFM Leap-1A engines. These factors work together to save fuel by 20% and to greatly reduce the aircraft’s carbon dioxide emission. The A320neo also presents a two-class layout with 16 Business Class and 132 Economy Class seats arranged in a very spacious single-aisle cabin to maximize passengers’ comfort...

  B737MAX The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has announced that it is lifting the ban that was placed on the B737MAX – one of Boeing’s star aircraft – thus setting the stage for the jet to make its comeback into the Nigerian airspace. According to sources, the NCAA received a Continued Airworthiness Notification to the International Community (CANIC) in November 2020, updating it on the progress made by the United States Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) safety checks on the B737-8 and B737-9 (737 MAX) aircraft. Following the safety checks, the FAA issued an Airworthiness Directive (AD) stating a number of steps Boeing needed to take to ensure the safety of the aircraft concerned. These demands included among others that Boeing installs new flight control computer software; modifies horizontal stabilizer trim wire routing installations and conducts an angle of attack sensor system test. It was only after the above changes were made and a Joint Authority Techni...

  The CRAIC CR929 is a joint venture project between Chinese and Russian manufacturers .  A Sino-Russian partnership called CRAIC (China-Russia Commercial Aircraft International Corporation) is getting ready to take the aircraft manufacturing sector by storm during the next decade with the production of a proposed jetliner called the CR929. The Chinese side of this interesting project is represented by COMAC (Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China), while the Russian side is represented by UAC (United Aircraft Corporation). The two countries entered into said partnership in 2012, after authenticating that there exists demand for twin-aisle jetliners such as that which they are set to manufacture. According to sources, the estimated cost of the project is $7 billion - $12 billion, with CRAIC planning to kick off mass production of the CR929 jetliners later in 2021. The Corporation hopes that the CR929 family would prove to be about 10-15% cheaper to operate than similar a...

Power recently changed hands in the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) Airport Command as the Service’s former comptroller, Abdullahi Musa Usman has handed over to Abdullahi Dalhatu. The brief handover ceremony took place at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Office of the NIS. The incumbent and his predecessor were seen arriving the venue together, after which Mr. Dalhatu carried out an inspection of his men followed by various meetings with top airport officials. According to sources, former NIS boss, Mr. Usman praised the Comptroller General, Muhammad Babandede for choosing for him a worthy successor. He also divulged that he was positive Mr. Dalhatu has the “capability to handle the assignment.” “I have no doubt about him, as he is one of those we call Total Immigration Officers. The Comptroller General has not made a mistake – Abdullahi Dalhatu will continue with the good work, and so there won’t be any gap in service delivery. He might be new to the office, but he has lot...

  The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released the 10 th edition of the IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operators (ISAGO) Standards Manual. The Standards contained therein have been updated to align with guidelines issued by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). According to sources, ISAGO is a comprehensive and well structured audit program for ground service providers such as GSPs and ground handling companies operating at airports. Its main objective is to improve ground safety by reducing the frequency of accidents/incidents. To this end, reliable audit reports are made available to airlines to guide them in their management of ground operation risks, and GSPs on the ISAGO registry also benefit from a reduction in the number of audits required by airports and independent airlines. IATA’s Director Audit Programs, Catalin Cotrut disclosed that in paralleling ISAGO Standards with those of ICAO, IATA is showing support and solidarity for ICAO’s ...

  Wreckage of a helicopter belonging to Quorum Aviation that crashed into a building in Lagos last year. Linkage Assurance Plc has settled the hull claims linked to the Quorum Aviation chopper that crashed last year in Lagos. This development was made known to the public recently by the insurance company during an event with members of the Lagos Area Council – a branch of the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB). According to Linkage Assurance’s Managing Director (M.D), Daniel Braie, the company had already completely insured the chopper involved in the accident. In his own words, “Linkage insured 100% of the helicopter that crashed last year in Opebi, Ikeja – Lagos, and has settled the hull claim of N375 million.” Mr. Braie went on to divulge that the underwriting firm is about to finalize the payment of the passenger liability claim of $300,000 for the three people who lost their lives in the regrettable incident; $100,000 each, in line with global aviatio...

  Ethiopian's A350-900 is among the passenger aircraft being used for dedicated freighter services. Ethiopian Airlines’ resilience to the effects of the present health crisis has been attributed to its “quick decision” to temporarily convert 25 passenger aircraft for freight operations early on in the COVID-19 pandemic - a decision which has permitted the airline to remain “cash positive” and buoyant. Speaking at a CAPA live event recently, the airline’s Chief Executive, Tewolde Gebremariam said Ethiopian is presently “cash positive” at a time when its peers in Africa are not doing so well chiefly because of its quick and timely decision to transport cargo rather than people, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. “We have a very strong cash flow, which we are still managing within our internal resources without any bailout money, borrowing for liquidity purposes, salary reductions or lay-offs. Therefore, while the return of more passenger  operations will be the catalyst for...

  Green Africa, one of the airlines that recently made its debut in the Nigerian aviation industry has launched uniforms for its Cabin Crew; an event that took place virtually. In a statement by Oyinade Osobajo, Green Africa’s Senior Manager – Marketing, Digital and Communications, “Our gCrew uniform is a judicious blend of African style with Green Africa elements and a contemporary global feel. The uniform is made from natural fabrics which makes it not only environmentally friendly but also comfortable, as natural fabrics are more breathable,” he said. According to Mr. Osobajo, the uniform’s color is inspired by the African landscape which he described as “vast and varied”, while the fabric and the basic cuts themselves are inspired by Nigerian print. He concluded by highlighting that Green Africa highly values the comfort of its crew, and perceives the colour green as more than just a colour. In his own words, "Green is not just a colour to us - it is a concept. It sign...

Envoy Air, an American Airlines Subsidiary has announced that it will be expanding its maintenance operations in order to accommodate service on its Embraer E175 aircraft. To this effect, the airline plans to move into a new and larger facility at Springfield – Branson National Airport, and is expected to begin operations by the third or fourth quarter of 2021. The decision to move was influenced by the fact that the facility where Envoy has maintained its Embraer E140 and E145 aircraft since 2004 is no longer big enough to house its latest E175s – 98 in total – which the airline has been adding to its fleet since 2016. According to sources, the new facility at Springfield has enough room to accommodate three E175s at once, as well as extra room for more aircraft outside. It also spots dedicated areas that can be used for administrative purposes, parts storage space and training space. Envoy Air’s Vice President of Maintenance, Jay Murray provided more information as pertains t...

  After a year-long review on the possibilities of the world’s longest business flight in a post COVID-19 world, Qantas Group is bracing itself to re-launch Project Sunrise in 2024 – a project which involves the implementation of “globe-striding” flights from one travel destination to another without stopovers. According to Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce, 18-20 hours-long flights in the clean and controlled environment of an Airbus A350 will have a lot of appeal to premium flyers once international travel fully resumes; opining that extra-long haul flights without stopovers will be “the way of the future”. It should be noted that Project Sunrise was suspended during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic – barely weeks before the airline could place an order for the Airbus A350-1000s which were designated to fly the marathon routes. Qantas now plans to revisit this decision by December of this year. “We still want to revisit the decision at the end of 2021, with the hopes of im...

  The Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja and the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa have recently been accredited by Airports Council International (ACI) for efforts put in place by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) in meeting recommended airports’ health standards jointly enumerated by ACI Aviation Business Restart and Recovery Guidelines and ICAO Council Aviation Restart Task Force. On the certificates issued by the global airports body to each of the airports, ACI notes, “This certificate recognizes your airport’s commitment to prioritizing health and safety measures in accordance with ICAO Council Aviation Restart Task Force (CART) recommendations and in alignment with the ACI Aviation Business Restart and Recovery guidelines along with industry best practices.” According to the General Manager Corporate Affairs – FAAN, Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu, “The Airport health accreditation programme is designed to assess how aligned airports’ health measu...

  Air Peace recently announced that it is suspending transportation of passengers from Nigeria (Lagos and Abuja) to Sharjah – Dubai, but will continue to fly them from Dubai back to Nigeria until normal flights resume on the route on February 28, 2021. According to sources, the Management of Air Peace says this is happening on account of new safety measures put in place by the Government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in an attempt to fight COVID-19. In a statement released by the airline about the current flights suspension, “The Management of Air Peace wishes to notify the flying public that the UAE Government has stopped the airlifting of Nigerians from Nigeria to UAE as part of its COVID-19 preventive measures. However, flights bringing Nigerians back from UAE are not affected. Normal flights shall resume when the restriction is lifted from February 28, 2021.” Emirates had earlier released a statement to that effect, saying “Customers from both Abuja and Lagos will no...

  It is a sad day today for the staff of Air Namibia, as the airline finally ended its operations following a cabinet decision to file for voluntary liquidation, leaving over 600 employees jobless. The information released yesterday February 10, 2021 by the Management of the airline made it clear that effective this morning, “All flight operations will be canceled with all  aircraft returning to base.” Also, effective this morning, the reservation system for taking new bookings was suspended. In a bid to appease agitated clients, the troubled airline has provided e-mail addresses to its customers in case they want to claim a refund for payments made before the unfortunate incident. According to information leaked to the public, even though staff will lose their jobs, they will continue to enjoy preferential treatment and still benefit from full severance packages from the liquidators. It should be noted that Air Namibia has been facing serious challenges even before th...

  It is with great excitement that the staff of Nigeria’s latest airline – United Nigeria Airline – prepares to have its inaugural flight tomorrow Friday, February 12, 2021. This move comes after the airline received its Air Operators’ Certificate (AOC) yesterday from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) as proof of having fulfilled all regulatory requirements. According to sources, the inaugural flight will be executed with the airline’s   Embraer 145 aircraft, which is to take off from the domestic terminal – Murtala Muhammed Airport 2 (MM2) at Ikeja, Lagos and terminate at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu which is the airline’s operational base. The flight is then expected to take off from Enugu to Abuja and finally touchdown again in Lagos. For now, regular routes/daily flight destinations for United Airline will be Lagos, Abuja, Asaba and Enugu, while Owerri and Port Harcourt are expected to follow in the near future.

  It’s been almost seven years since Rolls-Royce announced its plan to develop a fresh gear-driven commercial engine family. Now, the engine giant is finally bringing together components for the pioneer UltraFan demonstrator. The test engine which has been rated at 87,000-lb. thrust will have a fan diameter of 140-in, making it the largest aircraft engine yet developed. According to Rolls, though the engine is yet to have a firm application, the demonstrator – which is scheduled to run in early 2022 – is expected to pave the way for an array of fuel efficient products in the later part of the decade, products that will cover the 25,000 to 100,000-lb. thrust range.

Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. revealed today that it has enhanced its Aircraft Redesign Program to suit a plethora of “owner needs and timeliness”, and now promises to offer complete   aircraft   redesign services in as little as thirty days. According to Derek Zimmerman, President, Gulfstream Customer Support, “Our award-winning expertise, quality craftsmanship and superior materials make Gulfstream the top choice for a redesign. From a refresh to a floor plan reconfiguration, our team can bring any vision to reality. An updated aircraft not only improves the customer’s overall comfort, it can increase the aircraft’s marketability.” The new Gulfstream program offers clients three packages: the Refresh, the Premium and the Custom package, with each package providing unique services ranging from the redesign of aircraft seats to new veneers and counter tops. Interested redesign customers are allocated a professional from the Gulfstream’s design team who works with them from pl...

  The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has recently launched a free online course for laid-off cabin crew members who wish to re-enter the job market. The three-hours long course, entitled Cabin Crew – Leveraging Professional Skills – will be available free of charge for those who successfully register for it between the 9 th and 23 rd of February. According to sources, the decision to make this course available was influenced by the results of a survey of 800 cabin crew who lost their jobs as a result of the Corona Virus pandemic. The survey found out that 78% of them wanted help in identifying skills that would enable them to seamlessly transfer into other roles. The course was put together by former crew members in order to help their fellow crew members recognize, enhance and promote the professional skills they possess that can be applied in other jobs. The course also has a component which will prepare course takers for the application process, and provide...

Mrs.Susan Akporiaye,  President of NANTA It is no secret that the aviation industry has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, but it is only recently that the pandemic’s devastating effects on the first quarter (Q1) of 2020 have been quantified. According to the National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies (NANTA), air ticket sales saw a massive decrease in Q1 of 2020 - $132 million, as opposed to $282.35 million worth of tickets sold by foreign carriers operating in and out of Nigeria in Q1 of 2019. NANTA has revealed that compared to January 2019, January 2020 registered much higher sales, recording $70.03 million worth of air tickets sold, surpassing travel agents’ expectations and prompting experts to say it was the “best month for air travel”, though subsequent months saw a decline in air ticket sales, for obvious reasons. In a recent press conference, Mrs. Susan Akporiaye, President of NANTA expressed her surprise at the figures recorded in January 2020. In her ow...

           Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 2 In a bid to enhance the safety and comfort of their clients, Bi-courtney Aviation Services (BASL), operator of the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 2 (MMA2) is investing in new heavy duty x-ray machines and air conditioning for the Terminal. According to a recent statement by Mikhail Mumuni, the Group Corporate Affairs Manager of BASL, the company has already spent about US $500,000 on the importation of huge x-ray machines, and “massive resources are also being deployed to upgrade the air conditioning system” in an effort to treat customers as “Kings and Queens.” He went on to divulge that BASL bought 50% of the money for the importation of the equipment from the parallel market because the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) could only provide 50% of the funds. Mr. Mumuni revealed that this is a huge investment on the part of BASL, considering that the company is not at the receiving end of the Federal Gover...

  L-R: Captain Fola Akinkuotu, MD NAMA; Mr. Victor Eyaru, retired Airspace Manager MMIA. It was a day for eulogizing and paying tribute to Mr. Victor Akpobaro Eyaru, as his family, friends and industry colleagues gathered to celebrate the 35 years he spent in the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA). The ceremony was organized by close friends and was held at the NAMA Centrex in Lagos. Mr. Eyaru officially bowed out as Airspace Manager of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) on December 31, 2020 and was equally the former president, Nigeria Air Traffic Controllers Association, NATCA. During the ceremony, Mr. Eyaru was extolled for being selfless and for advocating and obtaining various benefits for NATCA and other professional unions over the years. In his address to the guests present, Captain Fola Akinkuotu, Managing Director NAMA praised Mr. Eyaru for providing exceptional service to the Agency, wished him well and conveyed his joy that he was leaving in...

  Nigerian carrier Dana Air has begun 24/7 customer service to cater to the needs of its present and prospective customers. The news was recently announced by Dana Air’s Media and Communications Manager, Kingsley Ezenwa. According to him, “Having reviewed the number of mails, calls and chats that we receive on a daily basis and the time that we receive these messages and requests, we decided to introduce this to cater to the needs, requests and inquires of our guests 24/7.” He went on to say that the creation of the Customer Service unit will cater to clients who require time modifications on their flight schedules or updates on other services, ultimately guaranteeing customer satisfaction. This news comes on the heels of the Flexible No Change Fee Policy also recently put in place by the airline, through which Dana Air’s customers can modify their flight details up to two times, two hours prior to their scheduled flight without a fee. It also offers a 10% base fare discount ...

  Alhaji Mohammed Tukur is officially no longer the Managing Director of Afrijet Airlines, following his resignation to that effect. After joining Afrijet Airlines in 2008 as Executor Director Corporate Affairs, he became its Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer in 2014. He was among the pioneer staff of the defunct Chanchangi Airlines, where he was Coordinator, Operations from 1997-2008 and became a household name in the aviation industry. He was also the Assistant Secretary for Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) in 2000 and maintained this position for many years.