NigerianAviationNews

Alliances of the...skies, domination or dilemma?

2012-02-01T11:04:00.000+01:00

By Emmanuel A. Gyzis
(e-mail: egyzis@egyzislaw.com)

The circumstances that prompted the Airlines worldwide to participate in successive cycles of alliances are substantial and important.
Especially because of the current critical economic situation, which sways dangerously any kind of company on our Planet, the causes not only for mergers of companies but as well of their "grouping" have been imposed objectively.
The leading figure today in numbers but also in routes’ volume is certainly STAR Alliance, since its departures rise to 21.000 daily.
It consists of 28 members, (total fleet: 4.023 aircraft), among which prominent are AIR CANADA, United, Singapore, THAI, Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines, AIR CHINA, but also of their dependent subsidiaries.
Currently the war takes place in Latin America where STAR, fighting with ONEWORLD, the second most important of the three totally major alliances, tries hard to attract to its group the South – American emerging giant, which will soon come from the Chilean LAN and the Brazilian ÔÁÌ, named as ¨LATAM¨.
At the time being, each one of them belongs to a separate alliance. But they must choose the soonest possible the same team.
We believe that STAR Alliance, will prove the winner of this "Star Trek" war, because the major partners of ONEWORLD, which are Iberia, and British Airways, have a network that competes with the network of LATAM.
Therefore the further geopolitical development of LATAM, dictates this evolution.
Unless the criterion of ¨sharecode¨ alliance dominates, as being the strongest in our times, especially regarding the labor cost and the ever rising oil prices.
Then ONEWORLD will be the winner.
Great of course is the battle for the Chinese partners and the Japanese or the Indian giants of the skies.
Of course SKY Team, being the third player globally, while KLM and KOREAN AIR lead, drastically improves its position today.
On the top China Southern êáé China Eastern, gave to "SKY Team" a dynamic upward and competitive course.
Nevertheless, the crucial point that will reconfigure the position of each alliance, is their effective ability to share, among other things, profits by joint check-in, at the airports worldwide.
For the passenger, of course, "share code" has small advantages.
Good prices emerge, if you have time and patience to change plane at the ¨stop overs¨.
Why not to travel with L.C.C., (Low Cost Carriers), especially when traveling at the same Continent, which certainly have much cheaper fare? And when your criterion is not the comfortable ¨ pitch¨;
Now those airlines that have remained globally independent without entering any alliance, how do they plan to compete?
The most of them which are remarkable, consider always the possibility of their integration such as AIR-INDIA, without counting R. Branson and other private Indian operators who consider positive the alliances.
On the other side, the new long-haul aircraft, particularly the AIRBUS-A380, that can reach up to 800 seats in ¨Õ¨ configuration, will minimize extremely the costs and will soon challenge practically the effectiveness of the alliances at a critical level.
Mainly in Trans Atlantic and/or Intercontinental routes.
* Emmanuel A. Gyzis and his Associates, (Emm. A. Gyzis and Associates-Law Offices), specializing in Aviation Law in Greece and Internationally, since 1974

　

　

source:ATW

' No Room For Insolvent Airlines ', says NCAA D.G,Dr Harold Demuren

2012-01-31T08:05:00.002+01:00

By Lateef Lawal

Insolvent airlines will no longer be allowed to operate in Nigerian airspace, the Director General of Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Dr Harold Demuren has assured.
According to him, airlines, especially those that are owing their staff months of unpaid salaries and are hugely indebted to fuel marketers and are deficient in carrying out maintenance as at when due cannot be trusted to carry out safe and secured flight operations.
Dr Demuren said this was why the Authority always carry out economic audits of all the Nigerian registered airlines, adding that,:" We do that all the time and in fact, there are two going on right now, but we don’t discuss it on the pages of newspapers".

Dr Harold Demuren,D.G,NCAA

The audit reports, he noted were meant to be in public domain, "but things change a lot. We’ve done an audit in which a particular airline owed fuel marketers and we stepped in. Now, the airline is in credit. So, what do you publish? You ought to be very careful because this is a dynamic system. Things change everyday".
He explained further that,: "In this business, you have to be credit worthy. Airlines owe, it is not cash and carry, but there must be trust of enough funds for airlines. If an airline does not have enough funds, we will stop them and we’ve been doing it in the past".
"We got a report that a particular airline didn’t pay staff salaries and when we moved in, they paid. You must be on top of it all the time. We have a non-punitive system where people tell us what is going on".
On why Nigerian registered airlines have found it difficult to interline on the domestic route, Dr Demuren said the Authority was already in discussion with the airlines on why they should inter-line and the benefits they stand to enjoy and convenience it would bring to their passengers, adding that they knew we would not allow them to continue to ignore inter-lining regime for long.
He lamented the challenges passengers are facing when it comes to flying with the domestic carriers.
The problems they were having was how to get paid instantly whenever they accept to carry passengers holding tickets different from theirs, but the Authority was still discussing on how to resolve the matter and get all of them to interline.
Dr Demuren said, " In principle, they’ve agreed, but instead of reconciling their accounts at the end of three months, they want to do it may be every month, every two weeks or may be every week. This is good for us, so that we don’t have any defaulter".

　

AERO: THE UNENDING COUNTER-CHAOS

2012-01-30T22:18:00.000+01:00

By Olu Ohunayo
In my article, "Challenges Before the Industry in 2012", I highlighted the issue of regulations that will protect passengers before,during and after a flight, that issue has come to the front burner now due to the recurring and concurrent chaos at Aero Contractors check in and booking counters in some cities in the country.
Aero needs to urgently find solution to this problem which usually emanates from delays, cancellations, overbooking and bumping of passengers. We appreciate the boldness and innovation of starting and retaining low and very attractive online fares when other carriers backed out due to the ever increasing Jet A1 price that was deregulated by Government, but secretly regulated by oil marketers, who recently went for each other’s jugular over adulteration and excessive profiteering.
On the 3rd of January 2012, a passenger with a baby was booked on Aero’s early morning LOS – ABV flight, she got a text re-booking her for the 6pm same day flight, right at the checking in counter.
To her chagrin, the flight did not depart till 2300 HRS. She was left with the menace and risk of leaving Abuja airport in the early hours of the next morning at great risk and at a cost higher than the airfare.
On Saturday, 14th of January at their counter in MM2, which was a day after the five day strike, with very low passenger turn-out at the Domestic Airport, there was little or no activity at Aero Check-in-Counter, but the Booking Counter was complete bedlam with passengers throwing fisticuffs. The chaos emanated as usual from refund, re-booking and disregard for the queuing system.
Disregard for the queuing system is a norm in the industry,where egress for operational and airline staff are used by touts and other airline staff to beat the queue in their bid to assist passengers or favoured clients at a fee. This is usually done with the support of some airline staff and duty supervisors.
Aero is not alone, almost all the domestic airlines are guilty of crimes against fare paying passengers and really need to dig deep and begin to reverse the ugly trend. Enugu bound passengers were worst hit during this period due to frequent cancellation of flights to the airport.
It cannot be attributed to the airlines or weather, but the immediate past Minister of Aviation who hastily upgraded that airport to an international airport while also commissioning it for visual operations only, due to lack of necessary and required facility.
I was also taken aback when I saw Benin bound passengers groaning after waiting for 5hrs for a 35 minute flight (or 4hrs by road). It is more painful when you understand that the LOS-BNI fares are high and not commensurate with flight distance, the Deputy Speaker of Edo State House of Assembly raised an alarm on the fare sometime ago. This is domestic discriminatory fares that will only stop if we strengthen existing and encourage new low fare operators.
Aero should dig deep and begin to weave solutions to the counter problem just like they did when they introduced free seating with its accompanying cabin commotion. They should consider setting up a low fare carrier to nurture its budding online discount passenger clientele or in the interim increase frequencies by having more night flights.
Its on-line portal should be updated to provide more options and as much as possible support passenger request rather than having to clog the airport counters for requests that can be treated electronically.
Management should weigh its options of either retaining its strong oil and associated industry high yield passengers and ultra loyalist of its unblemished safety records or the new facebook generation that monitors and follows its online fares assiduously.
NCAA should introduce a monthly publication of delayed departure, lost luggage, complaints etc for all domestic carriers. This will make them very conscious of their responsibilities leading to better service. These publications should go hand in hand with the present diplomatic overtures.

READER's RESPONSE: BOKO HARAM in FAAN ?

2012-01-30T10:29:00.001+01:00

Comment from : Group Captain John Ojikutu (rtd)
I think your publication is one sided. You need to...as it bothers on national security.I am not just talking now.
I have talked before in 2007 up the National Assembly and the State Security Service (SSS). You should confirm the record with me before the publication.
I am worried now because all candidates from Bauchi, with orders recruited by me, did not apply nor did they do exam nor interview.
Now, Bauchi is a major area in Boko Haram network. Are you not worried? The man that did the dasterdly act whom you are protecting has been moving around from the Federal Character ti FAAN to NCAA to whereever now and you think there is no more to it.
What you are helping him to do is blackmail.What I am doing is intelligence not after thought. You will force me to do what I have been restraining myself from doing.
If you want to investigate a possible insider threat of Boko Haram in FAAN, please refer to my report to FAAN on Avsec recruitment of 4th May,2007 and my letter of 9th August, 2007.
Who are these candidates, particularly those from Bauchi? Who in FAAN changed all the selected candidates and replaced them with those who never applied?
If the officer is still in service you need to investigate him or search from him if he has now against the background of Mr President fear on insider threat to internal security.
Am particular of those from Bauchi because it is one of the areas where the rumbles of Boko Haram sound louder.

*EDITOR's NOTE: When we published your initial alarm on the possible presence of Boko Haram sympathisers in FAAN, we were doing a national assignment and not blackmail of who whatsoever. But when we published a memo responding to your alarm, it has suddenly become blackmail.Your comment is published here to tell you and the public that we are not working in support of anybody but to unearth the truth! Security or intelligence gathering is not the prerogative of security agents(whether retired or in service) alone, it is everybody's duty.The story is just unfolding!

NCAA's D.G made Grand Patron of Glowing Wings Chapter of Women in Aviation International

2012-01-29T12:32:00.003+01:00

Posted By Lateef Lawal
The Director General of Nigerian Civil AviationAthority(NCAA),Dr Harold Demuren has been made the Grand Patron of the Glowing Wings Chapter of the Women in Aviation International in Nigeria.
In addition, a seasoned aviator, Otunba Lai Oriowo was also named the Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Glowing Wings.
To also pilot the affairs of the chapter are- Mrs Ify Megwa, President; Mrs Evelyn Njoku,Vice President; Mrs Fola Akande, General Secretary;Mrs Annastasia Anukwa, Treasurer; Mrs Vivian Adams, Membership Chair-person; Ms Miriam Anosike,Outreach Chair-person.
This development was contained in a pess statement issued by the President,Women in Aviation, Glowing Wings Chapter,Mrs Ify Megwa at the weekend.
According to her, the Glowing Wings Chapter also recently received provisional approval from Women in Aviation, International(WAI) as the second chapter in Nigeria to be so recognised.
The approval was conveyed to the chapter by the WAI Chapter Relationship Manager, Betty Huck following the successful assessment of its application and acceptance into the global body.
Mrs Megwa noted that the chapter was specifically set up to allow women aviation professionals and enthusiasts to have a platform where they could match their professional careers with their interests as well as express themslves freely in a coducive environment where they can be heard by fellow women professionals, network and share ideas.
Glowing Wings chapter has membership strenght of 62 active members.
The President, Mrs Megwa further said that,:" As part of our commitment to contribute to the global vision of WAI, the Glowing Wings Chapter will be represented by a strong contingent at this year's WAI International Conference scheduled for March 8-10, 2012".

BOKO-HARAM in Avsec? FAAN FAULTS OJIKUTU's CLAIM

2012-01-29T09:54:00.000+01:00

* Alleges Underhand Dealings in Recruitment Exercise

By Lateef Lawal

The controversies generated by the allegation from a consultant of the likely linkage of some aviation security personnel who were "imposed" on the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria(FAAN) to the terrorists sect -Boko Haram- has taken another dimension.

From both official and un-official quarters, there had been consistent calls for urgent investigation into the insinuation of the Managing Director of Centurion Security, Group Captain John Ojikutu that 61 officials of Aviation Security personnel employed from Bauchi State, a hot-bed of the Boko Haram neither applied nor sat for examination and most importantly not security profiled.

According to Mr Francis Ayigbe, an aviation journalist/commentator,the "allegations by the Security consultant hired by FAAN is quite serious.On the face value it pointed to a security breach, that is going by his insinuations.It would be ideal for the SSS, on the strength of his position invite him to prove the veracity of his claims,while others who could prove or disprove his claims be invited.In particular,he should be asked to identify those he said are members of 'boko haram'.
Sources close to the Governor of Bauchi State, Alhaji Isa Yuguda, who was a one time Minister of Aviation said the governor was highly disturbed by the allegation, especially the claim that 61 indigenes of the State was employed without going through the proper channel, he was quoted as far from the truth as there was never such a large number of Bauchi indigene in the employ of FAAN not to talk of insinuating their likely linkage to the dreaded Boko Haram sect.

In the same vein, it was gathered that the Management of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria(FAAN) had written to the Federal Character Commission(FCC) to disprove the claim by Group Captain Ojikutu that 61 Avsec personnel from Bauchi(which if it is true will have been the highest from any State of the federation and against the tenets of federal character in the employment or appointment of public officials) were illegally employed.

In a memo to the Chairman of the Federal Character Commission signed by the General Manager,Human Resources,Mallam Adamu Abdullahi, the FAAN Management said the claim by the Management of Centurion Security and Safety Consults, was a fallacy as there was no State in the federation that even got more than four or five placements in the said recruitment exercise not to talk of the bogus figure of 61 quoted by Group Captain Ojikutu, the Managing Director of the consultancy company.

The memo specifically noted that,: "The consultant's report was strictly adhered to and in each state of the Federation, 4 candidates were selected on merit and two for the FCT. This gave us 144+2 which is 146. The balance of 64 were selected from stakeholders list using our own internal recruitment mechanism, by Human Resources Department."

It went ahead to say that,: " We were guided in the selection of additional candidates by our current standing and distribution of personnel in the Aviation Security Directorate. By FCC guidelines, there were conscious efforts to reduce existing imbalances, and this is a continuous exercise.

On the possible linkage of Avsec officials to Boko Haram and compromising escurity the FAAN Management explained that the allegation was farther from the truth.

The Directorate of Security Services has created a vetting unit- comprising of officers drawn from all directorates of FAAN as well as the National Intelligence Agency(NIA) and State Security Service(SSS), it added.

The unit was trained in August,2007 by the National Intelligence Agency and have been equipped to run background checks on all the security staff that are being employed.

FAAN said sequel to this, the State Security Service had already been called upon to also run such checks on the security staff, which has been the practice as required by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and that people with questionable character therefore have no place in the Authority.

Raising issues as to the competency of the consultant commissioned to recruit 500 Aviation Security Personnel at the total cost of N13million with the agreement signed by both parties on 25,September,2006 with a completion period of 8weeks but the consultant was not able to to submit an interim report until May 4,2007.

FAAN alleged that,:" A case in point is the fact that the Secretary to the consultant sat for and was recommended for employment".

It went ahead to say that,:" There are reports that the consultant demanded for and received gratification from candidates for consideration in the exercise. We have a strong belief that some of the recommended candidates are sponsored by drug barons who intend use them as couriers once they get into the airport security system".

"A report on this is being forwarded to the security agencies for proper investigation. It is the pressure being mounted on the consultant from these quarters that have made him to resort to all the witch hunting and mudslinging he has resorted to of late", it concluded.

Group Captain Ojikutu had last week raised an alarm over the mode of recruitment of 61 Aviation Security(AVSEC) personnel recruited into the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria ( FAAN), in 2007.

The said personnel were alleged not to have applied for the job, nor passed through the rigours of security profiling.
All of the security men, he alleged hails from a state in the North East geo- political zone, which is now one of the havens of the extremists Islamic sect- Boko Haram.He claimed that FAAN engaged him in 2007 to assist in the recruitment of 500 airport security personnel out of which only 361 scaled the hurdles set for the recruitment.
But to his amazement, an unverified 'orders' came from above which saw to the disappearance of 61 of the qualified candidates from a particular state in the North East and 61 persons who neither applied for the job, nor wrote any examination, nor passed through any security profiling were recruited into FAAN, from Bauchi State.
This development Group Captain Ojikutu noted portends danger for the airport system, in the face of the recent threat of Boko Haram in the country and at variance with the standards and requirements set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation(ICAO).

Arik Air emphasises commitment to Safety,Security of its operations

2012-01-28T11:07:00.000+01:00

Arik Air, has emphasized its commitment to security and undertake a series of enhanced measures in response to the growing security threat in the country.

To this end, new aviation security experts, with previous experience in Iraq and Afghanistan and are fully trained in counter-terrorism, are being deployed in Abuja and Lagos to assist local staff in ensuring that the airline’s staff continue to operate at the very highest security level on an ongoing basis.

Currently, the domestic Chief Security Officer (CSO) and Standards & Training Manager have been trained to the highest European standards and endorsed by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Dr Michael Arumemi-Ikhide, Group CEO/ President of Arik Air said of the measures being undertaken by the airline:“Safety and security are the two foremost principles upon which we built Arik Air. Today, there is undoubtedly an ever-increasing and marked threat to the general public from a number of groups and it is, therefore, incumbent upon all members of the public to be vigilant towards this threat and inform security personnel of any suspicious activity. All industries, including ours, are applying their best endeavours to ensure that the public is secured against any potential threats. Whilst we appreciate that enacting these measures may potentially cause some disruption and inconvenience we ask the public to remember that this is being done in the best interests of their safety”.

In the past, Arik Air has been recognised for its commitment to safety and security and continues to put a premium on all issues relating to the security of its passengers. Only recently it was awarded the “Best Security & Safety Conscious Airline in West Africa” by the Security Watch Africa’s Board of Trustees. It already has one of the largest security departments in the civil airline industry but is strengthening the security department overall with the recruitment of local and expatriate staff.

Employing the very best personnel in the aviation security industry, Arik Air has also brought in new equipment to assist security officers in their jobs. It currently uses its own X-ray equipment in addition to its own explosive and narcotic equipment. 2012 will also see the company develop its own specialist search teams for in-depth aircraft and passenger searches.

The security teams are led by experienced personnel who have worked in various airport environments ranging from Glasgow International Airport, Scotland to Baghdad International Airport in Iraq and have served in the British Army with over eighty years of accumulated experience in counter-terrorism.

FAAN recruitment & BOKO HARAM ?

2012-01-27T22:42:00.000+01:00

Dear Editor
The allegations by the Security consultant hired by FAAN is quite serious.
On the face value it pointed to a security breach, that is going by his insinuations.
It would be ideal for the SSS, on the strength of his position invite him to prove the veracity of his claims,while others who could prove or disprove his claims be invited.
In particular,he should be asked to identify those he said are members of 'boko haram'.
From: Francis Ayigbe

SENATE COMMITTEE GRILLS AVIATION MINISTER ON DUPLICATION OF FIGURES IN 2012 BUDGET

2012-01-27T08:04:00.002+01:00

Princess Stella A.Oduah

The Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Adaeze Oduah was yesterday grilled by Senators over a duplication of the sum of N8 billion in the 2012 budget.
The matter became an issue when she appeared before the Senate Committee on Aviation to defend the N49 billion allocated to her Ministry in the budget.
A member of the Senate Aviation Committee, Senator Babayo Garba Gamawa spotted the duplication of the amount.
Gamawa wanted to know from the Minister why the sum of N8 billion with the same wordings appeared in the breakdown of allocation for the main Ministry and also appeared in the allocation for the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
The lawmaker wondered why the amount was listed in the breakdown of allocation to FAAN when the total capital vote for FAAN was just a little above N4 billion.
He described the amount as “curious” and demanded an explanation from the Minister.
He said, “The figure of N8 billion was reflected in the allocation for the main Ministry. The same amount is also duplicated in allocation for FAAN with the same words. May we know what accounted for this?”
The Minister simply described the reflection of the amount in two places as a “copy and paste error.”
The committee asked her whether the amount should be deleted, and the Minister answered in the affirmative.
There was also confusion as to the amount earmarked for “remodeling,” “renovation” and “modernization” projects in 11 airports as the Minister struggled hard to convince the committee that the three words are not the same.
The senators wanted to know why all the projects were warehoused in the Ministry leaving out agencies like FAAN.
The Minister explained that agencies under her Ministry would come in where necessary.
Oduah was also asked why she wanted to spend so much money remodeling and renovating when what is in vogue is the Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) concession deals.
The Minister noted that “BOT is not doable in aviation” saying concessioning takes a longer process.
She said that 125 concessions have been made on many projects without a single one working.
According to her, what is needed in the aviation industry is a joint venture arrangement as BOT would not be favourable to government. She added that joint venture is only required at the management level and not at the terminals.
Oduah christened the 2012 budget of her Ministry as “Renaissance Budget” explaining that the budget is a renaissance because “it marks the true rebirth of the aviation industry in Nigeria.
She noted that the state of facilities and infrastructure at the nation’s airports are quite appalling.
The Minister said since assumption of office last year, one of her major concerns has been to give the airports a facelift saying, the focus gave rise to the remodeling projects being under taken in 11 airports across the country.
Her focus, she said, is the completion, rehabilitation and renovation of the airports, including Hajj and Pilgrims terminals.
Chairman of the Senate Committee, Senator Hope Uzodinma warned that the 2012 budget must be totally implemented.
Uzodinma noted that full implementation of the capital budget is the only way for economic development of the country.
He noted that the aviation industry must grow from its present status to what is obtainable all over the world.

SOURCE:THEWILL

Boeing Delivers First 747-8 Freighter to AirBridgeCargo Airlines

2012-01-27T07:56:00.000+01:00

Boeing and AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC), part of Volga-Dnepr Group, celebrated yesterday the delivery of the first of five new Boeing 747-8 Freighters to the airline.
"The introduction of the Boeing 747-8F represents a huge commitment to our customers since we are investing in state of the art equipment to further expand our network," said Tatyana Arslanova, executive president of AirBridgeCargo Airlines.
"We have a firm belief that our established and new customers will greatly benefit from the additional features the airplane will provide such as enhanced payload. With the introduction of the Boeing 747-8F, we'll have the youngest freighter fleet in the industry while maintaining the highest standards of environmental compliance."
"ABC is a valued customer of Boeing that has built a very successful cargo business with the help of 11 747 Freighters and we're confident ABC will maintain its impressive rate of growth, supported by the new fleet of Boeing 747-8 Freighters," said Marty Bentrott, vice president of Sales for Russia, Central Asia and Middle East, Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
The new 747-8 Freighter is 250 feet, 2 inches (76.3 m) long, which is 18 feet and 4 inches (5.6 m) longer than its predecessor, the 747-400 Freighter.
The stretch provides customers with 16 percent more revenue cargo volume, which translates to four additional main-deck pallets and three additional lower-hold pallets. The 747-8 Freighters are powered with GE's GEnx-2B engines.
The addition of the 747-8 to ABC's fleet is an important step in its long-term business strategy. The second and third Boeing 747-8s will join the fleet in March and September 2012 and the last two aircraft on order are scheduled for delivery in 2013. In addition, ABC has options for five more 747-8s.
By the end of 2012, after retiring old aircraft types, ABC's fleet will consist of three Boeing 747-8 Freighters and eight 747-400 Freighters.

source:Boeing Company

Re: "TUKUR Condemns Alarm..."

2012-01-26T22:38:00.000+01:00

Comment from: adamua.abdullahi@yahoo.com

FAAN from inception has always had a Human Resources Dept charged with recruitment, transfer, posting, promotions, upgrading, conversion, as well as postings. Hiring a consultant to conduct a recruitment exercise does not therefore give him(Group Captain Ojikutu [rtd]) the right to dictate who FAAN employs.

The Authority has the right to accept his list, in full or in part, or even discard of the list if it deems fit. Issues were raised on the integrity of the list the consultant submitted as follows:

(a)Candidates claimed that they were forced to cough out as much as N300k per head to make the list.

(b) The consultant's niece who also doubled as his secretary sat for and passed the exams and of course topped the list from her state.

It is in view of this and other salient issues that the Human Resources Dept of FAAN also conducted further interviews and recruited some candidates in line with its mandate.

All candidates in line with extant rules underwent a thorough background check conducted by an independent body, the State Security Service(SSS).

There is no State in the federation that got away with as much as 61 slots-orders from above or not! The consultant should know as a retired security man that there is no way any candidate can be employed as an Avsec Officer without background checks. His grouse is that he has not been able to bring in those that have paid him in addition to the over N40m paid him by FAAN.

ADMINISTRATIVE PANEL TO HEAR BA, VIRGIN APPEAL INUAGURATED

2012-01-26T13:55:00.000+01:00

Chairman of Panel, Justice George A. O. Oguntade
(middle) (rtd.) flanked by Hon. Bala Ibn. NaAllah
(left) and Hon. K.G.B. Oguakwa during the
inauguration yesterday.

The Administrative Panel set up by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority(NCAA) on the underhand dealings in air fares pricing allegations levelled against the two United Kingdom carriers-Brittish Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways was inaugurated in Lagos yesterday.

The Panel, Chaired by Justice A.A.Oguntade was inaugurated at the Radisson Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The NCAA had late last year slammed the two foreign airlines with fines running into over N300m over discriminatory and uncompetitive air fares against Nigerians.Following, both BA and Virgin cried foul alleging that they were not guilty of the allegations and that they were ready to prove their innocence.

It was on the basis of this and their right to appeal that the Director General of NCAA, Dr Harold Demuren set up the Administrative Panel to hear their side of the story and come to justice.

The terms of reference of the panel are:

- To consider the Authority's determination with respect to whether it has any basis and or support; legally and factually on the issue at stake

- Whether the process and conclusions were fair and consistent with appropriate legal and other relevant principles; and

- Whether the penalties are fair and reasonable.

TUKUR Condemns Alarm Over Likely Presence of Boko Haram Symphatisers Among Airport Security Personnel

2012-01-26T10:50:00.000+01:00

Posted by Lateef Lawal

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Alhaji Mohammed Tukur

The Assistant Secretary General of Airline Operators of Nigeria(AON),Alhaji Mohammed Tukur has condemned insinuation by an aviation consultant that some 61 Aviation Security staff of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria(FAAN) recruited from a particular section of the country ‘illegally’, could be an easy tools for members of the Boko Haram terrorists group.
According to Tukur, it was unbelievable that Group Captain John Ojikutu (rtd), a one-time airport commandant in Lagos could descend to the level of trivializing and giving ethnic colorations to highly sensitive security issues.

He pointed out that the outburst of Group Captain Ojikutu could send wrong signals to the traveling public as regards their safety at the nation’s airports and also ginger members of the dreaded sect to now shift their focus to perpetrating evil at any of the country’s airports.
Tukur questioned the rational behind the aviation consultant’s alarmist statement five years after he purportedly interviewed and recruited over 300 aviation security personnel for FAAN out of which he alleged 61 who did not wrote examination nor attended interview were forced to be taken from Bauchi State.
He added that,” If truly that was the case, why didn’t he raise an eyebrow in 2007 when Boko-Haram was not in existence? If he had done that then, one would have praised his courage.Why is he trying to placate a section of the country in this trying period when every hands ought to be on deck to find a lasting solution to the threat posed by Boko Haram?
Group Captain John Ojikutu had two days ago while briefing newsmen claimed that FAAN engaged him in 2007 to assist in the recruitment of 500 airport security personnel out of which only 361 scaled the hurdles set for the recruitment.
But to his amazement, an unverified 'orders' came from above which saw to the dissappearance of 61 of the qualified candidates from a particular state in the North East and 61 persons who neither applied for the job, nor wrote any examination, nor passed through any security profiling were recruited into FAAN, from Bauchi State.
This development Group Captain Ojikutu noted portends danger for the airport system, in the face of the recent threat of Boko Haram in the country and at variance with the standards and requirements set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation(ICAO).
The aviation security consultant disclosed that the presence of such 61 persons from a state with strong links with Boko Haram in the airport system calls for caution, as absence of security checks on their status could be inimical to the safety and security of the airport system in Nigeria.

*EDITOR's NOTE: More reactions to this story will be accepted, but must come along with the identity of such writer.Anonymous response will not be published

Infrastructural Deficiencies

2012-01-25T23:29:00.000+01:00

*Ministry, FAAN strive to transform nation’s airports

Mr George Uriesi,MD,FAAN

The seemingly loss of confidence by most aviation stakeholders in the efficiency of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria(FAAN) to provide the required service to its growing clientele, passengers and other airport users in the recent past may in the nearest future be consigned to oblivion.

The ongoing remodelling of the nation’s airports, which entails the expansion, construction of new terminals and overhaul of facilities at 11 of the 22 airports managed by FAAN, attest to the latest positive impression about the Authority.

The re-modelling of the airports is being championed by the Minister of Aviation, Prinncess Stella Adaeze Oduah. The Minister had in October 2011 assured the country that the Federal Government would remodel the airports in consonance with the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan.

Although some aviation pundits like the General Secretary of the Aviation Round Table, Mr. Olu Akerele, believed the government could have garnered inputs from across the aviation spectrum, perhaps at a stakeholders’ forum, the unfolding developments at the airports are not out of place in their entirety.

To Oduah, who is a visionary and successful entrepreneur from the private sector, it was high time Nigeria departs from holding a whole rigmarole of conferences and took a pragmatic approach to the aviation problems.

In her position, the remodelling exercise is a decisive response of the government to the poor state of the airports, which are pervaded by obsolete infrastructure.

Towards accomplishing the ultimate goal of the Goodluck Jonathan administration in turning around the fortunes of the airports and FAAN, which has become a lame duck over the years, Oduah got the approval of Mr. President for the appointment of George Uriesi, an aviation technocrat, as the Managing Director of FAAN early October 2011.

George holds several professional qualifications, including the Aviation Safety Management Certificate of the University of Southern California, the ACI Airport Executive Leadership Certificate of Concordia University, Canada and the Executive Leadership Certificate of the University of Cape Town, amongst others. He is also a US-Certified Business Coach. Prior to his appointment as Managing Director/CEO, he was the Director of Airport Operations.

Oduah and Uriesi, with their avant garde approach, have not faltered in their commitment to the industry since their assumption of office.

Oduah, for instance, is working against all odds towards bequeathing a legacy of international standards and competitive business concerns and entities to the nation’s industry.

This is evident by some of the completed works now recorded by FAAN under the supervision and leadership of Uriesi. The Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar III, had on December 15, 2011 commissioned the newly built Hajj Terminal of the Kaduna Airport, Kaduna. The Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, had, the same day, commissioned similar terminal at the Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano.

At the General Aviation Terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, works are ongoing for the construction of a new terminal as the existing terminal building used for domestic flight operations and its protocol lounges are undergoing renovation. The new terminal is expected to house new departure and arrival halls.

According to an official of FAAN, who craved anonymity, the GAT is expected to have a total face lift, a development coming up for the first time after over 30 years of the terminal’s existence.

Also at the international wing of the MMA, massive works are ongoing for the expansion of the arrival and departure halls of the terminal to accommodate the increasing passenger and aircraft traffic. The expansion work, sources at the airport said would also affect the frontage of the terminal, including the diplomatic car park at the airport.

The usually stuffy atmosphere in the terminal has also given way with the coming of Uriesi. This is with the installation of two new air cooled liquid chillers of 400 tons each in addition to the existing cooling system at the terminal.

The Authority has also installed 50 AC packaged units of 10 tons each at the D and E wings of the terminal.

It has almost completed the overhaul of the toilet facilities in the public areas of the terminal, giving a sigh of relief to passengers and other airport users.

Uriesi had, a couple of weeks ago, hinted that the Authority had taken delivery of three carousels to replace the dilapidated ones at the airport. The installation of the carousels would be completed before the end of the first quarter of 2012.

Our correspondent further gathered in Lagos that FAAN has completed the MMA water improvement project. Also the power improvement project at the airport is near completion, as four out of the six generators required for the international terminal were already on ground when our correspondent visited the terminal.

The Ministry of Aviation and FAAN have also come to the aid of domestic airport users, including operators, in Abuja. They have moved all operations out of the domestic terminal, which hitherto was choked up with passengers and other airport users.

The Authority had on January 4, 2012 completed the movement of all airline operators and other stakeholders from the domestic wing of the NAIA to the international wing of the airport.

Work has already begun on the construction of a new domestic terminal at the airport.

The Senate President, Dr. David Mark, had on December 8, 2011flagged off domestic flight operations at the revamped international terminal of the Abuja airport.

The Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, had the following day commissioned two VIP lounges at the terminal. The lounges are richly ornamented with carvings, flowers and gymnastic facilities. The facilities, put together by Oduah, are more aesthetic, and have started boosting the revenue of the airport.

Massive works are still ongoing at the airport. The same applies to other airports in Kano, Kaduna, Benin, Jos, Port Harcourt, Owerri, Calabar and Enugu among others. A new carousel system has recently been acquired and installed at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu.

Uriesi, with the support of the Aviation ministry, is also changing the poor attitude to work of the staff of FAAN. The staff welfare, unlike in the past, is being given priority. A member of staff in the Operations Directorate of the Authority, Adekeye Gbolahan, disclosed that salaries are now paid before the 26^th of every month.

The Airport Maintenance Allocations are also being remitted as and when due unlike in the past when the allocation meant for the running of the airports suffered delay. The FAAN Leadership Team(FLT) under Uriesi, recently hosted the staff to an award party and another for their children.

The gestures were to appreciate the noble contributions of the workers to the growth and survival of the agency, while also boosting their morale for increased productivity in the New Year.

The FLT also recently held a retreat for its management staff in Lagos. The retreat aimed at developing new strategic plans for the Authority in the new fiscal year, as it is poised to increase its Internally Generated Revenue and deliver value to its growing customers in 2012.

Though the agency’s plan for local and international training in 2012 will undoubtedly be affected by the government’s recent directive to all ministries, departments and agencies to cut their expenditure, Uriesi revealed that attention would definitely be paid to mandatory training programmes, particularly on safety and security within the confines of the resources available to the Authority.

Today, FAAN is be-devilled by gross indebtedness put at over N20bn. The debts are owed FAAN by airlines, concessionaires and government agencies. Most of the debtors have turned deaf ears to pleas by the government and its agents to meet their obligations to the Authority.

Uriesi, however, said FAAN would not be deterred by the challenges and numerous others.

The situation, according to him, “requires that we begin to think and do things differently as an organization, if we are to bring FAAN into a proper state of financial stability quickly.”

Uriesi, had in a message to the staff across the country reminded them that the mantra for 2012 is “Transformation” in FAAN, while enjoining them to embrace the changes needed to make the organization remain “a strong going concern.”

As part of the transformation process, the FAAN boss hinted the staff that his management would in due course be rolling out a new set of values.

The values, he observed, support the vision of FAAN, which is to be amongst the best airport groups in the world. The Authority’s mission: To develop and profitably manage customer-centric airport facilities, for safe, secure and efficient carriage of passengers and goods at world-class standards of quality would also spiritedly be adhered to in the course of operation for the year and beyond, he emphasized.

In spite of the agenda set for the industry, particularly the airports by the Ministry of Aviation and FAAN, an aviation expert, Grp. Capt. John Ojikutu, believed more attention should be paid to safety and construction of aprons and runway at the airports. He noted that the government, should, instead of pre-occupying itself with the remodelling of the airports, look for investors and direct them on what to do with the airports in their present states.

A senior official in the Ministry of Aviation, who preferred anonymity, however, said that ongoing remodelling of the airports is aimed at upgrading and preparing them for commercialization in the best interest of the nation.

The official, who reiterated that the transformation of the industry has been phased, said the Ministry and FAAN would in due course tackle other areas and issues at the airports yearning for attention.

ALLEGED BOKO HARAM TERROR MEMBERS AMONGST AVIATION SECURITY MEN OF FAAN?

2012-01-25T08:26:00.002+01:00

*Group Captain J.Ojikutu(rtd) raises alarm!
An alarm has been raised over the mode of recruitment of 61 Aviation Security(AVSEC) personnel recruited into the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria ( FAAN), in 2007.
The said perosonnel were alleged not to have applied for the job, nor passed through the rigours of security profiling.
All of security men hails from a state in the North East geo- political zone, which is now one of the havens of the extremists Islamic sect Boko Haram.
The alarm was raised by Group Captain John Ojikutu yesreday who claimed that FAAN engaged him in 2007 to assist in the recruitment of 500 airport security personnel out of which only 361 scaled the hurdles set for the recruitment.
But to his amazement, an unverified 'orders' came from above which saw to the dissappearance of 61 of the qualified candidates from a particular state in the North East and 61 persons who neither applied for the job, nor wrote any examination, nor passed through any security profiling were recruited into FAAN, from Bauchi State.
This development Group Captain Ojikutu noted portends danger for the airport system, in the face of the recent threat of Boko Haram in the country and at variance with the standards and requirements set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation(ICAO).
The aviation security consultant disclosed that the presence of such 61 persons from a state with strong links with Boko Haram in the airport system calls for caution, as absence of security checks on their status could be inimical to the safety and security of the airport system in Nigeria.
He reasoned that the latest threat to security in the country has exposed the need for government and its security agencies to continue to zero in on the calibre of people who are involved in securing the airport from terror threat in view of the challenge of insider threats to aviation security.
Ojikutu further revealed that attempts by him, to draw the attention of the Federal Character Commission ( FCC), and the National Assembly to address the anormaly did not yield the desired result, because it has become imperative to have as personnel in the airports, people with behavioural patterns and attitude that will not jeopardise aviation security .
.They were from one state , Bauchi State, all of them that were brought in , 61 of them, came from the same state without applying for the job or writing any examination, they were just selected at variance with the requirement set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation ( ICAO).
Ojikutu also said it was time the Federal Government beamed the searchlight on the calibre of people who are allowed access to restricted areas in the airport, who could do any harm to the airport by planting bombs.

READERS' RESPONSE:"TRACON BLURS PREVIOUS AIR NAVIGATION PROBLEMS"

2012-01-25T07:44:00.002+01:00

Comment from:Olumuyiwa Adegorite

Absolutely right! Your analysis is spot-on and extremely correct. I have chosen not to make any comments because I was actively involved in the project. Kudos to you for threading the path of truth.

SCRAP AVIATION MINISTRY, A.R.T URGES FG

2012-01-24T22:43:00.000+01:00

Posted by Lateef Lawal

A call has been made for the scrapping of the Federal Ministry of Aviation in line with the recommendation of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Rather, Aviation should be a department under the Federal Ministry of Transport as obtains in other economies of the world.

Captain Dele Ore(r) and Mr Sam Akerele during the briefing

The call was made by members of the Aviation Round Table(ART) at a briefing in Ikeja, Lagos while reviewing the state of the air transport industry in Nigeria.

In an address jointly presented by the President of ART, Captain Dele Ore and the Secretary General, Mr Sam Akerele , members of the body specifically posited,:" Aviation is an international business with laid down Standards and Recommended Practices by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
Nigeria cannot operate aviation in isolation. The ECOWAS Parliament in 2000 recommended that member states should not appoint ministers to preside over aviation.
Rather, a Minister of Transport should be in charge with specialists in various segments of transportation, including aviation. On the strength of this, ART recommends that the Federal Ministry of Aviation should be scrapped while the Ministry of Transport should supervise the various segments of transportation". They explained that, :" It was a realization of the correct thing to do that led to the merger of two ministries of aviation and transport in 2007, alongside the ministries of information and communication. Moreover, there is no basis for merging the agencies that were de-merged on the recommendation of Vision 2010 Report in 1997 and the Aviation Safety Reform Report of 2006".
On the muted merger of Federal Airports Authority Nigeria(FAAN) and Nigerian Airspace Management Agency(NAMA) that has been reported in the media, ART said it was important to note that FAAN and NAMA provide services that are different just as the law that established them are separate. FAAN is an airport ground service provider while NAMA manages and provides air traffic services.
While FAAN can outsource facilities or services or go into partnership with private investors to develop airport facilities and provide passenger airport services, the law that established NAMA forbids it from outsourcing any of its services which are essentially critical to the safety of all aircraft flight operations. National Transportation & Safety Board (NTSB) equivalent should be established in Nigeria to be manned by experienced people and also handle accident investigation cases among other functions.
The NCAA has not been asserting fully, the powers given to it under the Civil Aviation Act in carrying out its regulatory and oversight functions. The guaranteed authority should be strengthened further.
COMMERCIALIZATION OF PARASTATALS
The aviation parastatals were commercialized many years ago hence they make revenue from services provided. NATIONAL CARRIER In the regret of the liquidation of the former national carrier NAL, and in recognition of the strategic importance of a National carrier status, ART encourages the government to set up a national carrier which may not necessarily mean the formation of a new airline.
NCAA PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL
The critical asset that is often left out of the diligent list is leadership. Aviation industry in Nigeria at this time is gifted with capable leader who has driven the team and other stakeholders to a level that is acclaimed internationally as being at per with world standards.
During his watch in general the landmark achievements which include but not limited to the following:-
Civil Aviation Act 2006 and enactment of 2006 and 2009 Regulations o TRACON PROJECT
o Accident free period achieved
o Removal of Nigeria from the list of country of interest (Terrorist state)
o Successful hosting of international conferences and workshops by NCAA, FAAN and AIB
o Attainment of US FAA Category 1 certification.
　 Our expectation is mostly to consolidate on the areas where progress has been made previously and not to relapse to the unfortunate 2005/2006 era.
The greatest expectation is the task of maintaining the highest safety standard to sustain the category one certification.
Certification of the major international airports should be achievable.
In the final analysis there is little attention paid to economic regulation. The following have been observed to be areas of concern:
1. No Succession Plan
2. Federal character has been taken too far replacing merit and expertise
3. Imperatives of research and development lacking
4. No investment plans as provided for by Section 16 of Nigerian Civil Aviation Act 2006
5. No manpower in sufficient numbers in critical areas
6. There should be regular inspection of foreign airlines at the airport
7. The result of investigation on the alleged "contamination of aviation fuel" should be released to stakeholders
8. Determination of Obstacle Limitation in the Kano FIR, published data availability and annual update
9. Compensation payment on victims of Sosoliso Airlines, ADC Airlines and Bellview accidents
10. A financial audit of airlines and all aviation service providers should be conducted and result should be made public
11. Legal liability of ATC in the Hydro-Cargo B747 Accident 2005
　 In the final analysis, the NCAA leadership is that of obsession with safety (which is rightly so under the circumstances) but needs more attention to economic regulation. NCAA should also strengthen the oversight on fuel suppliers (Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria).
7. AIRPORTS INFRASTRUCTURE "RE-MODELING" BY FAAN/FMA
ART recommends a complete privatization of Airports in the industry rather than remodeling of the airports. The development or expansion of airports infrastructure at our airports should depend on the availability of land, funds and resources. Unfortunately, most lands at the older airports have been encroached upon by state governments, local authorities and private individuals.
i. MMIA In Focus
Rather than remodel the airport, government should adapt the policy of public private partnership to construct new terminals at Lagos, (which is currently handling, 70% of domestic and international passenger traffic). A transit lounge should be set up for transiting passengers to minimize delays in facilitation procedures. The cargo village at the airport is a different world, at nights, far from what should be seen around an airport in terms of security arrangements.
ii. Security Upgrade At The Airports
There is competition and rivalry among security agencies at the airport such that there is buck-passing among the agencies in event of breaches. FAAN is the designated authority responsible for coordinating airport security but it cannot exert authority over the operation of any of the government security agencies. Based on this, an independent aviation security establishment similar to the Transportation and Security Administration (TSA) in the United States should be established in Nigeria. Perimeter fencing should be enforced and broken fences at the airports should be fixed. The nonchalant attitudes of security personnel at the airport should be tackled especially at a time when there is terrorist threat across the country. RUNWAY LIGHTING I8L MMIA
The runway lighting installation of 18L MMIA has been on for several years

What is the status of the Runway 18L light installation?
Domestic Airlines pay additional cost for takeoff on 18R at night Other matters of concern raised by ART are as follows: JET A1 (AVIATION FUEL)Obviously, one of the factors that makes the cost of aviation fuel very high is the fact that Nigeria imports aviation fuel, and the administrative cost incurred in the course of bringing in the fuel makes direct impact on Jet A1 price. If Nigeria refines the product here in Nigeria, we could stop or minimize importation, and the price will definitely go down. So, Aviation Round Table recommends that an aviation fuel refinery should be established in Nigeria. (Kerosine + Antifreeze)
The current mode of operation of the Joint Users Hydrant Installation (JUHI) with the use of surface tanks instead of underground pipeline is added costs. Investments in several fuel bowsers and jet trucks with scattered depots meant that the costs are passed on to the airlines. The government set up a committee to look into such problem of high cost of aviation fuel. What recommendations has the committee made what actions taken so far?
3. MANPOWER ISSUES
Aviation Round Table feels strongly that the industry had lacked way behind in manpower and employment issues. As recently as 1999, we had nearly 100% indigenization of manpower on that sector. We therefore, encourage government to aggressively restore the healthy trend of indigenization. Local aviation institutions should be encouraged to train more personal. Service providers and airlines that are interested in training pilots and engineers have challenges of obtaining visas from the embassies. The FMA should intervene to encourage training of personnel by local airlines.
　
　
　
　
　
　
　

TRACON blurs previous air navigation problems

2012-01-24T10:16:00.000+01:00

-says NAMA's Port Harcourt Regional General Manager,Francis Mepba

All forms of problems associated with air traffic control of the country’s airspace have become a thing of the past since the commencement of the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON), the General Manager of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency(NAMA) in charge of Port Harcourt Regional Office, Mr Francis Barile Mepba has remarked.

Speaking to journalists Mepba while describing the TRACON as a blessing to air traffic control in the country, noted that the days of battling to separate aircraft by air traffic controllers in the airspace as a result of malfunctioned equipment was over .

"Before the advent of TRACON, it has been a very, very hectic assignment in the sense that it was the period of unnecessary delays on ground because of the procedural air traffic control where you can not see the aircraft you are communicating with. It was a kind of blind air traffic services before the introduction of TRACON"

According to Mr Mepba,with the distance of over 250 nautical miles from Port Harcourt, the TRACON covering Enugu, Calabar, Eket, Osubi and Benin areas and beyond, the TRACON has the capability of monitoring flying aircraft in these airports.

He added that the equipment has reduced flight hours and cost of operation by airlines as they consume less fuel.

He explained that the risks associated with bad weather with the TRACON have been minimized.

"Even in a severe weather condition occasioned by thunder storm, the radar controller is able to bring the aircraft in to land. The equipment has not given us any problems whatsoever "

On the servicing of the TRACON, the airspace manager further explained that before the commissioning that most of the air traffic engineers were sent abroad where it was manufactured for retraining in order to maintain it with already available spare parts in stock.

Mr. Mepba lamented that all NAMA equipment at the airport are being run on generating plants which has eaten deep into the finances of the organization as millions of naira was committed to the running of these equipment.

"The major problem we are facing now is power supply we run our generators 24 hours, we do not want to wait until we have power surge, the few occasion we have to depend on PHCN, and it is either the voltage is low or more and you start getting warning alarms everywhere", he noted.

While commending the management team of NAMA for solving various problems that have impeded on the progress of station, he said that, "It takes courage and boldness for somebody like Engr. Nnamdi Udoh to face the task on ground, the man is not coming to learn about the problem in NAMA, he knows the entire problem on ground and he is facing those head long and we are seeing the result. Those days we cry to get diesel but as it is now, we have it in stock".

New Airline Passenger Protections Take Effect Today In U.S

2012-01-24T09:32:00.000+01:00

New regulations going into effect this today will help ensure that consumers are treated fairly when they travel by air, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said yesterday(Monday).
Among the new provisions, part of the airline consumer rule issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation, are requirements that airlines and ticket agents include all mandatory taxes and fees in published airfares and that they disclose baggage fees to consumers buying tickets.

Ray Lahood,US Transportation Sec.,

"Airline passengers have rights, and they should be able to expect fair and reasonable treatment when booking a trip and when they fly. The new passenger protections taking effect this week are a continuation of our effort to help air travelers receive the respect they deserve", U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said.
Also beginning this week, passengers will be able to hold a reservation without payment, or cancel a booking without penalty, for 24 hours after the reservation is made, if they make the reservation one week or more prior to a flight's departure date.
In addition, airlines will be required to promptly notify passengers of flight delays of over 30 minutes, as well as flight cancellations and diversions, and they will generally be prohibited from increasing the price of passengers' ticket after it is bought.
The new rules also will make it easier for passengers to determine the full price they will have to pay for air transportation prior to travel.
Currently, airlines and ticket agents are allowed to publish ads that list government-imposed taxes and fees separately from the advertised fare, as long as these taxes and fees are assessed on a per-passenger basis.
However, sometimes the notice of these taxes and fees is not obvious to consumers. Under the new requirements, all mandatory taxes and fees must be included together in the advertised fare. The advertising provision takes effect Jan. 26, 2012 while all of the other consumer protections go into effect as from today,Jan. 24.
In addition, airlines and ticket agents will be required to disclose baggage fees to consumers when they book a flight online.
The first screen containing a fare quotation for a specific itinerary must show if there will be additional baggage fees, and inform consumers where they can go to see these fees. Information on baggage fees also must be included on all e-ticket confirmations, and for most trips the same baggage allowances and fees must apply throughout a passenger¡'s journey.
The new requirements are the final provisions to become effective from the Department¡'s most recent airline consumer rule. A number of new measures required by the rule took effect on Aug. 23, 2011, including requirements that airlines refund baggage fees if bags are lost and provide increased compensation to passengers bumped from oversold flights.
Also beginning last August, the Department set a four-hour time limit on tarmac delays for all international flights at U.S. airports, and extended the three-hour tarmac delay limit for domestic flights to smaller airports. It also required additional airlines to report their lengthy tarmac delays to DOT.
The Department is looking at other airline consumer protection measures for a possible future rulemaking, including requiring that all airline optional fees be disclosed wherever consumers can book a flight, strengthening disclosure of code-share flights, and requiring additional carriers to file on-time performance reports.

Source: US DOT

FOCUS ON SAFETY IN NIGERIA

2012-01-22T15:10:00.000+01:00

ERA OF POORLY MAINTAINED AIRCRAFT IS GONE
-says Dr Harold O.Demuren,DG,NCAA

Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority(NCAA) has come a long way after surmounting the teething problems in 2005 and 2006, aftermath of the series of plane crashes and fatalities recorded.
In those period, the capability of NCAA as the regulator cum watchdog of the industry was called to question.This basically informed the overhaul of the management of the Authority by the Federal Government with the appointment of Dr Harold Olusegun Demuren as the Director General leading the new team with a mandate to clear the augean stable and dent brought on the civil aviation operations in the country.
The initial focus of the Dr Demuren led team was first, to stabilize the industry which was clearly in shambles,restore the confidence of the air travelers and on top of it all change the negative image of the country especially-as regards safety- in eyes of international community.Today, things have tremendously changed.
Nigeria has attained Category 1 Safety Status.Junk aircraft have given way to modern generation planes.Financial and Economic issues that had threatened the industry are been given desired attention while lopsided air service agreements are being tackled head-on.Presently,all cadres of operations from administrative to technical are manned by qualified personnel.
As at now, NCAA has licensed not less than 554 pilots, 913 engineers and 1700 cabin personnel.In the focus published below, the Director General of NCAA, Dr Harold Demuren, shed more lights on what NCAA is doing to further ensure that the maintenance and safety systems put in place are not broken or side-tracked by any airline operator or personnel required to keep the industry functioning properly as expected and not leaving out the recent face-off with the British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airlines.Fill your curiosity:

Dr Harold Demuren,DG,NCAA

People have raised concerns about the alleged poor maintenance of their fleet of aircraft by Nigerian carriers. How do you react to this?
Demuren:I beg your pardon, that’s nonsense, nothing like that, those eras are gone. Nigeria as a nation, as a matter fact, IATA Director-General just mentions in Morocco that tremendous amount of progress has been made in terms of airline safety in Nigeria.
You all know what used to happen to us in the past. That’s why we have not had any major accident again. We’ve cleaned up the process; no aircraft can fly in this country today without maintenance and safety record.
It’s not possible, that era is gone and gone for good. We have the system in place now. Nigeria has one of the highest safety standards. We do audit every week. It’s all over the place.
We have a Safety Management System [SMS] that works in place. Our key oversight has reached the highest standard.
The International Civil Aviation Organization [ICAO], an Agency of the United Nations that oversees global aviation. It carries out safety audit on member states including Nigeria regularly. We come out clean. The America Transportation Safety Administration [TSA] also carries out Security Audit on Nigeria, particularly on the major airports.
We performed creditably well. For your information Nigeria got Category 1 in the last audit of the Country by the American Federal Aviation Administration [FAA] in its International Aviation Safety Assessment [IASA] audit program.
This has enabled a Nigerian registered aircraft to fly directly from Nigeria to the United States of America. That’s what it means, that you are now number one. That’s what we’ve achieved. We are in the Premier League.
So, how can you now say somebody brings airplane with questionable safety papers to Nigeria. It’s just a figment of their imagination. What do we do? No aircraft can fly in Public Transport Category carrying passengers for hire and reward without having a valid Air Operation Certificate [AOC].
To get it is hectic. Your maintenance, your flight operation, your training, the head of your crew, everything is scrutinized. Your manual, your procedure, your systems, everything. That’s what happens.

What type of systems check are in place to ensure aircraft are given proper maintenance either here or if flown abroad?
Demuren:Let me explain to you, in the first instance, according to law of aviation and as it is the norm all over the world whether it is International Civil Aviation Organization[ICAO] or Federal Aviation Administration [FAA] or the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority[UKCAA] or the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority[NCAA] the practice is the same.
You cannot send your aircraft to another place unless it has been approved by NCAA. You must have an approval called AMO –that is- Approved Maintenance Organization, where the maintenance of your aircraft is carried out.
They also must have approved the place, give them approval and they go there to audit their work whether or not the maintenance of the for the army aircraft of aircraft done by other countries. So, they must maintain those aircraft as scheduled. We don’t allow airline operators to do maintenance as per customers’ request. They do it as par approved maintenance schedule of NCAA. Let me give you one example.
You do your A check every twenty to twenty-five day, you do your B check every three month, you do C check every year or you do it after so many hours, so many circles. Nigeria super-imposed calendar limitations. We are stricter that you must do it and it must go.
So, number one, before you send it, it must be approved by NCAA, then later on, before the aircraft is going to leave the service point, our people will go and verify whether those works have been done.
There’s a work package, there’s a work graph that everyone follows, one by one.
Only when you have done that and the mandatory airworthiness that you must comply with. Check interval you must not miss, all those there.
We have a very solid surveillance program.Our inspectors go round the tarmac, they burst into any aircraft without prior notice, and they show their identity [ID] and demand to see safety record the particular aircraft they enter.
Where is your certificate of maintenance that was issued? Our engineers will check your record and ask questions. So, with the system we now have in place it is not possible to say we have safety issues.
You are 100% sure
Demuren:Yes!If not, aircraft will be dropping from the sky.
What exactly is the standard requirements for opening an airline?
Demuren:To open an airline you must get the permission, you must have what we called economic authorizations that you want to go into the business. Economic authorization involves that you must apply to NCAA, get all your papers, you must have very good business model you want to do, what type of aircraft, where do you want to go and many more.
After that we apply to our own parent ministry, Ministry of Aviation, to tell our minister this application, this is what we are doing and they should please seek for security clearance. That is economic authorization, you will now start what we call Air Operation Certificate[AOC] proper and that is the big deal.
Those are safety requirements, how do you train your crew, you have plans for your maintenance, where are you going to do it, what about your dispatch, it goes to everything, your flight crew, your cabin crew, your maintenance engineers, every safety requirements must be met.
We go through one by one.
What about your manual, where are your tools and equipment to do the work, have you train the people, how much are you giving them? There’s also what we said qualified personnel in sufficient number, for instance, this job requires twenty people to work for you, show us the twenty people. You must show me, if they are nineteen then it’s not complete yet, you must show the twenty, we call it Qualified Highly Rated Experience Personnel in sufficient number. This happen every time but when we stopped them from operating, revoke the license we don’t do it on the pages of newspapers.
Why does it take much longer time to process compensation of accident victims?
Demuren:We sued all the airlines involved at the time. Bellview paid very quickly, out of all of them Bellview did very well. Sosoliso had issues and finally decided to pay; they have to sell some the aircraft to compensate the people.
There is what we called in American Law, Family Assistance Programm, when they say people died, everybody commiserate with them, they will go, we forget there. Most likely all will be paid; to buy the aircraft back is easier to pay. But they don’t remember the passengers that died.
Our Law is very strict on it, thou shall pay……. so, we are pursuing it. What we have done has been to work with Nigerian Insurance Commission also to ensure that those insurance papers they are given to us are true and genuine ones, not that you are getting cover notes, there’s nothing there and people will pay their premium and then they call insurance to honour it and do the right thing. They have to re-insure it in Europe, America or Canada.
What new security measures are in place to fight the growing global terrorism, especially growing domestic terrorism?
Demuren:We have introduced modern explosive detection technique. This is in addition to advance profiling and background checks with special attention to insider threats.
What is NCAA doing to assist airlines that are indebted, so that they do not close down?
Demuren:We insisted that Airlines must pay the services they have enjoyed. They must pay their debts, period!
What exactly informed the price fixing investigation into British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airlines?
Demuren:Specially, we’ve noticed from a lot of analysis we have done and we found out that these particular airlines because they have the opportunity of direct flight from Lagos to London, and that’s our biggest route, business route for Nigeria. Nigerians are ally of the British, they go to London every time, our children are there. So, we look at that route, we monitor the route and we found out that there has been lot of collusion, deception, unjust and discriminatory practices going on and above all, it’s an abuse of dominant position, uses that to cheat Nigerians particularly when it comes to fares in the first class, business class and even the economy is not spared. That’s why we looked into this and we now also found out that they have been fined for such issue in US and UK.
Was the investigation due to written petition/protest?
Demuren:Some Nigerians in diasporas, wrote to me and say look, this is happening and there has been lot of concerns in the papers asking why this, why are you not doing this and that, why are you not looking at this and that. And I thought it’s best for us also to look into it.
Now, with the directive that both airlines should pay 235million dollars in fines to customers and the airlines are saying they reject your findings. What’s the next?
Demuren:They have the right to reject the findings. We have been talking with them, and we didn’t just wake up one day to do what we did. For the past six months we have been dealing with them. A lot of investigations have taken place, very, very extensive indeed. At the end of the day, we discovered huge violation and according to our civil aviation regulations, we can impose sanction and that’s what we’ve done. So, if they say they reject the findings, they are entitle to their opinion but the due course of law has to be fulfilled.
What if they resort to seeking redress in the court?
Demuren:We are ready for that. We will meet them there. We have our lawyers, team of experts and lawyers are with us, they have been working with us from day one in the past six months and so they have all the details. So, we are ready to meet them in court if that is the option they have chosen.
Many have been wondering whether it’s coincidental that your report came out at a time when the government is having a spat with the British on the slot and frequency issues.
Demuren:Honestly speaking this is totally unconnected. I said in the last six months we have been with them and they will tell you, we summoned them. We’ve been talking to them. We didn’t know about the slot issue. It just happened at this time when we were talking with the Minister of Aviation about these unfair discriminatory practices.
So, it was very easy to mention it, it was just right to mention it at the same time that we already are having this investigation and we called the foreign airlines to a meeting before that time where I expressed these concerns.
I told them that this must stop. Look at the prices we pay for ticket out of Nigeria and the one you pay if you are going out of Ghana, twice the amount, why?
And the fuel surcharge has been so much, they are abusing it even when the price of crude oil was going down, their prices were still going up drastically. We showed all these on the table to let them know about their position and they knew what they were doing. They can buy time, they can do all sort, but it’s not going to work.
If the airlines finally agrees to pay, what happens. How do you disburse to customers?
Demuren:That is fine. Is compensation to customers, they did it abroad, they did it in America, they announced it. We would work it out in our office so that we would get all the customers who are affected duly compensated. We would do that; it’s a normal procedure. Set up a website where they can call, what they can do, show their evidences and all that. We must make sure they get their rights back. There is no compromise on this. We will continue to protect Nigerians traveling abroad from abuses and exploitation.
How does this apply to Nigerian airlines that are also guilty of similar abuses?
Demuren:We’ve just started and this is where the big ones are. When you are doing something you go to big ones first then the message is all over the place and then it goes round.
But Nigerian consumers must get the value for their money and they must not be cheated, we must discourage all these acts of collusion, deception, unjust, and discriminatory fares must stop it.
So, the investigations includes both local airlines as well as foreign airlines. The important thing is that they must give best service to their customers whether they are Nigerian or foreign passengers as long as the flight is originating from Nigeria or coming into our country.
What exactly are the terms of BASA?
Demuren:BASA stands for Bilateral Air Service Agreement. This is done between two nations. They sit down and talk about air service agreement, what do we do? What are the conditions for us to fly to your country? What aircraft can we bring? How much frequency can we fly? Which airport can we land? It’s just all about that.
We have intermediate points, we have the point beyond which you can go. That’s what BASA is about. But a stranger cannot enter a country as a matter of right, it’s a privilege. So, External Affairs Ministry, Ministry of Aviation get together, hold meetings whether here or abroad, agree on the terms and then designate the airlines from that country to now go out to enjoy the benefits of the agreed routes based on agreed terms and conditions.
What determines the allocation of frequency to airlines?
Demuren:Usually, it depend on the level of traffic on the route, how busy it is, how much passengers are available. You can then decide whether this is a developed route or new route in which case you have to put in a lot of capital to develop the route before you can commence flight operations.
Look at Emirate, they have two flights a day out of Lagos to Dubai, British Airways [BA], two flights, one in the morning, one in the evening. British Airways is doing, one in the morning out of Abuja, one in the evening out of Lagos, Virgin Atlantic is doing one in the morning too, Arik is doing one from Lagos, one from Abuja also. And that’s how it is in the case of frequency; you have to watch it so that you don’t dilute the market.
But when you talk about slot, the slot is when you can land, what actual time of the day can you have a slot coming. That’s what is slot and that is done by the airport committee. But if you watch it these days, we have been very generous now.
The foreign airlines can come in anytime to do their business. But if our people want to go over there you give us frequency but no slot, that’s not frequency. A frequency without slot is not frequency, you must have slot. I can’t be playing in the air, I must be able to land, and it can’t be one-sided.
Those were the things that were discussed at our meeting and we are trying to resolve that right now. But it is very important that what you need to do is to make sure that the slots are there and to make sure that the frequencies are there before you can operate.
Having said that, when you have the frequency you can explore the market. The market in Nigeria is open. We welcome foreigners to explore and they can prosper, they can do well. But while our market is open for exploration, it is closed to exploitation.

What benefits do Nigeria stand to gain on the slot issue?
Demuren:The issue at stake is this- We don’t want bilateral service domination between two countries. The two nations are meant to benefit from it. It should not be one-sided. If we are doing something together and you are not happy, I’m happy, you won’t be happy. So, if airlines of other countries can come here and land easily in our country and airlines from here can’t do the same, then it is one-sided, so we need to correct all those imbalances and make sure it is sorted out.
But again, you must have strong airlines that can compete, our airlines are not strong enough, they are only carrying crumbs under the table, the leftovers. They should be able to compete and to compete on safety records, security, good services on board must be there. Once you have that and then we should also patronize them.
Many Nigerians don’t support our own. It’s very important that we do this. But again, to do that you can’t blame Nigerian passengers, you must have inter-connectivity, it’s not everybody that are just going to London, some are going to Manchester, some are going to other destinations in Europe, some going to America, some are going to far the East.
When you get to London, you must be able to take them to those places also. So, our airlines should interline. That’s why we advice them to be International Air Transport Association [IATA] International Operational Safety Assessment[IOSA] compliant and interline so that they can sell their tickets all over the world from point to point. Once you do that, you can compete with other foreign airlines to the satisfaction of passengers.
We can therefore not really blame the foreign airlines on the BASA issue since Nigerian registered airlines are operating from a point of weakness.
Demuren:But what I’m saying is that whether competition or not why should I buy a ticket out of Lagos to London and pay twice than what I will pay if I buy from Ghana? It doesn’t make sense; it’s just a rip off. You don’t do that and it’s the same distance from Ghana to London, what’s the difference? So, why should they double the price, why? What have we done wrong? Oh! We have money? We can afford it? That’s nonsense.
A lot of speculations are out there that by doing that they are trying to make Ghana a regional hub and that since we don’t have strong airlines to compete strongly and take advantage of BASA, it may not exactly be the faults BA or VAA…..
Demuren:You can’t come to Nigeria and rip people off, whether there is competition or not. Why should I buy a ticket out of Lagos to London and pay twice of what I am paying if I go to Ghana to buy the same ticket when it’s the same distance? It doesn’t make sense. They doubled the price; it is simply outrageous to say the least. And I repeat here and now: our market is open to exploration but close to exploitation. We would not allow you to do that to us. The purpose of business for goodness sake, let’s do good business, business that all of us can do and all of us can be happy.
Both sides must benefit that’s what BASA means, between two nations so that the two nations can benefit, they can prosper in it. When it’s one-sided it is no longer a good agreement. How can I have agreement with somebody, all of us agreed and then only one side is benefiting, you have to find out what’s wrong.
What I understand you to mean earlier is that frequency without slot is no frequency.
Demuren:It’s no frequency as far as I’m concern. Are you going to be roaming around in the air and you won't be able to land. Slot is what allows you to land. You don’t just go and be signing agreements with everybody saying you have open air and everybody can come to your country when there is no place to land and you can take advantage in our own country, you must find out why that is so. And these slots are held by your airlines here and there.
Are you saying all these foreign airlines should now pay for slots in Nigeria?
Demuren:It’s the responsibility of Federal Airports Authority Nigeria(FAAN) and they are looking at it. When they are ready, they will tell us. If they tell me today they want to do that, I have no objection especially for countries that are doing it to us.

AVIATION MINISTER INSISTS ON COMMERCIALISATION OF NAMA,OTHER AGENCIES

2012-01-22T13:33:00.000+01:00

The Commercialisation of aviation agencies remains one of the top agenda of the Federal Government under the present dispensation, the Aviation Minister Princess Stella Adaeze-Oduah has affirmed. The Minister, explained that ‘‘the option of commercialisation is an agenda all stakeholders in the industry would have to re-consider in order to decide on the best way to run our organizations.’'

Princess Adaeze-Oduah

Speaking in Abuja at the closing ceremony of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency 's -Corporate Realignment Retreat- Princess Adaeze-Oduah declared that ''efficiency and effectiveness are indices that readily indicate the growth of an organisation and remain some of the best business indices to measure performance in this century”.
She asked that ,''The challenge is if we remain the way we are, are we running an efficient and effective organisation? Are we self sustaining? Can we measure up to the standards of other Air Navigation Service Providers and business models worldwide?''.
Princess Oduah enjoined the management staff of NAMA to reflect on these questions in order to determine the way forward for the agency and others in the aviation industry.
She noted however, that some industry experts had raised the issue of safety as an impediment to commercialization but opined that there must be meeting point as other global models still maintain highest industry safety standards.
The Minister who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry ,Ms Anne Ene-Ita urged stakeholders to key into the transformation agenda of the present administration which is all inclusive, envisioning a new Nigeria.
She said further that the President's transformation agenda "requires sacrifices on everyone's part as it involves us all to be resolute in fore-going the immediate or short-term satisfaction, pleasure and comfort for the more distant but enormously valuable gains".
The Minister, while envisioning a new NAMA resulting from the gains of the retreat , charged the staff to see the retreat as the elixir needed for better performance.
The Managing Director of NAMA, Engineer Mazi Nnamdi Udoh appreciated the Minister for giving encouraging words to the participants on the need for attaining global standards in service delivery. Participants include the Managing Director, Directors, General Managers and Airspace Managers of the nation's airports

NCAA to host 'Safe Skies for Africa' Program

2012-01-21T09:33:00.000+01:00

Posted by Lateef Lawal

Dr Harold Demuren,
Director General
NCAA

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority(NCAA) is to host 'Safe Skies for Africa' program between February 6-10, 2012 at its annex, Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria.
The program with the theme-Africa Runway Safety & Pavement Maintenance Seminar-is being put together in cooperation with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the United States Department of Transportation.
Expected to be part of the seminar are the Boeing Company , Africa Civil Aviation Commission while Nigeria's Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Adaeze-Oduah is to declare the program open.
Confirming the hosting of the program, the Head of Media,NCAA Mr Sam Adurogboye said the event is open to Federal policy formulators, airport operators and managers, and airline safety professionals.
Others also expected to attend include-Aerodrome Inspectors, Aerodrome Managers from Civil Aviation Authorities, Aerodrome Operations and Maintenance personnel and Airline Operators.
Topics to be treated are-
*Evaluating an Airport's Runway Safety Culture
*Establishing & Implementing a Runway Safety Program
*Runway Incursion Mitigation
*Performing Airport Inspection and Vehicle Operator Training Program
Others include- Runway Safety & Vehicle Operator Training, Safety in Handling Aviation Fuel, Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Standards,Airport Emergency Planning, Safety During Airport Construction and Runway Safety Technology Initiatives.
The rest are-Airport Pavement Design & Evaluation, Pavement Management System, Pavement Material Characterization, Non-Destructive Testing, Pavement Roughness and Rehabilitation.

Qatar Airways Ends 2011 With Series of Business Traveller USA magazine Awards

2012-01-21T08:34:00.000+01:00

*US Travellers Name Doha-Based Carrier Best Airline For International Travel

QatarAirways has received top accolades at the prestigious Business Traveller USA magazine awards ceremony in Los Angeles.
QatarAirways Sales Manager, Southern USA, Bob Peek, receives the Best Business Class to the Middle East award from Publisher, Business Traveller USA,Jerry Allison.
Readers voted the Five-Star carrier Best Airline for International Travel for the third consecutive year at its 23rd annual Best in Business Awards.The airline was also awarded Best Business Class to the Middle East. The awards recognize 35 different travel service providers in 54 categories.
Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said the airline’s winning streak can be attributed to its high standards of quality and service.
“Everything we do and provide, from personalised treatment and customer service, to in-flight duty free and on-board cuisine, is Five-Star and based on superior attention to detail and customer satisfaction,” said Al Baker.
“I am very proud that our Business Class product has again been recognised, as well as our long-haul international services by US-based travellers, and our willingness to target diverse and under served markets where others dare not venture into.
“During 2011, Qatar Airways was honoured with several other awards from around theworld, including the penultimate last June when we were named Airline of the Year 2011 by the prestigious Skytrax organisation at their annual awards.
“These accolades demonstrate the years of hard work that have gone into making us whatwe are today – the best in the skies.”
The awards follow two other accolades from Business Traveller sister publications around the world; Best Business Class Airline by Business Traveller Middle East andBest Airline in the Middle East and Africa by Business Traveller Asia Pacific.
QatarAirways currently operates a modern fleet of 103 aircraft to 110 diversebusiness and leisure destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, AsiaPacific, North America and South America. The airline plans to serve 120destinations worldwide with a fleet of 120 aircraft by 2013.

Muhtar Usman – The Rising Profile of a Safety Investigator

2012-01-20T09:48:00.000+01:00

By Tunji Oketunbi

Captain Muhtar Usman

When Muhtar Usman, an aviator of over three decades was asked to take over the leadership of Accident Investigation Bureau he was not treading an unfamiliar terrain.
He was actually until the new assignment the Director of Operations for the four-year old Bureau. From this position he has been involved in the evolvement of the young agency from inception.
Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) was created via Civil Aviation Act 2006 and became operational in April, 2007.
The agency is charged with the responsibility of investigating aircraft accidents and serious incidents with a view to determining the causes and proffer safety recommendations that can prevent similar occurrences in future.
This autonomous agency plays a vital role in furthering the latitude of air safety. This explains why the International Civil aviation Organisation (ICAO) recommends to contracting states to establish autonomous accident investigation bodies that are separate from other government organs.
With a three decade of experience in aviation Captain Usman is coming into the new assignment with a solid background in aviation safety, impressive professional career and an unwavering commitment to the development of aviation industry. The journey did not start yesterday.
His aviation career is dated back to 1981 at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology(NCAT), Zaria, where as a flying instructor he was involved in the training of student pilots from basic to attain commercial pilot license, multi-engine, and instrument ratings.

Those were the glorious days of NCAT as the reliable producer of manpower resources for the Nigerian aviation industry, nay Africa.

Majority of the Nigerian pilots and engineers who were globally acclaimed to be among the world best passed through this respected institution.

Nigerians still look back to those days of yore with exciting nostalgia when they see how fast the manpower resources in the industry are ageing and the alarming slow pace of replacement. Usman was part of the generation that was making history then even without knowing it.
He was a product of the aviation citadel and was just giving back what was imparted into him. Before then he had acquired his training from the same institution and his education there was robust.

He had a diploma in Aeronautical Electronics and Telecommunication and a City and Guilds certificate in Radio, Television, Electronics and Telecommunication.

He later bagged hisqualification as a Commercial Pilot with multi-engine and instrument ratings from Burnside-Ott Aviation Training Centre, Miami, United States of America in 1978. Besides, he also qualified as a Boeing 727 Flight Engineersin Miami in 1980 and capped that with a Flying Instructors’ rating at Oxford Air Training School, United Kingdom in 1982.

With an Airline Transport Pilot License from New York in 1992, the Kaduna State born pilot has successfully garnered all the professional qualifications needed for a successful career in aviation. He is currently a B737 pilot and has acquired over 8,000 hours in his professional career.

Between 1984 and 2004 Usman served the defunct Nigerian Airways as an airline pilot and Flight Safety Officer.
He undertook various assignments that broadened his knowledge in management and operations. He was involved in safety management, aviation security and aircraft acquisition among other responsibilities.
Usman in the course of his career has worked with Chanchangi airlines as a pilot and nominated as the company's safety captain.
His professional training in accident investigation include an Aircraft Accident Investigation course at the University of South California, USA in 2006, Aircraft Accident Investigation course, Cranfield University, United Kingdom in 2009 and Aircraft Accident Investigation Course, National Transportation Safety Board, NTSB, U.S.A, 2011.
Captain Usman has also had training in Helicopter Accident Investigation from University of Southern California, (USC) just as he has attended a lot of other workshops and seminars on accident investigation, safety, airspace management and .
He is a member International Society of Air Safety Investigators (ISASI), which is the global umbrella body of accident investigators.
Armed with these impressive qualifications and experience he is set to sustain the steam of progress in AIB.
He was part of the management that built a solid foundation for the bureau and he is committed to take the agency to a greater height.
Hear him on his new task: ‘It is like a relay race. One person passes the baton to another and the race continues.’
This is a pointer that the only way AIB should go now is forward. This will no doubt be a plus for the aviation industry, which accords safety the highest consideration.

Oketunbi is the head of Public Affairs for Accident Investigation Bureau

SAHCOL invests over N450m in equipment acquisition in 2011

2012-01-19T12:51:00.002+01:00

*Mr Olu Owolabi now new Managing Director

Posted by Lateef Lawal

Isaac Orolugbagbe

Skyway Aviation Handling Company(SAHCOL) has so far invested N457million in equipment acquisition in 2011 to meet the rising demands of its customers for efficient and quality ground handling services.

This was disclosed yesterday by the out-going Managing Director of the company, Mr Isaac Orolugbagbe while presenting the new MD/Chief Executive Officer of the company, Mr Olu Owolabi to Aviation Journalists at the Press center of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

Orolugbagbe who said that he was being seconded to the head office of the Sifax Group, the owner of SAHCOL, noted that the company has recorded tremendous achievements since the post privatization year in 2010.One of the achievements was the addition of the world largest airline, United /Continental to its growing lists of clientele.

This , he attributed to the quality service being provided and the acquisition of the state-of-the-art equipment deployed to provide seamless services.

He said with the coming into SAHCOL of Mr Owolabi who some years ago conceived the idea of establishing a separate ground handling out of the then Nigeria Airways –called Skypower Aviation Handling Company which has today transformed into Skyway Aviation Handling Company after privatization, the new company would definitely be listed in the Nigerian Stock Exchange market within the next three years.

Olu Owolabi,new MD

Orolugbagbe noted that there was no business without its hiccups, but what mattered most was how those charged with the administration of the business were able to handle such difficulties and still post profits.

He however refused to disclose the profits made by the company in 2011 but remarked “It was excellent performance”.SAHCOL, he further had established one of the best training school in the region for ‘its workforce and hoped that in no distant future the International Air Transport Association(IATA) would be coming to carry out an Audit of the company otherwise known as ISEGO so as to increase the safety capability of the company and further cement the confidence of the customers.

He therefore solicited support of the staff and management for the new managing director so as to take the company to a greater heights in aviation business and that it was hoped that shortly the company would venture into establishing a cargo airline to expand the horizon of its investments in aviation business.

The new Managing Director, Mr Olu Owolabi commended the out-going CEO having laid good foundation for the privatized company.

While soliciting for the support of the media for their continued understanding to project the company in good light, he assured that he was going to add value to the good foundation already established by his predecessor and take genuine criticisms by the press in good faith.