Pilots and Engineers shut Bristow Helicopters in Nigeria

Bristow Helicopters office in Port Harcourt shut

The National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers, NAAPE is shutting the operations of Bristow Helicopters in Nigeria this morning. Confirming the situation was the National President of the association Engr. Balami Isaac. “Their operations are currently grounded and nothing will be happening there today”.

“The issues necessitating the shutting according to the body includes: Victimization of members especially executives, Illegal redundancy, Violation of Conditions of Services by making members to work up to 60, 72 Hours without paying overtime, Cancelation of even rotation and forcefully outing everybody to work more and earn less. In other words, reduction in salary and refusal to honour the exchange rate agreed during negotiation.”

In the next 15 years, aviation traffic will double-ICAO President

Dr. O.B. Aliu ,the President of  ICAO Council

In a comprehensive interview with the President of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Council, Dr. Olumuyiwa Bernard Aliu shortly after his re-election bares his mind on the past, the present and the future of  global civil aviation.

You have been elected to preside over the affairs of global civil aviation for another three years by the council, how do you feel about this renewed responsibility?

I feel honoured. I feel privileged to be elected by the Council for another three years and I look forward to the work we are going to do. And with a lot of vigour, a lot of optimisms and hope, it will give us the opportunity to continue what we have been doing and to consolidate some of the progress we have made in the past few years and to address the dynamic challenges of the industry.

Talking about the challenges of the industry, how will you describe the last three years?

The last three years have been eventful to some extent. That is what is expected in the aviation industry. It is a dynamic industry. If you recall, we have a number of issues we did not anticipate, the MH370 incident, MH17, the Ebola Virus, the Zika Virus. There are a number of issues that came up that created emergency situation for us. What we were able to demonstrate is that ICAO can be very responsive to these issues to address them and I am very pleased at the collaboration that I have with ICAO Council and the global aviation community to address some of those event.

Uniting Aviation has been the slogan of ICAO. If you were to do an analysis, will you say we have done quite well with that?

The industry is very united.  All our 191 member states, the industry organisations, the civil societies. I have collaborated with a quite well. The point to remember is the adoption recently at our assembly of the CORSIA. The global MBM scheme, the Market-Based Measure scheme  that we adopted to address the challenges of aviation emission. That is an unprecedented outcome. It is historic and it was a challenging discussion that took place over number of years. It requires unity of purpose and collaboration between the states, the industry and the civil societies to get it accomplished. It is the first for any global sector. The CORSIA is aimed at addressing the emissions in the international civil aviation.

That project, how well was it received?

It was well received. If you know that any issues with respect to climate change draw some contradictions which means social development. There is also the need to ensure the growth of civil aviation. But also, to address the sustainability of our operations for future generation. So, there were a number of concerns but we were able to work through  to establish the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA).

The Strategic objectives of the Council between 2014-2016 was about Safety, Air Navigation Capacity and Efficiency, Security & Facilitation, Economic Development of Air Transport, and Environmental Protection. How has the Council performed on these objectives and how will you rate the success?

I think the Council has done very well in the circumstances that we have worked. In respect to most of these strategic objectives. One of the key thing we focused on is to ensure that No Country is Left Behind. That is a strategy that was introduced under my leadership and it addresses this challenges of safety, security and all the strategic objectives. I can tell you that the accident rate in the world has dropped and it continues to drop. Even if you look at Africa which use to have very high accident rate by 2015 we had no fatalities.  No fatal accident. There were some accidents, about six of them accident but they were not fatal. This is the result of the work we did and we are doing with our member states in Africa, with the industry to address the aviation safety challenges to enhance aviation safety oversight in the continent under the No Country Left Behind initiative. With respect to aviation security, significant improvement has been made. Yes, we have few incidents but you know that there are lot of people as it has been mentioned severally that want to use aviation for nefarious activities. Some of these issues were beyond our control but suffice to say that we have taken rigorous steps to prevent such incidents occurrence in the future. In the area of air navigation efficiency and capacity, this is in at enhancing capacity at the airports, in the airspace management. Many of our states are now working on all of these issues. There are expansions, projects being done at the airports and for the air traffic management as well, because we anticipate that in the next 15years aviation traffic will double. Right now, we have 3 billion passengers there about. A little bit more than 3 billion passengers travelling every year. It will increase to about 6 billion. We have 30 million flights annually, it will increase to 60 million. The import of that is that we need to double our capacity. We need to ensure that we enhance our efficiencies, so that there are no traffic delays.  We reduce congestions. That is what that strategic objectives aim at and a lot work is being done in this. We have developed Global Air Navigational Plan that are being implemented regionally and at the national level, to ensure the interoperable air operation of aircraft. It is on the basis of all those activities that aviation is able to undertake over 100, 000 commercial flights daily, convey more than 9 million passengers everyday safely from one part of the world to another in a seamless manner. Passengers on board the aircraft do not know these but a lot of activities that is ongoing between the airport managers, the air traffic control managers, the safety oversight people working together in a collective manner to ensure the safety and efficiency of operations. In terms of economic development of air transport, the focus has been on air transport liberalisation of market access, of ownership and control in order to provide the reliable services that passengers need. We have a programme under which we are progressing on these issues. Also, to protect the interest of consumers, the passengers that are travelling, that they receive the services which they do pay. On the issue of environment, I have mentioned the decision we took in respect to the market based measure, which is one of the elements in the basket of measures we apply to address the aviation emissions and focus on aircraft technology. For example, we reach agreement on a global standard for emission standards for aircraft that will enter into operations starting from 2020. That is another first, for any sector to set that standard. We are enhancing our air traffic management operations to ensure that aircraft burn less fuel, they have more direct routing. We are encouraging the use of sustainable alternative fuels. In addition to all this is the Market-Based Measure which is been acclaimed globally. I was recently in Marrakech at the 22nd Conference of the Parties (COP 22) where I informed them of the decision we took. It was the highlight of the meeting , the global acclamation and acceptance of the work we have done in that area.

How will you rate the ‘No Country Left Behind’?

It is going on fine. It surpassed my own expectation. The whole world has clocked to it. It has brought international civil aviation very close to our member states particularly the developing states because, the tradition will set the standards than we go about auditing the states that have implemented. The No Country Left Behind expanded our responsibility to cover capacity building, technical assistance to our member states to meet those standards. Not only are we setting the standards and telling them hope they have not done well. Now we are there to offer our hands of assistance to them to meet those requirements, and many of the developing states have been very appreciative of this. This is the job that is done keenly by ICAO but in collaboration we also encourage relationship between the states to work bilaterally to support each other and with other multilateral organisations to address this. During the last assembly, I was pleased to hand out the first Council President’s certificate to acknowledge the progress that has been achieved and fourteen (14) countries from all the regions of the world received the acknowledgement from the Assembly for the progress that has been made under the No Country Left Behind. The next situation of that will cover not only regulatory issues but we want to support our states in developing the aviation infrastructure, necessary to address the needs of today, also the modernisation that is required over the next 15 years.

What will be the objectives for 2017- 2019?

2017-2019, the same strategic objectives. This is a dynamic industry and there will be dynamic challenges. We have to be ready to address all of this. But like I mentioned under the No Country Left Behind, the next situation in the next three years; there will be a lot of focus on aviation infrastructure development to assist our member states, whether it is for the airport, for air navigational services, capacity building, to enhance regulatory oversight capacity in the states, to provide them more training; training to meet the dynamic changes in technology. New technology systems are going to be installed. Our members have to be trained on this. There will be a lot of focus on that. I also have indicated to the Council, we have to fast-track the development of a global plan on aviation security. Recently, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution to support ICAO in this effort to address aviation security. So, aviation security has become part of global security. And at the national level in every country, aviation security now must be seen as an integral part of national security and address as such; because the security of every nation starts right there at the airport. So, we want to work with our member states to work with our member states to address aviation security. Whether it is in terms of cyber security, landside security, the use of IEDs (Improvised Explosive Device) against aviation; we are going to work with member states on this.

At the last Assembly, Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) was adopted. How do you and the council intend to drive the campaign and achieve maximum result?

That is an issue that I am very proud of. It took a lot of my personal time to drive the convergence of states to achieve that monumental result. Now it is the issue of implementation and that is a significant work that we have to do. We will be working with our member states to develop the monitoring review and verification mechanism. We have been working with our member states to establish registries to enhance that system. This is something new. It means the states, ICAO have to establish registries. A lot of infrastructural requirement for this. IT infrastructure systems going into this. We have. We have discussed the improvement which we have to achieve for all the system should be up and running by 2020. Some states have volunteered to participate in the scheme covering about 86.5 per cent of our global international traffic. Right there at the Assembly, they took those decisions, we expect more states to come into the scheme. Although, there are some states that will be exempted like landlocked developing countries, least develop countries and small islands developing states for whom aviation is very important to their socio-economic development, but may not have the resources to do. For those states, we will continue to provide technical assistance and capacity building in order to install the necessary system.

From a professional perspective, what is your take on Nigeria airport concession?

When it comes to airport management, there are different schemes all over the world. There are airports that are owned by government, by states. The countries where they are even owned by local government, by private interest where airports are privatised. And there are countries where airports are concessioned.  Every country has to review the different management scheme in order to arrive at decision that suit its own particular situation. What I can understand from the little that I have heard about this is that the country is struggling with resources and it’s looking for investors to come and invest. And airport is part of aviation industry where there can be adequate return on investment and you can actually get the interest of international investors to participate. In any process like that, there are issues. There are labour issues for example that need to be reviewed. I am confident that the government in taking decisions will take into consideration all this issues. Airport concession has been done successfully in other parts of the world. I do not see why it should not be the situation in Nigeria if government does not have the resources to continue to manage the airports on its own, when there are competing priorities. The key thing is that you run airport as commercial venture whether it is owned by government or privatise, corporatise or get concessionaires to come and participate. Whatever it is, you can run airport as commercial business and have adequate returns on investment. As far as we are concerned, at ICAO we have offered our support to the government to say if they need our assistance, we are ready to provide the necessary support in whatever decision the government takes.

Are you impressed with Aviation reform in Nigeria?

As a Nigerian, of course I pay particular attention to what is happening in Nigeria. So I have been in contact with the Minister of State for Aviation, I visited Nigeria, I spoke with the Minister of Transport. His excellency Mr. President graciously granted me an audience and we discussed a number of issues. I offered some areas of advice and I also extended the support of ICAO to support the policies being developed, being implemented and the programme going forward. What I can say is this, when you look at ICAO as an organisation under the programme of No Country Left Behind initiative, we cannot do this on our own. We need regional partners and as far as Africa is concern, Nigeria is our partner and Nigeria is a Regional leader-politically, economically and in aviation as well. So, we are interested in Nigeria being successful in aviation sector and we will continue to work with the government to reposition the industry- in as much as we are invited to support the process.

How will you advise Africa which is the last frontier in economic development on how best it can use aviation as a catalyst to develop the continent?

If you look at growth aviation over the years for the past 70 years that ICAO has been established, it mirrors exactly the global economic growth. There is a strong correlation between aviation development and economic development. For any country to develop economically, you must pay attention to aviation development. It is a catalyst for socio-economic development, for expansion of businesses, for providing connectivity to businesses and people with global community. If you want to sell products, you want to move people, you want to integrate cultures and cultural exchange, you have to pay particular attention to aviation. In fact, we have spent the past three years trying to promote to all our developing states the importance of aviation and to ask the government to ensure that aviation development is at the core of National Development. It is part and parcel of National Development. It should no longer be seen as some see it as something for the elite. It is s mass transit system and without it you cannot move your perishable products, you cannot move your people. So, my advice to any government including Nigeria or Africa governments is that aviation should be prioritise in their National Development and it is a catalyst. The impact of aviation to the national economy is so huge, both in terms of direct and indirect employment, investment. Over 54 per cent of global tourism is conveyed by aviation. One third of the goods and services by value is moved by aviation. All the countries that have made significant improvement in their economy have very strong aviation industry.

Intra-connectivity within Africa airspace is not good enough. What can they do differently?

Aviation intra-connectivity in Africa can do better. At a personal level, it is a difficult subject for me to discuss, because I was one of those who negotiated the Yamoussoukro Decision for Africa in the 90s. Unfortunately, that very important liberalisation document has not been fully implemented. And it was aimed to liberalise the movement of people in Africa. Although, there are some constraints- a very difficult visa regimes, tax regimes that makes movement of people to be difficult. It can be improved upon for its size as a continent. Aviation in Africa can do better and Africa states can participate more equitably in international air transport.

How can they do this?

They should open up their market for movement among themselves first (among African states), removal of barriers to free movement of goods and services and people. It will become very attractive to Low Cost Carriers and it will bring the cost of air travel down to the level of average income earners. And there is a growing middle-class market in Africa that is waiting to be tapped. Connectivity with the rest of the world is not possible without aviation. I am aware that the African Union is working on this, to create a single air transport market in Africa by 2017. But we are already at the end of 2016. ICAO has extended support to the Africa states in this area. There are issues that were of constraints before like the safety oversight, security oversight, development of necessary workforce. Even in this regard, under our leadership, ICAO has been working closely with the African Union address these issues. You may be aware that we have specific programmes tailored to assist African states. We have the AFI Comprehensive Implementation Plan for Aviation Safety in Africa to assist all Africa member states to enhance the level of safety. We have a similar programme to address the issue of aviation security and facilitation, which has been adopted at the level of African Union. I have also established at the level of ICAO the human resources development fund to assist African states to improve on their workforce to prepare the necessary competencies to work in the industry. Currently, we are in discussion with African Union to expand the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) to cover aviation. We know the situation in Africa to remedy the situation. I have the fore knowledge of this before because I have been closely involved with that, before becoming the President of the Council.

How do you see the desire of Africa Union to adopt Single passport for the continent?

The passport that everybody carries, whether you travel by air or you just hold the passport to cross land border, the standard specifications are determined by ICAO. This is one of the responsibilities we assume on behalf of the international community on behalf of United Nations. We developed the procedures for machine readable travel document, which is the cap you see in your passport when you travel. We have also developed the  specification on the development of e-passport with respect to the electronic passport. We have a number of states in Africa that are issuing e-passport now, Nigeria is one of them. Nigeria is a member of public directory, that is managed by ICAO. We have reached out to the African Union that in the development of that African Union passport, they should ensure that the passport is issued in a manner that meet the international specification. Otherwise, the project will not succeed and we look forward to support them in that regard.

Delta Air Lines to reach 1,000,000 passengers mark on Lagos-Atlanta route

…Nigeria is a growing market -Bryan

Bobby Bryan, Commercial Director, East and West Africa, Delta Air Lines (middle) flanked by Salami Omeiza, Station Manager, Delta Air Lines (left) and Sefia Emuejevoke, General Manager, Skylogistics Limited (right) during the Delta Air Lines media lunch in Lagos.

Delta Air Lines, the only United States’ airline currently operating into Nigeria is about to reach 1,000,000 passengers feat. This was made known by the airline’s Commercial Director for East and West Africa, Bobby Bryan at a media lunch organised by Delta Air Lines.

“We have carried almost 1,000,000 passengers since we started the service between Lagos and the United States. Sometimes in the next few months we are going to have 1,000,000^th passenger.”

Concerning foreign airlines trapped fund in the country as a result of the foreign exchange challenge Bobby Bryan confirmed that the issue is still much around.

“We still have trapped funds here. I want to thank government for their efforts to help because it is a critical issue. Government has been helpful to a certain degree but we still want them to continue. What we are repatriating is the sales not the profit.”

Bryan mentioned also that, “Nigeria is a growing market” hence their decision to continue to stay despite the challenges in the market.

Thunder Storm Partly Affects Enugu Airport

… Flight Operations Not Disrupted-FAAN

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria informs the general public that,  "a natural disaster occurred at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu." This is according to a statement from Acting General Manager, Corporate Affairs of the agency, Mrs Henrietta Yakubu.

In her words, “A very heavy thunder storm occurred at Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu in the early hours of November 23, 2016, destroying some parts of the Airport Terminal Building and Pilot Lounge and General Aviation Terminal. It also affected Electric Power Lines to the Airport, FAAN Staff Secondary and Primary School Buildings and Private Residential Buildings.”

In a swift, “FAAN Management took immediate remedial action which allowed flight operations in and out of the Airport. FAAN is doing her best to restore normalcy.  There was no loss of life or injury and also flight operations were not affected in the Airport.”

 FAAN conveys its regrets on inconveniences caused by the incident to airport users and the general public.

Pictures: Sights from Dr. O.B. Aliu's Re-election in Montreal, Canada

IATA Appoints Albakri as RVP for Africa & Middle East

…Replaces Hussein Dabbas

    

                                                 Albrakri                               

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that Muhammad Ali Albakri will join IATA as Regional Vice President for Africa and the Middle East (AME). Albrakri’s appointment is effective 1 January 2017 and will be based in the IATA regional office in Amman, Jordan.

"Muhammad Ali Albakri is stepping into a critical role at IATA. Africa and the Middle East are among the fastest growing markets for air transport. While the region has tremendous potential, it also faces some big challenges. Infrastructure, regulation and taxation must align to support the social and economic benefits of a successful aviation sector. I am confident that Muhammad’s solid aviation background will deliver great value to our members and aviation in general across AME," said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO.

Albakri is a Saudi national and aviation veteran. Since the beginning of this year Albakri has served as Executive Vice President for Strategic Projects and Transformation at Saudi Arabian Airlines. In that role he was charged with delivering various initiatives as part of a broad transformation strategy devised to strengthen the competitiveness of the airline as it aims to double its size by 2020. Under Albakri’s leadership, Saudia successfully moved its second largest domestic hub operation into the new Terminal 5 at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport in May of this year. He is also leading similar relocations of the airline’s operations to new facilities in Jeddah and Cairo.

Albakri’s career at Saudia spanned some 26 years. He rose through the ranks of the airline’s IT Division, eventually being appointed as Vice President of Information Technology (2009-2016) concurrent to holding the responsibility of Chief Financial Officer (2012-2016). In these roles, Albakri led the strengthening of the carrier’s technology infrastructure and the modernization of its financial practices and processes.

"I am tremendously excited to take-up this challenging role. IATA has made critical contributions to the development of aviation around the world. That work is especially evident in Africa and the Middle East where the industry is rapidly changing. I have seen first-hand the transformational power of IATA’s global standards such as Fast Travel, e-freight and New Distribution Capability. These boost competitiveness and please customers at the same time. In my new role, I am excited to be responsible for the full suite of IATA’s activities and shall be a tireless advocate for aviation’s success in the AME region," said Albakri.

Albakri will lead IATA’s Regional Office for AME where a total of 124 employees are responsible for IATA’s operations across 68 countries. This includes the operation of IATA’s settlement systems which efficiently handle some $23 billion of industry money annually across 38 Countries. The fast growing AME region is home to 58 of IATA’s 265 member airlines and accounts for 11.6% and 15.5% of global traffic in terms of RPKs and FTK, respectively. Aviation support some 9 million jobs and $130 billion of GDP across Africa and the Middle East.

Albakri succeeds Hussein Dabbas who led IATA in the region from 2012 until June, 2016. Among Dabbas’s many leadership contributions during his tenure at IATA was the successful integration of IATA’s activities in the Middle East and Africa into one region.

Overland Airways Now Operates Flights on Asaba-Abuja Route

…Begins Regional Flights in 2017

Overland Airways has announced the commencement of its flight services from Abuja to Asaba, Delta State from November 22, 2016. The Asaba-Abuja fights will operate at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays; while the Abuja-Asaba flights will operate at 10:30a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

According to a statement from the airline, “The flight services will be operated with Overland Airways globally renowned ATR turboprop aircraft with superior technological design for unmatched performance on short-distance flights in terms of economic reliability, safety and comfort.”

Overland Airways is Nigeria’s longest-serving most consistent scheduled commercial airline providing uninterrupted flight services in Nigeria over the past 14 years. With expanding routes including Lagos, Asaba, Abuja, Dutse, Minna, Bauchi, Jalingo, Akure, Overland Airways looks to begin regional flights in West African in the first quarter of 2017.

According to Capt. Edward Boyo, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Overland Airways, the accelerated development of the economy of Delta State is strategic to the development of  the economies of various regions in the country especially the South-East and South-South regions, which makes air transport an important element in the efforts to develop Delta State.

“Delta State is endowed with great human and sundry resources which should be carefully harnessed by relentless efforts of both the government and the private sector. Overland Airways is dedicated to creating new high-value for the indigenes and visitors to Delta State by providing our trademark excellent, reliable, safe and comfortable air services to Asaba.”

“We understand the value of investments and easy access into hinterland economies like Delta State. And we are confident of driving sustainable social and economic development in Delta State as Overland Airways supports the easy movement of investors, tourists, traders and business people to and from Delta State and the adjoining regions such as Onitsha across the Niger. We are in partnership with the people of Delta State. And this is a partnership that works.”

The Chief Operating Officer of Overland Airways, Mrs. Aanu Benson, states: “Overland Airways performed the first-ever flight to open Asaba Airport in 2011 as a foremost partner in the economic transformation of Delta State, and in celebration and support of the enterprising people of ‘The Big Heart’ State. The launch of the Asaba-Abuja flights today demonstrates the renewed bonding Overland Airways brings to the people of Delta State and its environs, underlain by Overland Airways’ characteristic people-oriented and excellent flight services.”

“With a modern fleet of 12 aircraft, superior technical and management capabilities as well as unmatched commitment to the sustainable development of Nigeria’s remote economies and airports, Overland Airways is one of the best managed airlines in the world today. And this is a plus today for Delta State and the environs.”

Dr. O.B. Aliu re-elected President of ICAO Council

… “You will not be disappointed”-Sirika assures Council

 

Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu of Nigeria (centre)  on his re-election as Council President by the Representatives of the ICAO Council. With him on the occasion are ICAO Secretary General, Dr. Fang Liu (left,) and Nigeria's Minister of State Aviation, Hadi Sirika (right)   (Photo:ICAO)

Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu (Nigeria) was re-elected by acclamation for a second three-year term as President of the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

  

In his acceptance remarks, Dr Aliu  said, “Over the past three years, ICAO has been working tirelessly to promote the importance of civil aviation to socio-economic development, as well as its prioritization in national and regional investment and development planning,"

“We have also made great strides in securing the assistance and capacity building our Member States need most, under the ICAO No Country Left Behind initiative, and will now look forward to its next iteration which will be more focused on aviation infrastructure development.”

Nigeria’s Minister of State Aviation, Sen Hadi Sirika who witnessed the election thanked the Council for its support in the re-election of Dr. Aliu for another term.

“I am indeed humbled and honoured to be with you in this hallow chamber and to witness the election of Dr. Olumuyiwa Bernard Aliu. A Nigerian, an African and world aviator as president of ICAO Council for a second term in office. On behalf of my delegation, the government and good people of Nigeria as well as entire people of Africa. I wish to thank you very much indeed for your support and the election of Dr. O.B. Aliu. “

Appreciating the significance of trust bestowed on Dr. Aliu, Sirika said, “For the world after 9/11 to trust and put confidence in one of us to oversee the world of aviation is extremely very significant. And for us without a doubt we want to assure you that this your action of today will be recognised in the future actions of Dr.  Bernard Aliu and you will certainly not be disappointed.”

Dr. Aliu said, “ the ICAO Council has played a key leadership role in this process, and its guidance will now be needed more than ever to assure the fast-tracked development of the new ICAO Global Aviation Security Plan (GASeP) endorsed at the 39th Assembly, to make ICAO’s audit processes more efficient and effective, to ensure ICAO fully optimizes its extensive audit and other data, to refine all of our programmes and priorities, and importantly to help ICAO’s Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) become fully operational by 2020.”

“Going forward, the ongoing pursuit of the objectives and targets under ICAO’s Global Plans for Safety and Air Navigation, the GASP and the GANP, should be complemented with added guidance to States on the operational, regulatory, training and capacity building requirements in support of the ICAO Aviation system Block Upgrades (ASBUs), both nationally and regionally,” he added

According to Sirika, “The last three years was quite challenging for our industry globally. Despite the significant progress that has been recorded, the issue of Flight MH370 still remain a mystery, the threat of Ebola and Zika  virus   outbreaks, the increase in terrorist attacks at our airports and the need to take meaningful action on the issue of environment were major challenges that confronted the  global air transport industry.  The prompt way and decisive manner which the council led the organisation to manage these solutions and addresses these challenges indeed greatly built the confidence of member states and the industry in the leadership of ICAO.”

 “Apart from addressing these challenges, the Council came up with number of unprecedented initiatives which have enhanced safety, security efficiency and air connectivity.  one of such initiatives is the ‘No Country Left Behind’ which has increased effective implementation of ICAO Standard and Recommended Practices and has helped many states to overcome their significant safety concerns. The Council and indeed the entire organisation were able to accomplish these momentous milestone achievement, not only because of the style and leadership qualities of Dr. Aliu but also due to your cooperation, support and collaboration.”

“I therefore wish to use this medium and opportunity to solicit for this continued support and collaboration as the entire world especially 191 member states of ICAO have great expectations not only from Dr. Aliu  as President of the Council but from the Council as a body collectively. 

 “Nigeria and the entire continent of Africa believe that in order to consolidate on the achievement of last three years and as well as position member states and the industry to cope with projected traffic growth and emerging issues, the Council must continue to operate as one indivisible body. This is the only way that ICAO can continue to provide required leadership to promote safe, secure, efficient and environmentally-friendly civil aviation globally and ensure that all member states partake in the socio-economic benefits of air transportation.”-Sirika concluded.

The first tenure of Dr. Aliu commenced on 1 January 2014 and will continue until 31 December 2016. Prior to his election as the President of the ICAO Council, Dr. Aliu served as the Representative of Nigeria on the Council from 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2013.

Flying Colours Delivers Two CRJs to Malaysia’s Resorts World

Flying Colours Corp., the North American MRO, completion and refurbishment specialist, has delivered two CRJ 200 aircraft conversions to Resorts World of Malaysia. The CRJ200 regional airliners have been converted from regular airline format to corporate shuttle configuration and will be used by Resorts World to transport customers between its leisure resorts in Malaysia.

The Resorts World shuttles feature a 16-seat layout with eight business jet seats on each side. Large side ledges incorporate drinks holders, and can also be raised to accommodate a brief case or small personal bag.  At the fore and aft of the cabin there is ample storage for golf clubs and luggage.  The galley has been upgraded and now features an Iacobucci coffee maker, along with cabinets for stowing china, crystal and other serving items.  The aft cabin incorporates a spacious lavatory.  The contemporary style interior blends black and white monuments with grey walls and trim, whilst the exterior livery boasts a striking white base with red-feathered stripes reflecting Resorts World’s branding.

Flying Colours has become the industry expert in CRJ conversions, having completed over 30 similar CRJ conversions into corporate shuttles, or into its unique ExecLiner VIP configuration in the last ten years.

John Gillespie, President & CEO of Flying Colours commented, “Our relationship with Resorts World further strengthens our presence in the Asian market and underlines our leadership in delivering CRJ conversions. The client has achieved his goal of providing Resort World’s customers with a comfortable, luxurious travel option, but within a cost-effective budget which is one of the many benefits of these aircraft conversions.”

Delta Air Lines Ranks No. 1 U.S. Airline for 6th Year by Corporate Travel Managers

Delta Air Lines earned the top overall score for the 6th consecutive year on the Business Travel News (BTN) Airline survey, sweeping all ten categories and bettering  2015 scores in each. This win celebrates the outstanding performance and industry-leading customer service Delta people provide every day.

“Each year, we set ‘Win BTN’ as a company-wide goal and all 80,000 Delta people set out to deliver by providing an industry-leading customer experience around the globe,” said Steve Sear, President – International & E.V.P. – Global Sales. “This win marks six years in a row of Delta outperforming our competitors in the eyes of the business travel community and the fourth year that we’ve ranked highest in every category. This achievement, and being named No. 1 again this year by BTN readers, further validates our ongoing commitment to creating a seamless travel experience for our customers.”

BTN voters, who manage tens of billions of dollars in annual, corporate travel spend, select the top U.S. carrier in the survey based on their perceptions of airline performance in negotiating and maintaining preferred programs, delivering service and providing value. This survey provides important validation of an airline’s efforts to provide the best experience for corporate customers. No other airline has been selected six consecutive times in the survey’s 19-year history.

“Our innovative approach to this business is what differentiates Delta from our competitors,” explained Bob Somers, S.V.P – Global Sales. “And that innovation is in response to what our customers want to see. We seek feedback from Corporate Travel Managers (CTMs)  and business travelers through focus groups, advisory board meetings and call centers, just to name a few. Then we listen, act and listen again, building our business around their needs.”

Delta has delivered for the customer by achieving record-setting operational performance and cancelling the fewest flights. Investing in corporate customers this year, Delta’s Global Sales team expanded their industry-first Operational Performance Commitment, introducing an Operational Excellence Calculator that quantifies the savings of choosing Delta. The team also launched Delta Edge Meetings to link business and meeting travel and made contracts easier with the roll-out of Legal-Easy.

Delta’s culture of continuous innovation is core to the airline’s ability to create a seamless travel experience for the business and leisure customer alike. Improvements across the business help take the stress out of travel, like implementing Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) baggage tracking technology, developing a groundbreaking turbulence app for smoother flights and powering dynamic updates on the Fly Delta mobile app.

“Being selected as the top overall airline for the 6th year is an honor,” said Kristen Shovlin – V.P. - Sales Operations and Development. “But we also see this win as a responsibility to keep delivering for our customers and continuing to exceed expectations. Thank you to our corporate travel manager and travel agency partners for your continued trust, confidence and loyalty in allowing us to serve you and your travelers.”

Delta Air Lines serves nearly 180 million customers each year. In 2016, Delta was named to Fortune’s top 50 Most Admired Companies in addition to being named the most admired airline for the fifth time in six years. Additionally, Delta has ranked No.1 in the Business Travel News Annual Airline survey for an unprecedented five consecutive years. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 312 destinations in 54 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs more than 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 800 aircraft. The airline is a founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance and participates in the industry’s leading transatlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia as well as a joint venture with Virgin Atlantic. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 15,000 daily flights, with key hubs and markets including Amsterdam, Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York-JFK and LaGuardia, London-Heathrow, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City, Seattle and Tokyo-Narita. Delta has invested billions of dollars in airport facilities, global products and services, and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. 

Arik Air and Delaware State University On Partnership Path

 Arik Air and Delaware State University, United States of America are in high level talks about a possible partnership.

According to Arik Air’s Communications Manager, Adebanji Ola, “A delegation of Delaware State University led by its President, Dr. Harry L. Williams visited Arik Air Aviation Centre at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja-Lagos last week where they met with the airline’s Executive Management team.”

Speaking during the visit, Dr. Williams said Delaware State University which is one of the few centers of excellence in USA has 35 international partnerships across the world and is desirous of partnering with Arik Air in the area of capacity building and exchange programmes.

Responding, Arik Air’s Managing Director, Mr. Chris Ndulue said the airline would be pleased to explore areas of partnership with Delaware State University stressing that the university could design programmes  to fit the airline’s needs in pilot and management training.

The Chairman of Arik Air, Sir Joseph Arumemi-Ikhide promised the visiting Delaware State University delegation that the airline’s management team would be visiting the American university to see the state of affairs before the partnership is concretized.

Delaware State University has a long and proud history as one of America’s historically Black Colleges and Universities. The University boasts aviation program that lays a strong foundation for a wide range of careers in the aviation industry.

P&WC Completes First PT6A-140 Overhaul

Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) has successfully completed the first-ever PT6A-140 overhaul following the turboprop engine’s debut and certification on the Cessna Grand Caravan 208B EX aircraft in 2012. The overhaul was completed at the time of first scheduled overhaul for AIRKENYA Express.

“Keeping our customers flying and their operations running smoothly is at the heart of our MRO services,” said Satheeshkumar Kumarasingam, Vice President, Commercial Services. “We are committed to providing competitive and comprehensive solutions and support for the more than 2,000 P&WC engines flying in Africa and we are pleased AIRKENYA Express entrusted us to overhaul their PT6A-140 – the first ever since the launch of this new engine.”

The overhaul was performed at Pratt & Whitney Engine Services in West Virginia, USA. The engine was originally delivered to AIRKENYA Express in 2013. During the maintenance, the customer was supplied with a rental engine from P&WC Engine Leasing to ensure the airline’s continued operations.

AIRKENYA Express is also using P&WC’s FAST (Flight, Acquisition, Storage and Transmission) solution on its PT6A-140-powered Grand Caravan EX aircraft, providing a turnkey diagnostic and prognostic system for data-driven intelligence. The FAST solution wirelessly transmits full-flight engine and aircraft data for analysis within minutes after engine shut down – delivering relevant and timely alerts and trends data to the customer to help maximize aircraft availability, optimize maintenance planning and operations, and reduce costs.

“We are extremely pleased with the reliability and performance of the PT6A-140 in our fleet and the excellent support from P&WC in completing this first overhaul to our high expectations,” stated Captain Dino Bisleti, General Manager, AIRKENYA Express.

The PT6A-140 series has established itself as the benchmark in its class, setting new standards for performance, fuel efficiency and reliability. Over 350 PT6A-140 engines have been produced to date, which is a testament to their remarkable performance and operating economics – including 15 percent more power and 5 percent better specific fuel consumption. The engine’s unrivalled power and versatility are backed by a proactive, seamless service and support network focused first and foremost on customers’ business needs.

Based out of Africa’s busiest light aircraft airport, Wilson Airport in Nairobi, AIRKENYA Express has been operating PT6A engines for over 25 years and PW100 engines for over a decade. AIRKENYA Express’ fleet – including the Cessna Grand Caravan as well as Twin Otter, DHC 8-100 and DHC 7-100 aircraft – is powered by P&WC engines.

In addition to the current overhaul capabilities offered by P&WC and starting in 2017, PT6A-140 overhauls will also be available at P&WC’s facility at MTU Aero Engines in Germany, providing customers with even greater flexibility when it comes to maintaining their engines. Furthermore, P&WC plans to expand its global network to include four new Mobile Repair Technician teams strategically located in Kenya, South Africa, France and Qatar.

Jet A1 Scarcity: Dana Air Assures Passengers of On-time Perfomance

…Partners Spectranet for Free Wifi

                                                                                                                                                                                

Dana Air has assured its guests of its commitment to on- time performance even as aviation fuel (JET A1) scarcity across the country worsens.

Dana Air said in spite of the scarcity of aviation fuel, its on-time performance is still second to none. The airline however reassured passengers that its doing everything within its capacity to ensure that the travel itineraries of its guests are not in any way altered by the present situation.

According to the Communications Manager of Dana Air, Kingsley Ezenwa, ‘’the unexpected scarcity disrupted our flights only on Monday, but I can assure you that, we are currently operating scheduled flights on-time.’’ We are doing everything to ensure that our guests get to their destination with little or no delays and they have nothing to worry about.’’

Commenting further, kingsley said, ‘’ inasmuch as the situation was not too good earlier in the week, we operated 90% of our flights, and our on-time performance has also been above 80%. We will continue to do everything to ensure that we maintain this status and meet the desires of the travelling public at this time.’’

However, the airline has also announced its partnership with Spectranet 4GLTE, to provide free internet service to its passengers at the Murtala Muhammed Airport 2 Terminal (MMA2) in Lagos. The Airline said the partnership is part of efforts to keep its promise of providing world-class service and innovative product to its guests. 

Dana Air during its 8th anniversary celebration reaffirmed its commitment to providing safe, reliable and customer–centric air transport services to its teeming guests. The airline airlifted over 4 million passengers in the last 8 years of its operations.

A Passenger’s Praise Report on Air Peace over Intact Returned Lost Wallet

A passenger on Air Peace Port Harcourt-Abuja flight last Saturday, Dr. Chike Amobi has commended the professionalism of the airline’s staff, saying they possess an incredible sense of duty and integrity.

Amobi, a lawyer, made the statement in a message he sent to appreciate the airline’s staff for finding and returning his lost wallet containing valuables intact.

 

The passenger wrote: “A praise report! That's what's on my mind this Sunday afternoon for Air Peace, a domestic airline in Nigeria. I had a very good experience from them and feel obligated to report it here. Here's what happened to me.

 

“Yesterday (Saturday), after a series of cancellations, delays and disappointments from other airlines, I managed to secure a ticket on board the Air Peace afternoon flight from Port Harcourt to Abuja. I was returning home after being inducted as a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators United Kingdom (CIArb UK). In my haste to get home and get some familial pampering after having been away for a few days (absence does make a heart grow fonder) I forgot to retrieve my wallet from the pouch I had placed it in the seat in front of me.

 

“Naturally, a short while after getting home, a money spending need arose as is usual in the lives of all of us married with children. It was then I realised that my wallet was absent. The excitement and gratitude of getting home safely immediately gave way to the potential stress and hassle of losing one’s wallet. The smile immediately morphed into a frown. Battle mode activated.

 

“As my driver and I headed back to the airport to go begin what I imagined would be a world war, I surprisingly got a call from a man who introduced himself as ‘Captain Orasi,’ a pilot with Air Peace, telling me they recovered my wallet, they had already returned to Port Harcourt and they would send it to me on their first flight to Abuja the next day. That calmed me down somewhat. But a sense of cautious optimism still remained. Sure enough, today they did as they promised. And I have since recovered my wallet.

 

“Now here's the kicker. My wallet and its contents fit the textbook definition of a "stealable item". And excusably so. A black Hermes wallet containing about N80k in cash and miscellaneous items tucked away in a pouch in seat 2A of the business class cabin is literally shouting "Steal me"! Especially in this recession. N80k is not necessarily huge money in the global economy, it is really under $200. But here in Nigeria it is a sizeable wad. Especially in N500 bills. And I found everything intact.

 

“And remember, this is happening here in Nigeria, and coming on the heels of a viral video circulating on the world wide web where baggage handlers in JFK were caught on tape stealing from checked-in luggage. What struck me more was the numerous phone calls I received from the staff of Air Peace from the time they recovered my wallet to when I received it from them. They got my number from my business cards in my wallet. They first called to tell me they had the wallet. And then called to tell me I could go to the airport around 10 a.m. (They) later called to give me the name of the station manager in their Abuja office. And today, when their flight to Abuja was delayed, they called to inform me and to apologise for the delay. And a few minutes after I had received my wallet and confirmed the contents, I got yet another call from them to verify that I did indeed receive the wallet!

“Are you freaking kidding me? The scorching heat of the Abuja weather was my only reminder that this was happening here in Nigeria and not the TOM Bradley International Terminal at the LAX Airport in Los Angeles, California. It is not often that we hear such manifestation of integrity coming from corporate entities and individuals in Nigeria. I just felt it necessary to share this on this forum to show that despite the hard times and recession, Air Peace is still maintaining global best practices in its business operations. May God bless and give more peace and prosperity to Air Peace ... Thanks in part to Air Peace, I can now happily be identified as Chike Amobi, MCIArb (UK). Happy Sunday, good people.”