Why FAAN Jettisoned SITA’s Services, Migrated To RESA
LAGOS – More facts have emerged on why the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) severed relationship with Societe International Telecommunication Aeronautiques (SITA), which handled its Common Use of Terminal Equipment (CUTE) system at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, for about a decade.
Investigation by Daily Independent indicated that the contract of SITA had come to an end earlier in the year, but the management of FAAN extended it for another six months, which would have enabled the authority to migrate to the new service provider, RESA Airport Data System, seamlessly.
FAAN had earlier advertised bidding for CUTE services at five airports, but SITA refused to participate in the renewal exercise, which saw RESA emerging as a preferred bidder.
It was not clear why SITA did not participate in the procurement process, but Daily Independent learnt that the relationship between the two organisations had degenerated in the last year of the 10 years contract.
Also, it was gathered that three months into the contractual extension, SITA deactivated its system at Lagos and Abuja airports, thereby causing chaos to passenger facilitation at the two airports, especially at the Lagos airport.
The deactivation of the system had led to manual baggage handling of passengers by airlines and support staff at the Lagos airport, while check-in process was also delayed.
To facilitate operations at the two airports, it was learnt that FAAN engaged ICTS as a stop-gap measure to work simultaneously with SITA until RESA fully came onboard, but it was gathered that this did not go down well with SITA, which prompted it to deactivate its system and caused disruption to flights.
However, FAAN had in a letter to all Station Managers in Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port-Harcourt entitled, ‘Smart App Project Implementation in Abuja, Port-Harcourt, Lagos and Abuja,’ dated March 30, 2021, signed by Charles Nwachi, the General Manager, ICT, FAAN, and obtained by Daily Independent, stated in part, “This is to re-emphasise the need and urgency for your airline to join the smart app project implementation. Read More
Emirates to Use IATA Travel Pass App On All Routes Within Weeks
Emirates plans to use the Iata Travel Pass, a Covid health app being tested by airlines around the world, on all routes across its global network within the coming weeks.
The airline, which was among the first global carriers to trial the mobile app in April, currently uses the Iata Travel Pass on flights to 10 cities in Europe and the US, Emirates said in a statement on Monday.
“From our biometrics path at Dubai International (DXB) to initiatives like the IATA Travel Pass and integration with the health authority databases, these projects deliver multiple benefits from better customer experiences to the reduced use of paper, and improved efficiency and reliability in travel document checks,” Adel Al Redha, Emirates’ chief operating officer said.
The Iata Travel Pass is set to go live globally within weeks, the International Air Transport Association’s chief said earlier this month.
A number of Middle East and global carriers will launch the digital travel pass for Covid-19 test results and vaccine certification, Willie Walsh, director-general of Iata, said on June 10.
Emirates passengers can now use the the Iata Travel pass when flying between Dubai and 10 cities including London, Barcelona, Madrid, Istanbul, New York JFK, Moscow, Frankfurt, Charles De Gaulle and Amsterdam, according to the airline.
Passengers on these flights can use the app to access the latest Covid-19 related travel information, including the location of PCR test labs, and manage their Covid-19 travel documentation such as vaccination and latest PCR test results. Read More
China Opens Another New Mega Airport In The City Of Chengdu
China’s newest mega-airport has opened in Chengdu this weekend. The Chengdu Tianfu Airport saw inaugural flights by Sichuan Airlines first, followed by other carriers, including China Eastern. The airport is capable of handling 60 million passengers and is set to grow capacity to double that over the coming decade.
Third city opens a second airport
The high growth of China’s air travel demand has seen a number of huge mega airports opened in recent years. Shanghai was the first city to launch a second airport for added capacity some 20 years ago, with Pudong now handling more than 75 million passengers a year (from 2019 figures). Its ongoing expansion has given it a current capacity of 80 million passengers a year, putting it in one of the top 10 largest airports in the world.
More recently, the huge starfish-shaped Beijing Daxing airport opened in 2019, which is intended to be capable of handling 75 million passengers. It is providing welcome relief for the oversubscribed Beijing Capital Airport (PEK), which flew more than 100 million passengers in 2019.
Now, a third Chinese city has opened its second airport, with Chengdu Tianfu Airport operating its first flights yesterday. The old Chengdu Shuangliu Airport was the fourth busiest in the country in 2019, processing in excess of 55 million passengers, five million more than the airport was designed to handle. Read More
Sources: Daily Independent, The National News, Simply Flying Blog