NCAA To Commence Public Sensitisation For Air Travellers

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has said that it would in the coming weeks, commence public sensitisation to further enlighten air travelers on steps to take in case of flight delays or cancellations by airlines.

Director-General of NCAA, Capt. Musa Nuhu, said this in an interview with aviation journalists in Lagos at the weekend.

According to him, this would enable the agency respond appropriately in cases where their rights are trampled upon by airlines.

Capt. Nuhu also said that the law on 100 per cent refund on air tickets in cases of a three-hour delay is not novel to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulation (NCAR), stressing that it was gazetted by the Federal Government and has been in existence since 2015.

Before the 2015 amendment to the extant regulations, airlines were supposed to pay 100 per cent compensation to passengers after two hours of delay, but the regulatory agency amended it to three hours in order to accommodate the complaints of the indigenous airlines and in a bid to ensure fair play.

He, however, clarified that in the case of natural phenomenon, the airlines would not be sanctioned by the agency, describing it as a force majeure.

Speaking further, Capt. Nuhu noted that airlines were given Air Operators’ Certificates (AOCs) based on the fact that they would comply with civil aviation regulations.

He also maintained that once any of the carriers is found wanting, the agency would not hesitate to sanction such an airline accordingly.

Local Airlines Kick as FG Orders Full Refund for Three-hour Delay

Rule not new, gazetted since 2015, NCAA insists

Local airlines have faulted Federal Government’s order to them to refund tickets of travellers that experienced flight delays of at least three hours.

While regretting the inconveniences and cancellations, they maintained that the government’s intervention failed to consider natural factors that often pose challenges.

This is even as the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) clarified that the rule dates back to 2015 and applies to flights delayed by minimum of three hours.

Apparently disturbed by the flood of complaints from local travellers, Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, said consumers have a right to 100 per cent refund for flights delayed beyond two hours.

Delays between 10pm and 4am, according to him, would mean that the carrier should provide hotel accommodation, refreshment, meal, two free calls, SMS, email and transport to and fro airport.

Indeed, flight delays and disruption in services worsened last week, with at least two in every three flights held back. A trending video at the weekend showed a number of travellers protesting at the airside and banging on an Aero Contractors’ airplane when they were allegedly forcefully shut out by the crew. It was gathered that the flight was delayed and ended up overbooked. Read more

Aviation Recovery Grows To 85% As Emergence Of New Airlines Boost Public Confidence – Galadima

LAGOS – Recovery from the impact of COVID-19 pandemic in the Nigerian aviation industry has reached between 70 to 85 per cent, Engr. Abednego Galadima, the President of the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) has said, stressing that the emergence of new airlines in the sector had further improved confidence of the public.

Engr. Abednego Galadima, the President, NAAPE told journalists in Lagos that the 2021 delegate conference with the theme: ‘The Imperatives of Strong Partnership for a Sustainable Aviation Recovery from COVID-19 Impact’, is set to hold its two days delegates’ conference on July 29 to 30, 2021 at the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Conference Centre in Abuja.

He said Sen. Hadi Sirika, the Minister of Aviation, Capt. Musa Nuhu, the Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and Mr. Chris Aligbe, have been selected as Special Guest of Honour, Chairman and Guest Speaker, respectively, while other captains of the would also participate.

Galadima said that the theme of the conference was carefully chosen in order to assess the recovery rate of the industry after COVID-19 pandemic disrupted operations for most parts of 2020.

The NAAPE President emphasised that the event would open with a symposium on the theme, which would be chaired by Nuhu.

He stated further that apart from the symposium, NAAPE would use the opportunity to present its maiden Annual Gold Standard Safety Awards to four winners in categories like airlines, helicopter operators, government agencies and allied aviation business. 

Set for Higher Altitude

The global air transport sector is yet to fully recover from travel bans, restrictions and other measures put in place by some countries to escape the ravaging effects of the third wave of COVID-19 and the emergence of new variants of the deadly disease.

In Nigeria, the next six months  will trigger another round of optimism for airlines, ground handling firms, aeronautical agencies and aircraft manufacturers as well as aircraft maintenance repairs and overhaul centres as they scale up efforts to make good their lofty plans and projects for the remaining part of the year.

Significantly, experts have expressed optimism over the health of old and fledging carriers which will continue their delivery streak of relatively new airplanes.

Leading the pack of such carriers is Air Peace, which would have received more than half of the 13 Embraer 195- E2 jets purchased from Brazillian airplane manufacturers.

Besides delivery of newer planes, the carrier in the second half of the year would have consolidated flight operations on some of its either new routes and routes hitherto suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In an interview, Air Peace Chief Operating Officer, Mrs Oluwatoyin Olajide, said the carrier would have brought back many of its airplanes stranded abroad while undergoing major maintenance checks.

Apart from Air Peace, another major operator – Ibom Air – would have consolidated flights with its two Airbus aircraft recently deployed in routes, even as the carrier would have its aircraft  flapping its wings on some routes in the West African subregion namely, Equatorial Guinea and Banjul, in the Gambia. Read More

Low Charges for Airlines Handling Services May Compromise Safety

Stakeholders in Nigeria’s aviation industry have drawn attention to the comparatively low charges by ground handling services, saying it could compromise safety and operational standards.

Industry insiders said the massive drop of ground handling charges from $1,139 to only $400 on a Boeing 737 aircraft (narrow body airplane) or its equivalent on both local and domestic services would drastically affect the companies’ revenue and operational standards.

They noted that the ground handling service rates are the lowest in Africa.
It was learnt that the three ground handling companies; Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO) Plc, Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) Plc and AHS Aviation Handling Services charge the lowest on the continent, despite having better Ground Support Equipment (GSE) than most of their counterparts in Africa.

It was also learnt that ground handling charges in Guinea, Senegal, Cameroon, Sierra Leone and Ghana for narrow body and wide body aircraft are way ahead of Nigeria.

The narrow body aircraft include B737, Airbus A320, ER 135 and ATR aircraft, while the wide body aircraft are categorised as B767, A330, B777, B747 and A380 aircraft.
For instance, investigation revealed that in Guinea, foreign airlines are charged $1,673 (narrow body); $4,715 (wide body), Senegal; $2,250 and $5,259, Cameroon; $1,400 and $4,500, Sierra Leone; $2,250 and $5,250 and Ghana with $1,500 and $4,150 for passenger flight.

Cargo flight attracts $2,300, $1,750, $2,300, and $2,500 in Senegal, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Ghana, respectively for narrow body aircraft, while for wide body aircraft, the ground handling in those countries charge between $4,450 and $5,250 per flight.

A source confirmed that while the above named countries charge the airlines appropriate rates, a narrow body aircraft attracts about $1,000 ground handling charges in Nigeria, while a wide body aircraft goes as low as $3,000 for passenger flight.
At times, it was gathered that the $1,000 ground handling rates could be as low as $400, depending on the negotiating power by such a foreign airline. Read more

We’ll Implement Passenger Airfare Refund Upon Delay – NCAA

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has expressed its support for the reimbursement of passengers’ airfares when delayed and when their flights get cancelled.

According to the NCAA, the regulation requiring airlines to refund 100 per cent on air tickets to passengers delayed for three hours is not unusual.

It noted that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulation was in support of the refund by airlines, having been in existence since 2015.

The PUNCH had reported on Thursday that the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, as saying at the weekly State House briefing that airlines were to reimburse air passengers full value of their tickets if delayed for two hours and beyond.

However, to reduce such from occurring, the NCAA would embark on a campaign to sensitise the flying public on their rights, he said.

Nuhu said, “The minister was just referring to the NCAA in his statement. Before the amendment to the regulation, airlines were supposed to pay full compensation to air travellers the moment their flight is delayed for two hours, but during the review, the operators complained that the two hours was too short. Then, it was extended to three hours. Read More

Sources: The Punch; The Nation; Guardian; Daily Independent