‘Why Nigerian Airlines Are Yet To Fully Enjoy Cape Town Convention’

Nigerian airlines are yet to fully key into the benefits inherent in the Cape Town Convention almost ten years after its domestication in Nigeria.

Former Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr Harold Olusegun Demuren had successfully secured the adoption of the Cape Town Convention by the Nigerian government which paved the way for the unprecedented modernization of airline fleets in the country.

The Cape Town Convention involves the domestication of all international conventions that a country is a signatory to.

Prior to the domestication of the convention in Nigeria, aircraft leasing companies across the world had avoided Nigeria like a plague owing to what they called the high rate of default on the parts of the Nigerian carriers in terms of agreement in purchasing aircraft.

According to the leasing companies many Nigerian airlines often flouted the gentleman agreements reached while leasing aircraft as they always frustrated efforts of the foreign companies to withdraw their aircraft whenever any Nigerian carrier defaulted in meeting the agreement entered into.

One of the ways the Nigerian carriers had deployed in frustrating the leasing companies of reclaiming their aircraft was by dragging them to court to obtain stay-of-action judgement against the leasing companies.

Following the bottleneck created by the action of the Nigerian carriers, the leasing companies blacklisted Nigerian airlines while few that chose to still lease planes to the Nigerian carriers introduced stringent conditions such as high premium insurance. Read more

Kenya Airways Signs Interline Agreement With Airlink

East African based Kenya Airways and Airlink (PTY) have signed an interline agreement that will extend the airlines reach in the Southern Africa region via Johannesburg and Cape Town. The new agreement will offer customers seamless travel of over 40cities across Africa.

Kenya Airways which declared how it continued to diversify its services and operations in response to its customers needs, however announced that under this latest agreement, it’s customers flying to South Africa will be able to connect with Airlink operated flights to Windhoek, Durban, Gaborone, Maseru, Pemba, Maputo, Port Elizabeth, among others.

According to Kenya Airways, the agreement “It will also enable Airlink passengers to book a through ticket to Nairobi and enjoy connections to the rest of Kenya Airways destinations within Africa, including Entebbe, Kigali, Dar es Salaam, Bujumbura, Kinshasa and more.”

The agreement presents new growth opportunities for both airlines and will strengthen aviation ties between Kenya and Southern Africa. This partnership also plays a significant role economically, improving trade exchange and spurring tourism across the continent.

Commenting on the development, Kenya Airways Acting Chief Commercial Officer, Julius Thairu declared: “As global economies continue to reel from the effects of the pandemic, such strategic partnerships are critical. These new routes will positively impact the flow of trade and tourism across the region by offering our customers convenient travel around the continent”.

British Airways Announces Fantastic Fares In First Cabin On Lagos/Abuja/London Route

The British flag carrier, British Airways has announced what it called fantastic fares for its Nigerian passengers in its first cabin on the Lagos/Abuja/London route.

The fantastic fares which will also be enjoyed by Nigerian travellers flying the BA first cabin into Europe, Canada and the United States begin from $4287.

According to the airline’s Regional Commercial Manager, Nigeria and Ghana, Mrs Adetutu Otuyalo: “British Airways First Class is your ticket to exceptional comfort and impeccable service in our most elegant surroundings. It’s the finest way to travel enjoying your own private and spacious suite, a fully flat bed with mattress and duvet, delicious and indulgent dining with exclusive and attentive service access to luxurious lounges and spa treatments”.

Otuyalo who said the period for the purchase of the special fares had since commenced, added that the fares which are non-endorsable and for BA only, also  have other terms and conditions applied.

While urging passengers to note all entry requirements to their destinations, Otuyalo however said: “the fares exclude taxes, fees, and surcharges and are subject to availability”.

British Airways Trials ‘Game-Changer’ 25-second Coronavirus Test

British Airways will be the world’s first airline to trial a coronavirus test which produces results within 25 seconds.

The carrier described the test as a “game-changer”.

It will invite flight and cabin crew to take a Pelican Covid-19 antigen test from medical tech company Canary Global.

Results will be compared against their standard test results.

British Airways chief executive Sean Doyle said the airline is “committed to exploring easy and affordable testing solutions to help our customers travel again”.

He went on: “We think this new ultra-rapid test is a game-changer so we are delighted to work with the team at Canary to begin initial trials with our flight and cabin crew, before exploring what role it could play as a customer testing option.”

The airline said the test correctly identifies 98% of people who have Covid-19, and 100% of those who do not.

It added that it was “recently approved for use in Europe and UK”, and is being assessed in the US.

Users apply a sample of their saliva to a disposable sensor unit, which is shaken and inserted into a digital reader connected to a Bluetooth-enabled device such as a smartphone.

The test result is made available on an app within 25 seconds. Read more