Aerospace University: Nigeria’s Sirika Gets Provisional Approval, Presents Concept Note to University Commission

Part of the Aviation Road for Nigeria is to establish a Pan African Aerospace University, Federal Government of Nigeria’s effort, through the Ministry of Aviation, to establish an Aviation and Aerospace University has been boosted by the assurance of the National Universities Commission (NUC) to expedite action on the concept document submitted by the Minister of Aviation Senator Hadi Sirika.

Executive Secretary, National University Commission, Professor Abubakar Adamu Rasheed who gave the assurance after receiving the note from the Minister, said the commission will engage some professors to perfect the concept note for immediate approval.

 “I can assure you, that by the end of the month (July), we are going to have a brand new University, the first of its kind in Abuja, the first African University dedicated to aviation and aerospace study in the country.”

According to the Executive Secretary, the value of such a university can’t be quantified and commended the Minister for his boldness and courage.

“This aviation under your guidance will be the first to show the way that we can support the establishment of a specialised university that won’t only serve us but serve the African region and the International community”.  He stated.

Presenting the Concept Note earlier, Aviation Minister, Senator Hadi Sirika who was accompanied by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Directors, and Heads of Agencies, said that the ‘African Aviation and Aerospace University Abuja’ will be dedicated to research and development of knowledge in Aviation and Aerospace. Read More

Nigeria Banned UAE Flights Over COVID-19 Testing Procedures – FG

The Federal Government on Thursday has said that contrary to insinuation that the United Arabs Emirates placed a ban on flights from Nigeria, it actually placed a ban on the UAE first due to the terms and conditions laid down by the Emirate.

The United Arab Emirates had June 19 lifted ban on travels between Dubai and Nigeria after a protracted disagreement between the two countries on Covid-19 protocols.

UAE had insisted on travelers from Nigeria undergoing several other COVID-19 tests after the initial test in Nigeria.

Announcing the resumption of flight between the two countries on Saturday, a message from the Dubai Media Office said passengers from Nigeria were now expected to ‘have received a negative result for a PCR test taken within 48 hours before departure’.

However, Emirates in a statement it released on June 21 reversed its initial stance on resumption of flights.

The Emirates statement read, “In line with government directives, passengers flights to and from Nigeria (Lagos and Abuja) are suspended with immediate effect from 21 June, 2021 until further notice.”

In an interview with The PUNCH on Thursday, the Secretary of the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19, Dr Mukhtar Muhammed, said the Federal Government had placed a ban on the Emirates before an announcement came from the UAE.

He said, “I believe the Minister of Aviation has provided detailed information to Nigerians about all that has happened between Nigeria and UAE.

FAAN Says Hajj/Cargo Terminal Car Park Automation In Lagos Set To Go Live July 5

Having completed the automation of the car parking process at the Hajj/Cargo Terminal, Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) said the Go Live procedure will be operational on Monday, July 5, 2021.

“To prepare for the actual Go-Live, which has been slated for Monday, July 5, 2021, the Authority has deployed a modern car park solution with a distinct entry gate and an exit gate,” said Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu, the General Manager, Corporate Affairs of FAAN.

“Users of the terminal that want to drive into designated car parks within the terminal will now have to enter through the newly built automated gate, from where details of their vehicles would be captured electronically on the parking tickets that will be issued to them. They will take the tickets to any of the three designated payment points for payment whenever they are ready to leave the terminal.”

Yakubu said: “To ensure the seamless facilitation of the process, the Authority has put necessary signage in strategic places to guide and direct users of the terminal,” as she appealed to users of the terminal to comply with this new change in the interest of safety and security.

Boosting NAMA’s Revenue

Over the years the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has depended on the revenues earned from airlines that fly over Nigeria’s airspace to other destinations as well as foreign airlines that operate into Nigeria.

It was learnt that in recent times, domestic carriers have been paying their debts.
In the past, most of them used to owe the aviation agencies, including NAMA.
Industry insiders explained that because domestic airlines have undulating history, many of them have short life span and have become unreliable source of revenue that can sustain the operations of the airspace manager, NAMA.

The Federal Government some years ago had directed the agency to become self-sustaining and at the same time pay 25 per cent of their annual income to the Federal Government as revenue generating agency, known as consolidated revenue fund.

This presented fiscal dilemma to NAMA because at certain period after this policy was introduced, NAMA had poor communication system in the upper airspace and could not provide the needed service to over fliers. These are aircraft that are travelling to other destinations by flying across Nigeria’s airspace. In flying across Nigeria’s airspace, they expect to know the en-route weather conditions, their flight path and other relevant information that would guide them safely. Read More

Aviation Sector Reforms Long Overdue

NIGERIA’S global reputation took a further hit recently when malfunctioning runway lights compelled delays and the diversion of Lagos-bound international flights. The collapse of the lights made landing at night unsafe and saw British Airways, among other foreign airliners, detouring to Abuja while the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority suspended night-time landing at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport. This national embarrassment reflects the crisis of infrastructure and inefficiency in the troubled domestic aviation sector and makes urgent reforms imperative to reposition it to reap its immense potential.

In an industry where accidents, when they occur, are devastating in their human and economic costs, safety is of paramount importance. Civil aviation is accordingly one of the world’s most regulated industries. But characterised by low investment, inefficiency, maladministration, corruption, and politicisation that underpin state-run bureaucracy, Nigeria’s aviation sector grossly under-performs. Lack of adequate modern equipment among others prevents it from becoming a major continental player and it constantly throws up safety concerns. Read More

Bernard: Cost of COVID-19 Test for Travellers Should Be Reduced

The Managing Director of Finchglow Travels and former President of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA), Bankole Bernard, in this interview speaks about his expectations for the economy post Covid-19 to in order spur economic recovery. Chinedu Eze brings the excerpts:

What do you think Nigeria may be losing due to these ban on some countries over COVID-19?

Well, there is what we call post COVID-19 recovery. And a lot of countries that seem to understand what they are doing are already experiencing post-COVID-19 recovery. Putting relevant measures in place and capitalizing on the weakness of other countries within the economies around the world. For not allowing flow of movement, as it were, due to fears, will continue to make us lose out. I will give you an instance. I hope you know that COVID-19 test in America is free. Nobody charges one dollar for COVID-19 test in America. I just got back from America. And I did not see America close her borders to any country because they know the importance of holidays.

Most of their holiday destinations and recreational centers are open. And they are still preaching that people should be vaccinated. It shows you the importance of recovery and they are recovering from it as quickly as possible. In what way have we put such measures in place? This is America that was an epic COVID-19 center at a point. We were far from being an epic center. We have not even experienced up to 5000 deaths record in Nigeria as it were. So why can’t we capitalize on the fact that we have low COVID-19 record and do what other countries are doing. That is what Kenya, Qatar and others are doing.

How do see you the ban of passengers from South Africa by Nigeria as Air Peace goes to South Africa. South African Airways is not operating yet. So with the ban, Nigeria does not have direct flight to South Africa. What is the implication of this on air travel in Nigeria?

I honestly do not understand the rationale why travellers from South Africa are banned from coming to Nigeria. Is it because they said the COVID-19 variant there is stronger? It is not a problem at all. There are measures that you just need to put place. Can’t we just apply those measures? Because we must understood something, that what we have is what they call bilateral agreement between two countries. Which means the aviation sector of Nigerian government and the aviation sector of the South African government will have to execute that bilateral agreement process on behalf of the two nations. So why should we now say that Air Peace cannot fly there and bring back passengers? Is that not a loss to the airline? I don’t know how they are doing this. Read More

New Saudi airline plan takes aim at Emirates, Qatar Airways

Saudi Arabia plans to target international transit passenger traffic with its new national airline, going head-to-head with Gulf giants Emirates and Qatar Airways and opening up a new front in simmering regional competition.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is pushing economic diversification to wean Saudi Arabia off oil revenues and create jobs, announced a transportation and logistics drive on Tuesday aimed at making the kingdom the fifth-biggest air transit hub.

Two people familiar with the matter said the new airline would boost international routes and echo existing Gulf carriers by carrying people from one country to another via connections in the kingdom, known in the industry as sixth-freedom traffic.

The transport ministry, which has not released details of the plans, did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The strategy marks a shift for Saudi Arabia whose other airlines, like state-owned Saudia and its low cost subsidiary flyadeal, mostly operate domestic services and point-to-point flights to and from the country of 35 million people.

The Saudi expansion threatens to sharpen a battle for passengers at a time when travel has been hit by the coronavirus pandemic. Long-haul flights like those operated by Emirates and Qatar Airways are forecast to take the longest to recover. Read More

Sources: AviationAges. ThisDay Live. Punch Online