All Posts in "Aviation"

Domestic airlines to resume in-flight catering services

By Favour Nnabugwu

Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika has smdirected domestic airlines to resume suspended in-flight catering services, following its suspension at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic

Sirika disclosed yesterday at the weekly media briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Abuja

According to the Minister, “The decision was taken in consideration of the businesses involved in the provision of in-flight refreshments who have been adversely affected by the suspension”.

He said, “Modalities and protocols for the resumption of the services would be worked and rolled out by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) which will be in line with international practices.”

Sirika also reiterated the plan to resume international flight operations at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, the Akanu Ibiam International Airport Enugu and the Port Harcourt International Airport.

According to him, “Members of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 will be visiting the airports for simulation exercises to ascertain their readiness for international operations.”

He also disclosed that a technical working group comprising of of agencies involved in the facilitation of passengers has been set up to ensure that all standards required for seamless operations at the airports earmarked for resumption of international flights.

On the suspension of Emirates Airlines operations in Nigeria, Senator Hadi Sirika said discussions were on to resolve the issues involved, even as he restated the country’s position on the impropriety of the extra Covid-19 tests the airline was demanding of Nigerian travellers.

Patoma Admin by — March 22, 2021 in Aviation 0

The new Director General of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, NiMet., Prof Mansur Bako Matazu has assumed office yesterday

Professor Matazu takes over from Professor Sani Abubakar Mashi following an approval by President Muhammadu Buhari for the reorganization of the Aviation Agencies in line with the implementation of his administration’s Aviation Development Roadmap.

Speaking at the handover ceremony at NiMet headquarters, Abuja, Prof. Matazu acknowledged the great feat achieved by his predecessor, whom he served as Technical Assistant.

He added that Professor Mashi has achieved a lot for the Agency and taken it to a great height to become the best Meteorological Agency in the whole of Africa.  Matazu pledged to build on this success.

He expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve in this capacity and promised to run an all-inclusive administration. He noted that the former DG/CEO has always been his mentor.

In his valedictory speech earlier, the outgoing Director General/CEO, Professor Sani Abubakar Mashi gave a report of his stewardship and expressed confidence in the capability of the new Director General to build on the achievement he recorded and propel NiMet to greater heights.

He appreciated every staff for the support given and wished Professor Matazu a successful and eventful tenure. He appealed to all staff to extend same cooperation he enjoyed to the new Director General.

Professor Matazu holds a PhD in Applied Meteorology from the Federal University of Technology Minna and a post-doctorate degree at Erasmus University, Netherlands. He lectured at Federal University of Technology Minna as well as Federal University Dutsinma, Katsina state before joining NiMet in 2016.

He has published Books, Chapters and Peer review articles in both national and international Journals.

Professor Matazu is a member of Nigerian Environmental Society, African Forestry Forum, Nigerian Meteorological Society, the Climate Change Network, Nigeria and the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, Nigeria (REEN).

Until his appointment, Professor Mansur Bako Matazu was the General Manager, Research as well as the Technical Assistant to the outgoing Director General.

Patoma Admin by — March 18, 2021 in Aviation 0

By admin

Emirates airline on Wednesday said it was in talks with Nigerian government a week after the carrier announced that flights from the African country would remain suspended until March 20.

“Emirates remains in close dialogue with the relevant regulators and authorities in Nigeria and we are fully committed to making progress on a resolution to ensure the continuation and expansion of our operations,” an airline spokesperson told Gulf News.

“Our highest priority continues to be the health and safety of our customers, employees, and the communities we serve both in Nigeria and across our network,” the spokesperson added.

Last week, Emirates said that flights from South Africa and Nigeria will remain suspended until March 20, in line with government directives that restrict the entry of travellers from these two countries in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. The entry restrictions for passengers originating from or transiting through both these countries were earlier in force till March 10.

“Customers from both Abuja and Lagos will not be accepted for travel prior to or including this date. Passengers who have been to or connected through Nigeria in the last 14 days are not allowed entry into the UAE, whether terminating their journey in or connecting through Dubai,” the airline said in a statement earlier.

Patoma Admin by — March 17, 2021 in Aviation 0

By admin

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has said the E-Finger departure screening point at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) has been temporarily closed to carry out some routine maintenance on the screening machines.

NaijaOnPoint.com (TNG) reports Henrietta Yakubu (Mrs.), General Manager, Corporate Affairs of FAAN made this known on Tuesday, stressing that the development was part of a maintenance and upgrade program,

FAAN appealed to passengers and other airport users to bear, as it hope to reopen the area as soon as possible.

“Consequently, all human and cargo movement have been temporarily diverted to the D-Finger screening area until the maintenance and upgrade is completed,” a statement by Yakubu read.

Patoma Admin by — March 16, 2021 in Aviation 0

By admin

President Muhamadu Buhari has
approved the reorganizations of aviation Agencies under the purview of Ministry of Aviation as part of the implementation of the Aviation Development Roadmap.

Confirming the development, James Odaudu, Director, Public Affairs, Ministry of Aviation said the President has approved the appointment of Professor Bako Mansur Matazu as the new Director-General of the Nigeria Meteorological Agency ,NIMET.

He replaces Professor Sani Abubakar Mashi. Professor Matazu holds a PhD in Geography (Applied Meteorology), with membership of the Nigerian Environmental Society, African Forestry Forum, Nigerian Meteorological Society, the Climate Change Network, Nigeria and the renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, Nigeria (REEN).

He was, until his appointment, the General Manager, Meteorological Research in the Agency.

Odaudu further said ,” also approved by the President is the appointment of Captain Modibbo Alkali Mahmud as the new Rector of the Nigeria College of Aviation Technology, NCAT, Zaria.”

The new Rector holds the Airline Transport Pilot Licenses of the Federal Aviation Administration, USA, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Embraer, Citation and other international professional certifications.

Until his appointment, Captain Modibbo had served in various capacities, including Pilot in Training, Fleet Captain at Dornier Aviation Nigeria, Max Air and other organisations and has clocked about 6000 hours of flying career.

Meanwhile, the President has also approved the reappointment of Engr. Akin Olateru as the Commissioner / Chief Executive Officer of the Accident Investigation Bureau, Nigeria.

An Aircraft Maintenance Engineer with Nigerian, UK and USA licenses, Olateru began his career in engineering maintenance with Pan African Airlines and the Nigerian Police Air Wing after which he left Nigeria for further studies abroad.

He has also worked with multiple airlines in Europe including KLM, Martin Air in Holland, British Aerospace Engineering and British Midland Airways.

He attended City University, London and graduated with an M.Sc. in Air Transport Management with specializations in research and simulations into accident investigations.

All the appointments are with immediate effect.
The Director also revealed that ” the reorganisation is a continuous exercise that will involve other management staff of all agencies of the Ministry’.

Patoma Admin by — March 15, 2021 in Aviation 0

By admin

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET),has commissioned a Weather Observatory Station at the Kaduna State University (KASU).

Director General of NIMET, Professor Sani Abubakar Mashi, said during the commissioning, that the agency has also,decided to institute a prize for the best student in meteorology from the university.

“The station is built in the university so that the students can appreciate the value of meteorology and the teachers will also make use of it for meteorological information for better teaching and conducting of researches, for impacting positively to the environment within which the university is located,” he said.

” The need for degrees in meteorology is also much needed so as to train Nigerians on the act of measuring the various variables of the weather”,he said.

In his remarks, Vice Chancellor of KASU, Professor Muhammad Tanko, said the weather observatory station which was equipped with state-of-the-art equipment that was fully sponsored by NIMET had since been put into operation.

He said KASU is commuted to extending relationship with NIMET in other areas of mutual interest 

Prof.Tanko appealed to NIMET for the continuous implementation of their MoU, especially in the area of staff training.

Patoma Admin by — March 10, 2021 in Aviation 0

The Federal Government approved the reopening of Osubi Airport, Warri, Delta State for daylight operations on Monday.

This was disclosed by the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, via his Twitter handle on Monday.

According to him, the facility will be opened for operations in daylight in VFR conditions, while observing COVID-19 protocols.

He tweeted, “I have just approved the reopening of Osubi Airport Warri, for daylight operations in Visual Flight rules (VFR) conditions, subject to all procedures, practices and protocols, including COVID-19, strictly being observed. There will not be need for local approvals henceforth.”

VFR are a set of regulations under which a pilot operates an aircraft in weather conditions generally clear enough to allow the pilot to see where the aircraft is going.

It will be recalled that the Airport, which was commissioned on 17th April 1999 by the former Minister of Aviation, Captain Briggs, is managed by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

In 2020, the Federal Government, in a letter to all the aviation parastatals, had allegedly terminated the contract of Shoreline Oil Services Limited, the operator of the airport, with immediate effect, citing incompetence.

The facility has been a subject of controversy since it changed hands from the original owner, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), to Shoreline in partnership with the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in 2015.

Patoma Admin by — March 4, 2021 in Aviation 0

The Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja has been awarded the Airport Service Quality Award 2020 as judged by their customers as the Best Airport by Size and Region (five million to 15 million passengers per year in Africa).

This was disclosed by the spokesperson of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Henrietta Yakubu, in a statement on Monday.

Yakubu said: “This award represents the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria commitment to continuously improving customer experience across all our airports
The recognition comes at a time when we are geared towards ensuring seamless airport facilitation with the opening of new terminals and upgrading of our current infrastructures across board.

Despite a turbulent year plagued by COVID-19 induced financial struggles, the authority has endeavored to prioritize customer satisfaction while ensuring that health and safety remains topmost.

“FAAN MD/CEO Captain Rabiu Yadudu accepted the award on behalf of the Authority and restated FAAN’s commitment to ensuring the safety, security and comfort of passengers at all airports across the country.”

Patoma Admin by — March 4, 2021 in Aviation 0

By Favour Nnabugwu

Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, has lifted the ban on Boeing 737 Max Aircraft operating in the Nigerian Airspace.

The ban was placed on 737 after two fatal accident involving the aircraft.

A statement signed by the Director General, NCAA, Captain Musa Nuhu said the lifting of the ban came into effect on 12th February, 2021.
Captain Nuhu in the statement said : “Consequent upon the two accidents of Lion Air Flight 610, an Indonesia flight which crashed into the Java Sea 13mins after takeoff, and Ethiopian Airlines flight 320, which crashed six minutes after takeoff, made the Honourable Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika pronounced the ban on the operations of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in the Nigerian airspace.”

” On the 18th November 2020, the Authority received a Continued Airworthiness Notification to the International Community (CANIC) CAN-2020-24 advising it of the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAAs) ongoing continued operational safety activities related to returning Boeing Model 737-8 and 737-9 (737 MAX) aircraft service.”

” This however, made the FAA issue a final rule/Airworthiness Directive (AD) that mandated the following actions for Boeing 737 MAX aircraft which includes; Installation new flight control computer software and new 737 MAX display system software; Incorporate certain Airplane Flight Manual flight crew operating procedures, Modify horizontal stabiliser trim wire routing installations; Conduct an angle of attack sensor system test; and Conduct an operation readiness flight.”

” NCAA recognize that a Joint Authority Technical Review (JATR) that comprised of International Aviation Authorities such as the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), Transport Canada (TC) and the Singapore Civil Aviation Authority amongst others carried out a joint review of the Boeing 737 MAX safety system alongside FAA and NASA”.

“In the light of the above, the FAA has released documents on Boeing 737 Flight Standardization Board Report, revision 17, identifying special pilot training for the 737 MAX and Safety Alert for Operators”.

“NCAA recognises the joint review of the Boeing 737 Max Safety System and came up with the following actions required of all foreign and domestic operators”:

The statement further said “All intending domestic operators are required to work with the Boeing Company and NCAA for the Aircraft Type Certificate Acceptance Programme in order to have the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft registered in Nigeria and issued with a Standard Certificate of Airworthiness.”

“All foreign air operators that intend to operate the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft into Nigeria must submit evidence of compliance with the FAA AD 2020-24-02.The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority will continue to ensure strict compliance to Safety Regulations as violation[s] will be viewed seriously,” the statement read.

Patoma Admin by — February 21, 2021 in Aviation 0

The United Arab Emirates, UAE, yesterday announced an extension of the ban on passengers flights out of Nigeria from February to March.

Speaking through the country’s carrier, Emirates airlines, the authorities said
that the February 28th date of reopening flights will no longer be feasible.

According to a release from the airline titled : “Temporary Suspension of PAX uplift from Nigeria to Dubai – update
Emirates said, “As instructed by the UAE authorities, the uplift of passengers on Emirates from Nigeria (LOS & ABV) to Dubai is temporarily suspended up to and including the 10th March 2021.”
” Affected services are, EK784 LOS-DXB and EK786 ABV-DXB.”

” Note also that passengers who have been to or connected through Nigeria in the last 14 days are not allowed to enter the UAE (whether terminating or connecting onwards) ”

” Flights from Dubai to Nigeria (EK783 DXB-LOS & EK785 DXB-ABV) are not affected by this suspension and these flights will continue to operate as per the published schedule.”

“The operational status of EK (Emirates) services from Nigeria after the 10th March 2021 is under review & further updates will be published in due course.”

“For passengers affected kindly apply re-booking options provided in our COVID-19 waiver policy previously communicated. We hope to revert to you as soon as possible, regarding the status of our future flights.”
Recall Nigeria and UAE have been locked in disagreement over the observance of the covid-19 protocols.

The UAE authorities have hardened its protocols for visitors to Dubai. It introduced new rules to Nigerian travellers to Dubai. The new rules by Dubai Airports banned flights from any other point to Dubai from Nigeria.They insist only on direct flights from Nigeria .

Nigeria government retaliated by banning Emirates flights out of Nigeria, insisting that the airline should suspend it Rapid Antigen Test, which the airline said was a prerequisite for granting other airlines access into Dubai.

The suspension was, however, later lifted by Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, following instructions from the United Arab Emirates government that the Emirates suspend the Rapid Antigen Test pending when the Nigerian government would have put infrastructure in place to meet the airlines request.

Patoma Admin by — February 14, 2021 in Aviation 0