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China Eastern Boeing 737 crashed with 132 passengers on board

By admin

 

A China Eastern Boeing 737-800 has crashed flying from Kunming (KMG) to Guangzhou (CAN). MU 5735, a domestic flight operated by a 737 with tail number B-1791, had 132 people on board when it appears to have rapidly descended into a mountainous region of China. The Civil Aviation Administration of China has confirmed that the aircraft did indeed crash.

FlightRadar24.com appears to have been tracking the aircraft at the time of its crash, with the service picking up the rapid descent of the Boeing 737-800. The flight-tracking service suggests that the aircraft was cruising at 29,100 feet when the event started.

The approximate location of the crash. Photo: FlightRadar24.com
The service took the last reading at 29,100 feet at 06:19:59 UTC. The following reading picked up by the service from the China Eastern plane was at 06:22:16. According to the plane’s transponder, the aircraft lost around 20,000 feet of altitude in 77 seconds.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has confirmed that the aircraft has crashed. According to the CAAC, there were 132 people on board the aircraft. This comprised 123 passengers and nine crew members. The administration commented,

“On March 21, 2022, a Boeing 737 of China Eastern Airlines lost contact over Wuzhou during the Kunming-Guangzhou flight… The Civil Aviation Administration has activated the emergency mechanism and dispatched a working group to the scene.”

A video circulating on Twitter appears to show a large area of mountainous forest engulfed in flames.

Patoma Admin by — March 21, 2022 in Aviation 0
MMA terminal for commissioning tomorrow

By Favour Nnabugwu

 

All is now set for the commissioning of the newly built international terminal of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos on Tuesday, March 22, 2022.

The brand new, world-class international terminal is one of five, being built in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano and Enugu, in a bilateral arrangement between the Federal Government of Nigeria, and the People’s Republic of China. The ones in Abuja and Port Harcourt have been completed and commissioned already, while that of Kano has been completed and will soon be commissioned.

FAAN  in a statement released by Mrs Faithful A. Hope-Ivbaze, Ag General manager, Corporate Affairs, the new Lagos International terminal, which will be commissioned by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari (GCFR), has the capacity to process 14million passengers per annum. It is built on a land mass of approximately 56,000 square metres, and it has 66 check-in counters.

Other facilities in the terminal include 5 baggage collection carousels, 16 Immigration desks at arrival, 28 Immigration desks at departure, 8 security screening points, 6 passenger boarding bridges (out of which 2 has already been installed), 2 food courts, 4 premium lounges, 22 guest rooms and spa, 16 airline ticketing offices, visa on arrival and port health facility, as well as praying area, more than 3,000 square metres of duty free space, approximately 5,000 square metres of lettable utility space, amongst others.

The new terminal to be commissioned is expected to generate about three thousand direct and indirect employment for Nigerians, as well as enhance passenger facilitation and comfort at the Lagos airport.

The Authority will also sign a memorandum of understanding with the Lagos State Government on the 9km Airport-Shasha-Alimosho link Road to be constructed by the State Government.

Patoma Admin by — March 21, 2022 in Aviation 0
Fuel Rate Spike: Air France-KLM to raise ticket prices from March 25

By admin

 

As of 25 March, KLM and Air France will be adding a surcharge to long-haul ticket prices as fuel prices soar.

KLM has stated the cost of the surcharge varies on destination and travel class, such as a return flight between Amsterdam and New York will be €40 for economy or €100 for business class. The surcharge only applies to new bookings.

Backtracking from Air France?

Air France’s decision comes as a surprise, with the airline stating in Le Monde just four days ago that it has avoided raising prices thanks to hedged fuel costs. A spokesperson for the airline said:
Air France-KLM has hedged 72% of its oil consumption for the first quarter and 63% for the second quarter at $90 a barrel, confirmed back in February. The decision is likely a pre-emptive move against a prolonged Russo-Ukrainian war, with current oil prices at levels not seen since 2008.
Increasing cost

Following last week’s warning by experts that airfares are likely to skyrocket if oil prices do not decrease, several other airlines have expressed concerns over the uncertainty of the fuel market.

KLM-partner airline, Delta, has stated that ticket prices could increase by at least 5% this summer. Speaking at the JP Morgan Industrials Conference on Tuesday, airline President Glen Hauenstein noted that the airline needed to recapture around $15-$20 each way on a ticket, feeling confident that Delta could meet that in the second quarter.

However, several airlines consider the move too hasty, especially considering a drastically recovering market. American Airlines has suggested that stronger summer bookings could offset rising fuel prices. The carrier does not hedge its fuel consumption, with CEO Doug Parker adding that the industry will continue to make money regardless.

In 2010, oil prices were around US$80 per barrel; the airline industry made US$4.8 billion, which was a record in earnings for the industry. Next year, oil prices went up to US$111.26 per barrel. Earnings fell. It takes a while to react. The reaction to higher oil prices is less capacity and higher prices. So when it runs up quickly like it just did, it takes a while to respond, but we respond, and indeed, in 2012, we got back nearly to 2010 revenue levels. We can make money with oil prices of US$100 or higher, and we will. That’s not a long-term impact on the industry’s ability to make money.”
Chief credit analyst for Standard and Poor’s, Phillip Baggaley, differs, noting pricing will still put pressure on the bottom line.

“Even with this strong traffic, the airlines can’t recapture all the higher fuel cost, particularly if they go up quickly.”
What about other airlines?
Malaysia Airlines will be adding fuel surcharges from 23 March to mitigate the costs of unprofitable routes. Emirates, JAL, and ANA have added surcharges onto their domestic routes.

Speaking to Aviation24.be at a recent press conference, Lufthansa CEO Peter Gerber has stated that the Lufthansa Group has hedged fuel contracts and will closely follow the market. Lufthansa is 63% hedged throughout 2022 at $74 a barrel.

Europe’s most outspoken CEO, Michael O’Leary, has already addressed concerns, claiming Ryanair will not introduce any fuel charges this summer. The low-cost carrier is 80% hedged on fuel until March 2023.

Patoma Admin by — March 20, 2022 in Aviation 0
Azman Air to evacuate Nigerians from Ukraine

By admin

 

Azman Air held a rescue operation onboard an Airbus A340-600 airlifting hundreds of stranded Nigerian students, taking them away from Ukraine as Russia’s invasion continues. 

Earlier today, an Azman Air’s Airbus A340-600 departed from Budapest International Airport, carrying hundreds of Nigerian citizens fleeing the war in Ukraine. The aircraft landed at the international wing of Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport in Abuja at precisely 8:41 pm, local time, according to the airline. This was the fifth humanitarian flight held by Nigerian airlines. Previously Air Peace and Max Air operated three and one services, respectively.

Over 1,000 Nigerian citizens have fled Ukraine in the last few days as Russia invades its neighbor. Many of the stranded Nigerians ended in Poland and Hungary and quickly started looking for a way to fly back home.

Since then, the Federal Government of Nigeria has begun several humanitarian flights evacuating up to 1,076 Nigerians, according to reports by local media outlets. One of those flights was operated by Azman Air, a Nigerian carrier based in Kano.

Azman Air employed its Airbus A340-600, registration 5N-AAM, to operate the humanitarian services. In a statement posted on social media, the airline said,

Patoma Admin by — March 13, 2022 in Aviation 0
Air Peace to airlift first batch of 364  stranded Nigerians from Ukraine on Thursday

By Favour Nnabugwu
Air Peace is to airlift first batch of 364 stranded Nigerians from Ukraine back to Nigeria on Thursday, March 3, 2021
The airline and Max Air have been contracted by the federal government to bring back about 2090 stranded Nigerians who have fled from war torn Ukraine to neighbouring countries back to Nigeria.
According to the Chief Operating Officer, COO, Air Peace, Mrs Toyin Olajide, the first batch of 364 Nigerians will be brought into Nigeria from Poland on Thursday, March 3, 202.
 Confirming the contractual agreement yesterday , the Ministry of Foreign  Affairs Permanent Secretary said about 2090 Nigerians is expected to be airlifted from Hungry, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia.
The Permanent  Secretary said :
“Furtherance to our efforts to evacuate Nigerians from the neighbouring countries surrounding Ukraine, we can confirm that chattered flights will depart on Wednesday, March 2, 2022 to pick up Nigerian evacuees back home.”
“So far, we have the following records of evacuees received by Nigerian embassies at Hungry (650 person), Poland (350 persons), Roman (940 persons) and Slovakia (150 persons).”
“The First batch of evacuees are expected to arrive Nigeria on Thursday, March 3, 2022.
“Once again, we assure Nigerians that we are working round the clock to see that our citizens are brought back home safely”
Recall since the outbreak of war between Ukraine and Russia, Nigerians, mostly students , had called on the government to evacuate them from the country.
Patoma Admin by — March 2, 2022 in Aviation 0
Ukraine International Airlines pauses flights until March 23

By admin

 

Airspace closures and fierce battles on the ground in Ukraine have seen Ukraine International Airlines extend their flight suspensions until March 23

Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) has confirmed it will extend the suspension of scheduled and charter services until 23:59 March 23, 2022, Kyiv time. The Kyiv-based airline had temporarily begun pausing flights last week after the Ukrainian Government closed the country’s airspace to civilian aircraft.

Closed airspace grounds UIA’s flights
In a statement published on February 27, UIA confirmed the ongoing suspension of flights was due to the extension of the closure of Ukrainian airspace. “This decision is according to the official NOTAM of the State Aviation Service,” the airline said. “The airline draws attention to the possibility of forced delays and difficulties in feedback on service channels of communication with passengers and counts on understanding.”

UIA adds reimbursement for canceled flights will not occur until after March 26. They attribute this to “the technical nuances of the martial law in Ukraine” and ask for understanding from out-of-pocket passengers.

Ukraine International Airlines had stopped flying on February 24 following the Russian invasion that targeted airport infrastructure. The invasion prompted the Ukrainian Government to declare martial law and close the airspace.

Before the formal closure of the airspace, aircraft insurers and reinsurers had also expressed concern about Ukrainian carriers operating their aircraft in Ukrainian airspace, effectively grounding many flight

Ukrainian carriers temporarily shut down
The unfolding situation in Ukraine is causing chaos for airlines that fly into the country or use its airspace. Airlines are also moving to avoid neighboring Russian airspace, and the EU is set to ban Russian airlines from their airspace. While most of Europe’s airlines have a degree of wriggle room and the ability to re-route flights, Ukrainian carriers are not so lucky.

The biggest airport in Ukraine is Kyiv’s Boryspil International (KBP). According to ch-aviation.com, 12 airlines are based there, including five scheduled carriers, three passenger charters, two cargo, and two government-operated airlines. In addition to UIA, Windrose Airlines, SkyUp Airlines, Bravo Airways, and Azur Air Ukraine are the scheduled passenger airlines based at KBP.

“Due to the imposition of martial law in the country, Windrose Airlines will suspend flights indefinitely, but we will be in touch. All relevant information will be posted on the official website and social networks,” Windrose advises.

“We inform you that sales on all flights are closed until March 9, 2022,” says SkyUp. “Almost the entire SkyUp fleet is located abroad: three aircraft are in Egypt, one is in Moldova, one more is in Kyiv, three are in Romania, four are in Estonia, and one more each is in Serbia and Bulgaria.”

Meanwhile, Boryspil Airport is closed. In addition to local airlines, multiple international airlines, including Qatar Airways, Ryanair, flydubai, KLM, Turkish Airlines, and Air France are temporarily out of Ukraine. Late last week, explosions were occurring around the airport.

CNN was reporting on the weekend the airport remained largely undamaged, but vehicles have blocked the airport’s two runways and taxiways to prevent Russian aircraft from flying in. Seizing control of Ukraine’s airports, including Boryspil, is key to Russia’s takeover strategy.

Meanwhile, there are mixed reports about the fate of the AN-225 Mriya based at contested Gostomel Airport outside Kyiv. On Saturday, Antonov Airlines said the plane was intact. However, the well-regarded site, AirlineRatings.com, is reporting satellite evidence indicating the plane is destroyed. The site also adds the Ukrainian Government has confirmed the plane’s demise online.

Patoma Admin by — March 1, 2022 in Aviation 0
FCT, Taraba, Ondo, Delta, 13 other States to experience 40°C temperature – NiMet

By Favour Nnabugwu

 

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency ( NiMet) has alerted the public on a possible rise in temperature especially in most part of northern Nigeria.

The Agency made this known in a statement released this Sunday.

According to the release, areas that will experience temperature greater than 40°C include parts of Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Niger, Kwara, FCT, Kogi, Nasarawa, Benue, Plateau, Taraba, Adamawa, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Rivers and Anambra.

Other parts of the country will predominantly experience temperatures within 35°C to 40°C.

 

Patoma Admin by — February 28, 2022 in Aviation 0
Lufthansa, Austrian airlines joined KLM in suspending flights to Ukraine 

By Favour Nnabugwu
On Saturday, Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines both confirmed they would suspend flights into Ukraine owing to the security situation there.
The suspensions come as pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine mobilize with local residents being urged to flee.
Lufthansa & Austrian suspend Ukraine flights until end of the month
In updated travel advice published on its website, Lufthansa said it is “suspending flights to and from Kyiv. This affects all departures from Monday, February 21 until 28 February 28.” Lufthansa says it is constantly monitoring the situation and will decide on further flights at a later date.
Austrian Airlines, which is owned by the Lufthansa Group, is also canceling all flights to and from Kyiv and Odessa until the end of February.
The suspensions takes effect from Monday, with both airlines will operate some flights into Ukraine until then. Lufthansa says it will continue to fly to Lviv in western Ukraine.
Dutch carrier KLM suspended flight to Kyiv earlier this month. A few days later, Norwegian decided its planes would not overly the country. Both airlines cited the deteriorating security situation in Ukraine.
We made this decision based on a comprehensive safety assessment,” said Norwegian’s Esben Tuman. “Safety always comes first.”
Airlines careful flying over Ukraine
While airlines are used to dodging conflict zones, this one is close to home for most European carriers and the shooting down of MH017 over eastern Ukraine in 2014 by a Russian-made surface-to-air missile remains fresh in the memory.
“KLM always puts the safety of passengers and employees first in the conduct of its operation. Choosing safe and optimal routes is a standard part of our daily practice,” the Amsterdam-based airline said in a statement. MH017 originated in Amsterdam and Dutch citizens made up the majority of the people killed in the incident. Since then, KLM and several other airlines have avoided overflying eastern Ukraine.
There are nearly two dozen operating airports in Ukraine. The largest is Kyiv Boryspil International Airport (KBP). According to airline database ch-aviation.com, 35 airlines use the airport. Those airlines fly to 133 destinations in 54 countries. Around a dozen airlines are based at the airport, including Ukraine International Airlines, Windrose Airlines, SkyUp Airlines, Supernova Airlines, and Azur Air Ukraine.
It can be recalled that earlier this month, insurers began getting skittish over the escalating tensions and warned Ukraine-based airlines their coverage did not include war risk. Last weekend, Ukraine’s SkyUp was forced to divert a flight from Portugal after that plane’s owner forbid it to enter Ukrainian airspace.
The next day, Ukraine International Airlines said it was sending five planes to Spain after the insurer of those planes suspended coverage while they remained in Ukrainian airspace.
Meanwhile, as the US warns a Russian invasion of Ukraine is imminent and has evacuated most staff members from its Kyiv embassy, other airlines still flying into Ukraine are closely watching events. Some airlines are scheduling additional flights into Kyiv to get people out.
On Friday, Air India confirmed it would operate three flights to Ukraine next week to evacuate its citizens. The airline said there was a “massive demand” for the flights.
Patoma Admin by — February 20, 2022 in Aviation 0
Domestic airlines increase fares by 100% effective March 1

By Favour Nnabugwu

 

 

After a meeting in Lagos, domestic airline operators have resolved to increase airfares by 100 percent across board with effect from next week, March 1.T

The resolution adopted by all the domestic operators sees the least economy ticket now selling for 50,000 naira, instead of the previous 22,000 naira for an hour flight.

There are indications that some of the airlines have already fixed some of the fares that will come into effect on March 1.

Investigation revealed that an economy class domestic ticket on Max Air outbound Jos to Abuja from March 1, 2020 sells at ₦50,000, while Green Africa Airlines’ Lagos to PortHarcourt goes for ₦35,000 as opposed to its current ₦16,500 fare.

Green Africa will sell its Owerri to Abuja flight tickets at ₦35,000, while Air Peace Lagos to Abuja will sell at ₦50,000. Equally, Air Peace will sell Lagos to Benin return ₦105,000.

Azman Air flight from Abuja to Kano from the same March 1 sells at ₦50,000, while Overland Airways Akure to Abuja will go for the same ₦50,000. Other airlines , namely, Dana, Ibom Air, Aero Contractors will also raise their ticket prices by 100 percent
Recall the airlines, under the aegis of Airline Operators of Nigeria, AON, had issued a statement complaining about the current high cost of aviation fuel.

They revealed that ” aviation fuel cost above N410 in Lagos, N422 in Abuja and Port Harcourt, and N429 in Kano per litre, while the dollar, which sells for between N580 to N600 is in short supply.”

The airlines also expressed anger at the ” Unavailability of Forex for spare parts and maintenance . Airlines carry out most of their activities in dollars which today sells for between N580 to N600 and is in short supply. Nigeria’s domestic airlines are in a ‘life and death’ struggle to secure the Forex they need to acquire their spare parts to maintain their aircraft.”

” This is a major influence on how quickly a grounded aircraft can be fixed and restored to its flight schedule, which in turn has a huge impact on the schedule reliability of the domestic airlines,” AON said.

As at the time of filing this report, the civil aviation regulatory authority, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, has not issued any statement on the new fares . A source within the authority however said airfares have since be ” deregulated by NCAA, leaving market forces to determine price.”

” NCAA only intervene when an airline fixes ridiculously low airfares. That can compromise safety standard as operations of any airline is capital intensive,” he said.

Patoma Admin by — February 20, 2022 in Aviation 0
Uganda Airlines wins World’s youngest aircraft fleet 2022 Award

By admin

 

For operating the world’s youngest aircraft fleet for the second year in a row, Uganda’s national carrier, Uganda Airlines, boasting of an average aircraft age of only 1,95 years, has been named the winner of the “ch-aviation World’s Youngest Aircraft Fleet Award 2022.

For the first time, ch-aviation has also recognized aircraft leasing companies with the ‘world’s youngest aircraft portfolio award 2022’.

The aircraft leasing company managing fleet is CMB Financial Leasing, with an average age of 3,91 years.

The ch-aviation Youngest Aircraft Fleet Award was conceived to honour Airlines and Aircraft Leasing companies worldwide who maintain young and efficient aircraft. “Keeping a modern fleet and portfolio by using new generations of aircraft contributes significantly to the decrease of CO2 within the aviation industry and helps achieve better fuel efficiency. This represents a huge step forward for sustainability, and ch-aviation has decided to give them the recognition they deserve.

The ch-aviation Youngest Aircraft Fleet Award recognises Airlines and Aircraft Leasing companies worldwide that operate young fleets and manage young portfolios, respectively. The efficient newer aircraft generations are vital for lowering CO2 emissions and making flying more environmentally friendly, and we commend the winners for their effort. It is essential to say that this award is entirely based on non-manipulable fleet data. There is no jury or any other subjective parameter involved.

 

Patoma Admin by — February 3, 2022 in Aviation 0