NCAA issues 72hrs ultimatum to airlines operating Sikorsky S76C series

Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, has issued 72 hours ultimatum to all helicopter companies operating Sikorsky S76C series to immediately carry out safety audit on their entire fleets. NCAA threatened that any company that refuses to comply with the safety audit directive would be dealt with in accordance with the law. It directed all such operators to repeat such audit in the chopper brand every 300 flight hours until further notice. Companies operating Sikorsky S76C series in the industry are Caverton Helicopter, Aero Contractors and Bristow Helicopters. NCAA in a statement by its General Manager, Public Affairs, Mr. Sam Adurogboye said the directive was contained in a letter earlier dispatched to all operators of the affected helicopters types.

Holiday Inn opens in Canadian capital

IHG has opened its latest property in the Canadian capital Ottawa. The former Chimo Hotel has been rebranded as the Holiday Inn Ottawa East following a $9 million renovation programme.

Facilities at the 261-room hotel include an indoor swimming pool, fitness centre, Reza’s Kitchen restaurant, 8,500 square feet of meeting space, and free wifi throughout.

Delta set s to launch business class menus by NY restaurant Union Square Café

Delta has agreed a partnership with New York restaurant Union Square Café to offer new menus for its Business Delta One customers.

The restaurant’s executive chef and partner Carmen Quagliata has designed new dishes for Delta’s business class passengers, including beef short rib stracotto, Gulf shrimp and polenta, and baked Paccheri basil cream pasta.

 

The menu will feature “hyper local” ingredients including fresh basil from Brooklyn-based Gotham Greens, and produce from other New York firms including Mountain Sweet Berry Farms, Five Acre Farms and Cascun Farms.

How To Reach KLM If My Flight Is Cancelled?

If your flight is delayed or cancelled you, of course, want to know as soon as possible what to expect. In some instances KLM will contact you directly. If this is impossible, because staff are too busy in the event of a major disruption, these are the quickest ways to find out what the situation is and how it affects your travel plans.

If KLM cancels a flight, we inform you by text message, email or telephone. It is therefore important that you provide your contact details when you make a booking. We will inform you of the available rebooking options or let you know if you have already been rebooked. Your new travel schedule and boarding pass will be available at KLM.com (log in to MyTrip), the KLM App, and our self-service kiosks at the airport.

 

Serious disruptions to air traffic due to fog, snow or an ash cloud, put all KLM service agents under pressure. It is possible that under these circumstances we may not be able to reach you on time. We understand if you would prefer not to wait, but to contact us yourself.

BA launches new iPad app

British Airways has launched a new iPad version of its mobile travel app, with extra features including a 3D globe for flight searches.

Users can create a viewing plan for the in-flight entertainment on their flight, by dragging and dropping for the menu of available TV shows, movies and music.

The interactive 3D globe allows travellers to search and book flights, and boarding passes can be downloaded “with a bar code produced in each of the iPad’s four corners, for ease of use at the gate”.

Commenting on the launch of the new iPad app, Sara Dunham, BA’s head of marketing retail and direct channels said:

Virgin flight turns back after "laser incident"

Virgin Atlantic was forced to return one of its transatlantic flights to Heathrow shortly after take off, following a "laser-beam incident".

The New York-bound Airbus A340 service was on its way to New York when one of its pilots was apparently "dazzled" by a laser beam pointed at the cockpit.

The BBC news website has published an air traffic control recording of the incident her, in which a crew member reports "a medical issue with one of the pilots after a laser incident after take-off".

Historic Liverpool bank to become luxury hotel

The historic Grade II-listed Martin’s Bank building in Liverpool is to be transformed into a luxury hotel.

Located on Water Street close to the city’s Liverpool One development, the neo classical building dates back to 1932, and will now be converted into a 227-room hotel with spa facilities, bar and fine dining restaurant.

The building was the hiding place for much of the UK’s gold reserves during the Second World War – the transferral of the gold by train to the bank was the subject of the award-winning The Bullion Boys starring David Jason.

Ondo Signs Agreement with Air Peace Airline, Begins Operation Feb. 22

Ondo State Government, yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding on Air Transportation with AIR PEACE Airline  to shuttle Akure – Abuja to and fro. The flight operation will commence tentatively on February 22, 2016 according to the agreement.

Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Eyitayo Jegede, SAN signed on behalf of Ondo State Government while Mrs Ejiro Eghagha, Director of Finance of the Airline signed on behalf of the Chairman of the Airline, Barr Allen Onyema.

Mr Jegede, SAN said the agreement is to make the Akure Airport fully operational again and encourage the people of Ondo State on the culture of Air Transportation.

AMCON takes over Aero, to audit airline’s accounts

The Asset Management Company of Nigeria has taken over the management and operations Aero Contractors airline and has appointed a manager for the carrier.

It also announced that it had hired a reputable firm to undertake a forensic audit of the airline’s accounts for the last five years.

Airline operators appeal to FG on Forex restriction

The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) on Wednesday appealed to the Federal Government to rescind its decision to restrict supply of foreign exchange to only bureaux de change in the country.

 

The President of AON, Capt. Nogie Meggison, made the appeal while addressing journalists in Lagos.

Meggisson said the decision by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) not to supply bureaux de change foreign exchange had restricted some business concerns from having access to it.

He said that the CBN’s decision had created adverse effects on airline operations in the country.

“The exchange rate in the parallel market is going for as high as N305 per dollar

“As we all know, foreign exchange is very difficult to access now. We met the CBN Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, in November 2015 and he promised us that he would look into it.

“About 80 per cent of aviation cost is directly affected by this decision on foreign exchange. It affects the buying of aviation fuel and spare parts, simulator training of pilots and processing of insurance.

One passenger missing: Somalia plane blast: airline

One passenger is missing after a blast on a commercial airliner that ripped a hole in its fuselage shortly after take-off from Somalia’s capital, the airline said Thursday.

“All passengers except one disembarked safely after aircraft landed at the airport,” Daallo Airlines said in a statement. “Investigations are underway to ascertain the cause of one missing passenger.”

Airlines fail due to lack of operating cash – Official

Mr Aaron Munetsi, Regional General Manager, Africa and Middle East, South African Airways (SAA), has attributed the failure of some airlines in Africa to lack of operational cash. Munetsi said this in an interview with reporters on Friday in Abuja.

Nigeria has a vibrant aviation industry, says S/African airline official

Mr Aaron Munetsi, Regional General Manager, Africa and Middle East, South African Airways (SAA), says Nigeria has a vibrant aviation industry that can compete with any other country of the world.

Munetsi stated this in an interview with our reporter on Friday in Abuja. He said that the country’s rating in terms of aviation industry in Africa was a success story, adding that he had watched the industry grown in “leaps and bounds” since 1980s.

FG must scale down flight charges for struggling airlines to flourish — AON

 THE determination of the current dispensation of “change” to revive the aviation sector may hit the rock if government does not consider a downward review of flight charges to help the struggling indigenous airlines to flourish, the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) has said. The association also threatened to ground domestic operations if government does not heed to this call.