Airlines operators decry poor funding, infrastructure, multiple charges, others

Chairman, Arik Air, Joseph Arumemi-Ikhide (middle); Managing Director, Chris Ndulue (left) and Deputy Managing Director/Senior Vice President, Operations, Captain Ado Sanusi. PHOTO: SOLA OJEDOKUN

Domestic airline operators in Nigeria have again bemoan those issues threatening their survival and hindering the growth of air travel in the country.

Some of the challenges, they said are the non-availability of adequate fund, rise in fuel price, multiple charges, high exchange rate, lack of infrastructure, unfavourably government policies and others have gripped their capacity to compete with their counterparts globally.

Passengers delayed for seven hours as woman descends off flight ‘to get a divorce’

‘I am not in the mood to fly now’: A passenger forced over 500 to be delayed seven hours after she demanded to be let off a taxiing flight in Russia.

Over 500 passengers were left stranded for seven hours after one woman’s impromptu decision to change her relationship status.

Airlines now free to fix fares, other charges – NCAA

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority says all airlines’ tariffs for services rendered, which include fares, rates, add-on charges or terms and condition of service, have been fully liberalised. This was contained in a statement by the General Manager, Public Relations of NCAA, Sam Adurogboye, on Sunday.

The statement explained that this was to clarify reports in some sections of the media that the NCAA had authorised airlines to increase their fares.

According to the statement, air fares and sundry charges have been statutorily deregulated and subjected to market forces.

It added: “However, all air carriers or their agents shall file, with the authority, a tariff for that service showing all rates, fares and add-on charges.

“These include the terms and conditions of free and reduced rate transportation for that service, as specified in Part 18.14.1.1 of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs).

Foreign airlines’ funds trapped in Nigeria hit N120bn – IATA

Tony Tyler

The International Air Transport Association (IATA), saddled with the responsibility of monitoring blocked funds globally, yesterday put foreign airlines’ funds currently stranded in the Nigerian economy at N120 billion ($600 million).

This is why Nigerians will not buy airline tickets in foreign currency anymore

Airlines operating in Nigeria have been warned by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to desist from selling flight tickets in foreign currencies with immediate effect.

The NCAA had apparently got wind of some of the practices of some airlines that reject naira only to accept foreign currencies in payment for their tickets.

In a statement released by its Acting General Manager, Public Relations, Sam Adurogboye, the NCAA said this particular practice by the airlines is in contravention to the decreed guidelines of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on the cost of products or services in Nigeria.

NCAA to sanction airlines selling tickets in dollars

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has threatened to sanction airlines that are in the habit of selling air tickets in foreign currency, particularly the dollar.

The regulatory authority yesterday said that the action was a flagrant contravention of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) prerequisite guiding cost of products or services in Nigeria.

United Airlines plane returns to Sydney after 'bird strike' during take-off

 

A United Airlines passenger plane was forced to return to Sydney Airport on Monday morning after apparently striking a number of birds when taking off.

Emergency service workers were called to the international terminal about 10.50am to meet United Airlines Flight 840, which had taken off at 9.40am. The plane, bound for Los Angeles, was carrying 308 passengers and crew.

Nigerian pilot, Odujinrin set for maiden African solo flight

The much-awaited first African solo flight was expected to take off yesterday from Washington DC in the United States.The flight, being manned by Nigerian pilot, Captain Ademilola Odujinrin, will see a specially configured single Cirrus aircraft fly around the world, with stop overs in selected cities. Odujinrin will be the 114th pilot to have embarked on such mission globally.

Bi-Courtney prepares for airport concessioning, gets new CEO

 

Captain Jari Williams

Operator of Murtala Muhammed Airport Two (MMA2) terminal in Lagos, Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL) has appointed a new Chief Executive Officer, in preparation for the Federal Government’s proposed concessioning of some airports in the country.

AMCON enforces take over of AfriJet Airlines

Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), at the weekend, took possession of Afrijet Airlines Limited and its other related assets in Lagos over unpaid N10 billion debt.

The action was in line with a court order by Justice Chuka Austine Obiozor of The Federal High Court Lagos Division, that granted an interim injunction against Afrijet Airlines Limited, owned by Chief Vitalis Ibe, over the N10b debt.

Returnees appeal to FG to assist stranded Nigerians in Libya

Some Nigerian returnees from Libya on Thursday appealed to the Federal Government to assist in bringing back home many Nigerians who are stranded in the country.

They told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in separate interviews in Lagos shortly after their arrival that Nigerians were inhumanly treated in Libya.

NAN reports that the returnees were brought back by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in collaboration with the Swiss Government and the Nigerian Embassy in Libya.

Mr Tunde Ayinde, an architect, said that he went to Libya in search of greener pasture but unfortunately, he fell sick and was hospitalised.

Ayinde said when he could not pay for his hospital bill; he was thrown out of the hospital.

“I was arrested by their security agents and remanded in prison for three months just because I asked one of the officers to assist me by showing me the Nigerian embassy in Tripoli when I could not afford to pay my bill.

KLM unveils orange aircraft

KLM has unveiled an orange B777-300ER aircraft, which will be used to promote the Netherlands at events including this year’s Olympic Games.

The aircraft features the front part of the fuselage painted in orange, before fading into KLM’s normal blue colour further down the aircraft. The design has also incorporated the colours of the Dutch flag in the transition between orange and blue.

I Was Forced To Pay #40 Million Naira For My Release Rufus Ojuawo Reveals

Detained ‎former Air Officer in charge of Tactical Air Command, Makurdi, Air Vice Marshal [AVM] Rufus Ojuawo, has told a Federal High Court in Abuja that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) forced him to pay N40 million as a condition for his release.

He is currently in confinement at House 27, Niger Barracks, Asokoro, Abuja, under the directive of the EFCC.

He further alleged that contrary to the position of the anti-graft agency, he did not voluntarily surrender his Range Rover (SUV) car to the commission but that it was seized from him by force.

SOURCE:- SMASH9JA

Emirates increases Dubai-Melbourne non-stop service

Emirates is to add a second daily non-stop service between Dubai and Melbourne later this year.

One of the carrier’s two daily flights to Melbourne currently stops en-route in Kuala Lumpur, but will become a non-stop service from October 30.

EK408 will depart Dubai at 0300, arriving into Melbourne at 2320, with the return leg EK409 departing the Australian city at 0600 and landing in Dubai at 1305.

Emirates say the new non-stop schedule will save passengers around two and a half hours in travel time on the route.

Business travel trends: smart luggage

Last year, 23 million suitcases were mishandled or lost by airlines and airports. Here we review smart luggage and tracking devices designed to solve the problem.

ANTLER AIRSTREAM 2

British luggage company Antler will soon unveil its Airstream 2 case, which comes with a unique ID label. Owners register their case on okoban.com, along with their contact information, so if the bag goes missing, whoever finds it can send an alert to them through the website with its whereabouts. 

USEFUL? Okoban says: “Your chances of being reunited with lost property are significantly improved” when using its system. It’s hard to tell if it would be any more effective than the airline baggage handling operations, which have their own procedures for getting your case back to you. If a stranger finds it in an airport concourse, for example, that is a different matter. Okoban has more lost and found offices in more than 2,200 airports.

Virgin Atlantic to order 12 A350-1000s

Virgin is expected to announce it is ordering 12 A350-1000 to replace part of its B747-400 fleet. Negotiations have been ongoing with engine manufacturer Rolls Royce (see Rupert Steiner in Rolls Royce ready to land £700m engine deal as Virgin Atlantic look set to sign £2.8bn order with Airbus for 12 new planes.  The aircraft are expected to be delivered in 2019.

Quoted in Reuters last week,  Airbus sees A350 orders soon, sources eye Virgin A350-1000 deal, a spokeswoman for Virgin Atlantic said,

British Airways removes economy hot meals from longest short-haul services

 

British Airways is understood to be removing the hot meal service offered to economy passengers on its longer 'Band 4' short-haul routes.

Sources within the airline state that the hot dishes will be replaced by a chilled snack, and the news has been discussed on our forum today.

The flights affected are those to Athens, Bucharest, Istanbul, Larnaca, St Petersburg and Sofia.

The move will allow the carrier to cater for the outbound and inbound flights from Heathrow.

A spokesperson for BA said:

"We are moving to ‘return catering’ on all our short-haul services, including the longer length flights, which will ensure consistency of quality across all our European destinations." 

The news follows speculation by several media outlets that BA is considering removing complimentary catering from short-haul flights.

When Business Traveller posed the question to BA's new CEO Alex Cruz last month, he said that a decision had yet to be made on the subject.

ba.com

Mark Caswell

SOURCES: BUSINESS TRAVELLER

Burj Al Arab opens outdoor terrace

The Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai has opened a new outdoor terrace. The 10,000 sqm outdoor facility stretches 100 metres out into the sea and is home to Scape Restaurant and Bar, and two pools: a 612 sqm freshwater pool and an 828 sqm saltwater pool.

The architectural form of the terrace reflects the shape of the Burj Al Arab and is linked by a central walkway, flanked on either side by artificial beaches and 32 private air-conditioned cabanas (available for rent for an extra charge).

Emirates adds second live in-flight sports channel

Emirates has added a second dedicated live sports channel to its Ice IFE system available on over 90 B777 aircraft (with selected A380 aircraft to follow from this month).

Sports 24 Extra complements the existing Sports 24 channel, and will enable the carrier to show more live sports events this summer, including:

Will Emirates introduce premium economy?

Readers regularly ask us why no Gulf-based airline offers a premium economy class. It’s a valid question seeing as all the main rivals to Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways (the Gulf’s three main airlines) offer a premium economy cabin of one sort of another.

Delta to make all in-flight IFE free to view

Delta is to make all in-flight entertainment available on its Delta Studio platform free to access for all passengers on two-class aircraft by July 1. The US carrier says it will be the only US airline to offer all in-flight entertainment for free.

The Delta Studio offering is available on 90 per cent of the carrier’s fleet, with streaming to personal devices possible on 1,000 aircraft, and a further 400 equipped with seatback systems.

Delta plans to add new GoGo wifi to more than 600 aircraft

Delta Airlines has announced it will continue to expand its wifi offering on international flights with a partnership with GoGo.

The new announcement sees the airline commit to 2Ku, Gogo’s new in-flight Wi-Fi technology, for a further 350 aircraft. Delta says that this will mean it will have a total total 2Ku commitment to more than 600 aircraft in its mainline fleet.

Gogo says that 2Ku is next-generation technology that provides consistent, uninterrupted coverage nearly anywhere in the world, including over oceans. Installation of 2Ku will offer customers faster speeds and bandwidth more than 20 times that of Gogo’s ATG technology, allowing for video streaming functionality.

tar Alliance announces technology enhancements

Star Alliance has announced plans for a number of technology enhancements, designed to “provide smoother service to the Alliance’s customers but also reduce infrastructure requirements and handling costs at all of the 1,300 airports the Alliance is serving today”.

The group is to launch a new IT baggage “hub” for its member carriers by the end of this year, which will simplify the process, “significantly reducing the number of baggage issues and providing faster and more accurate information for our customer service agents”.

The alliance said that “Baggage processes are currently complicated by the fact that the relevant information resides in many different systems”, and that “In addition to those operating at the individual Star Alliance member airlines, each airport is running its own baggage system, thus making it highly complex to retrieve the current status of bags, to locate bags within the systems and to take effective remedial action if bags are mishandled”.

What You Need To Know About Using ATMs Abroad

Making withdrawals off of debit cards through ATMs abroad can sometimes be wrought with problems, annoyances, confusion, or, in rare cases, all out disaster. Additional foreign transaction bank fees and ATM fees add up, sometimes your card will not work in certain countries. Occasionally, the machine will “eat” your card, there is always a risk of being mugged during or after making an ATM transaction, there is a chance that your card number and/ or password can be scraped by thieves using a variety of methods, and, sometimes, the machine simply does not give you all (or any) of the money you attempt to withdraw.

Excess Baggage Allowance: How To Avoid It

This might not come across as news if you are a frequent traveler, but for a newbie traveler or flyer, it is important to know what Excess Baggage Allowance is.

Excess Baggage Allowance is what you pay for luggage that exceeds the limits for weight, size, or number of pieces allowed by a particular carrier. Excess baggage requires payment of additional freight and may be sent separately as cargo and not as accompanied baggage.

How to Protect Your PC When You Fly

The 2009 arrests of the couple accused of stealing over 1,000 checked bags from the Phoenix airport highlighted one of the baggage theft risks that airline passengers face each time they fly. Another ongoing problem inside the airline terminal is the risks passengers face of having their laptop computer lost, stolen, or damaged. When it comes to protecting your laptop, two areas of risks are taking the computer through security and keeping your computer safe inside the terminal.

Putting Computers in Checked Baggage

There is a very simple way to avoid this problem-just don’t ever put your computer or your computer data in checked baggage. There is the obvious risk of a lost, damage, or stolen checked luggage. Also, airlines often load bags on top of one another in the cargo hold of your flight. Hundreds of pounds of pressure in conjunction with the low temperatures in unheated cargo compartments may lead to cracks or damage to a laptop screen or damage to other computer components.

Virgin Experience Economy Meal Service

An easy journey from start to finish:p- We bring you Virgin Atlantic Economy Meal Service Just as it is on the Virgin Website.

Economy meal service

If you're travelling with us in Economy we want you to be excited by what you see when it comes to food and drink.

We've worked really hard to give you something that feels much more like what you’d experience on the ground. You'll find a balance of light, healthy dishes with lots and lots of flavour, along with loads of considered surprises that we hope you'll love.

Taste the difference

In Economy we focus on offering you good quality food, done consistently well. We like to work with simple, seasonal ingredients presented elegantly. And of course, served with the warmth and flair we're famous for.

VIRGIN ATLANTIC ESSENTIAL MAINTENANCE

 
'Due to some essential maintenance work that we need to do, you'll be unable to assign seats between 04:30 and 07:00 BST on Wednesday 1 June 2016. We're sorry for any inconvenience this causes'.

Iberostar to open first US properties

Spanish hotel group Iberostar is to open its first US properties this year. A 250-room New York hotel is set to be rebranded on June 15, and is located at 70 Park Avenue within “an iconic stone and red brick building dating back to 1928”.

Jet Airways to take back B777s from Etihad

Jet Airways is take back six Boeing 777-300ER aircraft from investor and codeshare partner Etihad Airways.

The aircraft had been wet leased to Etihad, which owns a 24 per cent stake in Jet Airways. 

Jet Airways' chief financial officer and acting CEO Amit Agarwal said:

 

"Our wide body (Boeing 777) aircraft currently on lease to partner airline Etihad will be taken back and operationalised from August.

"Based on the market condition, our plan is to upgrade some of the existing A330 routes with B777s. This will subsequently result in additional capacity in our core markets, India and Gulf.” 

Etihad opens first class lounge at Abu Dhabi

Etihad Airways has opened a new first class lounge at Abu Dhabi airport’s Terminal 3.

According to Etihad the space has been “Inspired by the world’s most prestigious hotels, private members’ clubs and fine dining establishments”.

The 1,700 sqm lounge incorporates Etihad’s ‘Facets of Abu Dhabi’ branding and has 16 zones, with features including:

• An a la carte restaurant with a choice of Arabic, Indian and western cuisine made to order at any time of the day, as well as a five-course Emirati tasting menu
• A sculptural showpiece bar (similar to that at the new carrier’s new lounge in Melbourne), with 75 spirits, champagne and aperitifs

Visa Free Countries For Holders Of Nigerian Passports

As a Nigerian citizen with a Nigerian passport, there are certain countries which do not require a visa or a visa-lottery upon entry so long as you have your Nigerian passport.

However, for some of these countries, there is an estimated amount of time you are expected to spend before a visa will be demanded for. 

The period of days for which you can stay varies from country to country and then you would have to obtain a visa, at least this is not like a gamble when you play the visa- lottery.

Emirates marks Children’s Day with new promo

In the spirit of the forthcoming Children’s Day celebration, Emirates Airline is set to roll out a raft of fun activities for children at the Ikeja City Mall in Lagos.

At the event slated to take place on May 27th and 28th from 12 Noon till 7pm on both days; the City Mall will be graced with an Emirates stand designed for children.

6 carriers approved for 2016 Hajj

The Federal Government has approved six air carriers to airlift intending pilgrims for the 2016 hajj operation.

The statement was issued by Alhaji Uba Mana, Head of Media of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) on Tuesday.

The listed carriers are Med-view Airlines Limited, Max Air Limited, Dornier Aviation Nigeria AEP Limited, Top Brass, AZMAN Air Services and Fly-Nas Air (Saudi Arabia designated carrier).

 

Industrial court restrains Nigeria Labor Congress from going on strike tommorrow

The National Industrial Court has granted an interim order restraining the Nigeria Labor Congress and all its allies from embarking on any strike action. The Federal government this morning approached the court asking the court to stop the proposed strike action by NLC.

 NLC had given the federal government till midnight today May 17th to revert to the old pump price or face total strike action slated for tomorrow Wednesday May 18th.

Air travel 'poses no risk to pregnant women – Doctors

Air travel poses ‘no significant risk’ for pregnant women and their unborn babies – even up to three weeks before the birth, doctors say.

Healthy mothers-to-be having pregnancies without complications should be able to fly until the 37th week, their latest advice reveals.

The most serious risk for women at 35,000ft is premature labour, say experts from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

Advice: Healthy mothers-to-be having pregnancies without complications should be able to fly until the 37th week

 

Which is better & what's the difference: nonstop or direct flights?

One of the questions we get asked a lot is about the difference between nonstop flights and direct flights, and how they differ from connecting flights.

As it turns out, the differences are important — and could save you hours on your next journey.

Since these are technical terms used by airlines, nonstop, direct and connecting flights have specific characteristics.

Nonstop flights are flights that literally do not stop between your origin and destination airports, while direct flights stop at another airport, but continue on with the same flight number. Connecting flights are where you change plane and flight number at that other airport.

A good example of the difference is Qantas’ flights to Dallas/Fort Worth.QF7 from Sydney to Dallas is a nonstop flight: you take off from Sydney and land in Dallas. QF8 from Dallas to Sydney is direct, but via Brisbane: you take off from Dallas and land in Brisbane to refuel, then reboard the same plane to Sydney.

A connecting flight would be continuing on from Brisbane to Melbourne on a separate Qantas flight number, on a different plane.

Healthy Beijing: A wellness guide to the city

By Lucrezia Seu for CNN

Despite legendary pollution, Beijing offers access to nature, healthy restaurants and eco-friendly retreats.

Beijing has historic attractions, a vibrant culture and, of course, delicious Chinese food. But with its notorious pollution and regular food scandals, it’s not a city one equates with health and wellness. But maintaining a healthy lifestyle while visiting Beijing isn’t as challenging as you might think.

Here’s an insider list of nature-friendly spots, wholesome restaurants, organic stores and green escapes in and around Beijing.

Where to go

Zhaomiao (Luminous) Temple in the Fragrant

Hills.Xiangshan

With a name that translates to “Fragrant Hills,” this imperial garden is named after the scent wafting off its “Incense Burning Peak.” It’s not just incense scenting the park. There’s the perfume of the pine-cypress forest, maple trees, smoke trees and persimmon trees, all of which can be taken in on a hike in the hills. Visitors can also rent a bike to cycle the 20 kilometers up the hill.

Xiangshan is a popular spot for photos, especially in autumn when trees and leaves burn bright with golden and red hues.

To throw some culture into the mix there’s Shuangqing Villa, once the residence of Mao Zedong, and the Temple of Azure Clouds, located just outside the north gate of Fragrant Hills Park.

Xiangshan, 40 Maimai Jie, West Mountain, Haidian District, Beijing; April 1-June 30, 6 a.m.-6:30 p.m.; July 1-August 31, 6 a.m.-7 p.m.; September 1-March 31, 6 a.m.-6 p.m.; +86 (10) 6259 1155.

10 packing tips every traveler should know

Packing is pivotal. Forget an essential item and you're left disappointed and scrambling to find the nearest store in your destination. Pack too much and you end up disorganized, burdened with heavy bags, and hemorrhaging money to pay for pricey airline baggage fees. So we thought it best to revisit the most basic—and most useful—packing rules. Here are 10 fundamental packing strategies that every traveler should learn.

10 signs you're a terrible traveler

You know the guy who's always holding up the plane by trying to cram five bags, a jacket, and a pillow into the overhead compartment? Don't be that guy. Read on to discover 10 warning signs that you may be a terrible traveler.

You have an expired passport and you don't even know it

Some countries require that your passport be valid for at least six months after the completion of your trip just in order to enter. You may think you're in the clear if your passport expires in 2014, but if you've got a trip planned for November 2013, you'd better get it renewed before then. Always research entry requirements, including visas and vaccines, and be sure your passport is up-to-date. (If you find out the night before that your passport is expired, read this simple solution to a last-minute passport snafu to learn what you can do to save your trip.)

9 new rules all passengers should obey

I’ve been flying a lot lately, so I thought I’d vent a little. After witnessing all manners of bad behavior in the air in recent months, I’ve compiled some new guidelines for how I’d like my fellow passengers to act on my next flight.

New rule: Hey you in the aisle seat, don’t give me “that look” when I indicate that I need to get up from my window seat to use the lav (yeah, you, important business guy who drank two little bottles of cheap red wine on the 45-minute Orly to Heathrow flight last week). I’m not doing this just for the fun of it. I don’t expect you to smile, but please, no big dramatic sigh and eye roll.

Unaccompanied Minor Travel Tips: How to Prepare Your Child for Air Travel Alone

We’ve all noticed the kids with an unaccompanied minor badge escorted by the flight attendants on our flights. Peak travel times for unaccompanied minors are major holidays, three day weekends, and summer. Parents are encountering more situations requiring children to travel alone. Most frequently, children fly alone to comply with divorce custody agreements. Whether the unaccompanied minor is visiting a non-custodial parent, or simply a relative in another state, here are tips to make a smooth travel experience for your child.

If possible, fly the child with a parent or other close adult the first time. Children like to know what to expect; unaccompanied minors in busy airports need to know what to expect. Break down the unaccompanied minor flying process into major sections: checking in, security, waiting to board the airplane, take off, landing. Point out emergency personnel unaccompanied minor children can seek help from if they encounter a problem.

Duty-free Shopping Issues Involving Liquids, Gels, and Aerosols

If you are traveling internationally, and you wish to make a duty-free purchase of liquor, perfume, cosmetics, or any other item that may contain liquids, gels, or aerosols, you should take extra precautions to ensure that your items will not be confiscated by security in the US or elsewhere. These suggestions apply only to those items in containers that are larger than 100ml (3.4 fluid ounces) because only larger containers are subject to many of the common restrictions on liquids and gels. Categories of duty-free items that fall under these restrictions include the following:

• Liquor
• Wine
• Perfume and body sprays
• Facial cleansers and creams
• Body or hand lotions
• Liquid make-up

33 Ways to Sleep Better at a Hotel

Rattling ice machines. Grinding, dinging elevators. Bachelorette parties down the hall. The sleep gods have their work cut out for them if you’re expecting to snooze well while staying at a hotel.

We’ve compiled one of the most comprehensive guides available to ensuring a good night’s sleep in a hotel, covering everything from what you should ask when you’re booking the room to how you can swiftly take care of noisemakers so you can get back to sleep.

When Making Your Reservation
1 – 7. Ensure that you get a quiet room. Two requests are absolutely vital and pretty widely known when selecting your hotel room: a room on an upper floor and away from the elevators. But some other tried-and-true tips from frequent hotel guests could doubly ensure a peaceful experience.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO CONCESSION THE MAINTENENCE/ BUILDING OF SOME AIRPORTS

The Federal government in its quest towards maintaining high standard and efficiency in the management of its airports intends to concession the maintenance and building of some airports across the country.

 

Minister of State Aviation, Senator Hadi sirika made this known during a courtesy visit by Technical Delegation from the Turkish Embassy in Abuja, in his office.

Ethiopian Airlines marks 70 years of operations

Ethiopian Airlines

With a vision of bringing Africa together and closer to the world, Ethiopian Airlines said it is celebrating its 70 years of dedicated and highly successful air transport services to, from and within the continent

Speaking on the anniversary, the airline’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Tewolde Gebremariam said: “Seventy years is a long time, but Ethiopian is still young, strong, forward-looking and ready to contribute its own share of an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena in line with the African Union agenda 2063.

Amaechi to focus on safety, security to boost air travel in Nigeria

THE Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi has restated that his administration would focus on the safety and security of the country’s airspace, and that this has become necessary, as the nation cannot afford any mishap.

Speaking recently in Lagos, he said that, “safety and security is non negotiable”. He stated that achieving safety and security in the aviation industry is the key driver to growing the sub sector rapidly.”

KLM Extend its Italy Routes With Pesto, the “Green Gold” of Genoa

Pesto, the “Green Gold” of Genoa

KLM will expand its network this summer with 7 new destinations, including Genoa. The city where the smell of fresh basil greets you on arrival. In the world capital of pesto, no pasta dish is served without this crushed sauce and a consortium stringently monitors the quality of this “green gold”. We will be flying there from Schiphol Airport as of 22 April. 

Christopher Columbus could smell from the aroma of fresh basil that his ship was nearing the Port of Genoa. After months of surviving on ship’s biscuit, fresh vegetables were a meal fit for the gods for medieval seafarers.

 Even after half a millennium, pesto remains inextricably linked to Italy’s largest port. Since serving as Europe’s cultural capital in 2014, Genoa has put paid to its dark and grisly image. Nowadays, the city boasts a raw beauty that is difficult to quantify: you have to experience – and more particularly taste – it for yourself. Welcome to Genoa, welcome to the world of pesto genovese.

Genuine pesto genovese does not come from a factory, but is crushed by hand

source: KLM blog

Malaysia's first Islamic-compliant airline suspended: Official

Malaysia's Department of Civil Aviation has suspended the country's first Islamic-compliant airline. 

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's first Islamic-compliant airline has been suspended for three months after it failed to adhere to aviation regulations, a senior official said Monday (Apr 11), as the government announced a safety audit of the carrier.

"Rayani Air has been suspended for three months," Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, director-general of the Department of Civil Aviation, told AFP. "They contravened civil aviation regulations," he said, declining to elaborate.

Muslim flight crew don the hijab while non-Muslim crew are forbidden from wearing revealing clothing on board the airline, which launched last December.

Tips and Tricks for Hotel Room Key Card Wall Slots

In hotels outside the U.S., it is common to find energy-saving technology for turning off the lights and power in a guest room. Insert your room key in the wall slot upon entering the room and the lights can be turned on. Remove the room key upon departing and the lights automatically go off (some hotels offer a delay of 30 or 60 seconds so you can easily see the door handle to exit the room, which I appreciate).

This energy-saving technology is smart for saving electricity though does have certain challenges. Since the topic of these room key wall slots has come up often with travelers I talk with, I thought I’d put a few tips and tricks together: I have never had a hotel front desk clerk tell me that I needed to insert my room key into this wall slot in order to get my lights on. 

Airplane Passengers Sing 'I Believe I Can Fly' : Video Goes Viral

An airplane’s “I Believe I Can Fly” video went viral after a group of passengers, stuck for hours on a grounded Allegiant Air flight, made the best of a bad situation by breaking out into song and karaoke-ing some R. Kelly.

The Harlem Shake may be banned by the FAA, but the airplane’s “ I Believe I Can Fly” number didn’t seem to attract the eye of any meddling bureaucrats — or at least we’d hope their first concern would be a plane full of people stuck sweating in 112 plus degree heat without food or water and not an unapproved rendition of the 90s slow jam.

A video of the airplane’s “I Believe I Can Fly” number was uploaded to YouTube, by user and apparent passenger Dustin Kaelberer.

FG issues 21-day ultimatum to Turkish Airlines For Passenger Baggage delay:

ABUJA — The Federal Government has issued a 21-day ultimatum to Turkish Airlines  to comply with the order of  Consumer Protection Council, CPC, over abuse of rights of passengers on flight TK 623 of December 20, 2015 or face sanctions.

Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, slammed the ultimatum against the backdrop of shoddy treatment of Nigerian passengers aboard the airline’s flight, especially with regards to misplaced baggage.

Passengers on the said flight TK 623 to Abuja were allegedly subjected to untold hardships, as they were forced to repeatedly check the airport in Abuja on the fate of their baggage, thereby incurring extra and budgeted expenditure, including hotel accommodation, without any form of support by the airline.

Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos

Murtala Muhammed Airport Lagos is the nation's busiest airport – with two terminals – International and Cargo terminals open 24 hours daily while the domestic terminal opens 16 hours daily.

As Seen on FAAN NIGERIA 

Delays, High Charges Impede Flight Operations in Nigeria

Nigerian passengers have cried out over endless complaints about flight delays, while airlines lament high charges, which they allege deplete their operational funds.

In the last two weeks, THISDAY learnt the situation became worrisome as flights were delayed for two hours or more and some were cancelled at short notice, leaving passengers stranded and frustrated.