Condemnation trail Arik’s N387b debt estimate

PHOTO: Arik Air

A groundswell of condemnation has trailed alleged mismanagement Arik Airline following additional revelations by the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) that the former managers systematically plunged the airline into N387 billion debt.

Dana Air

Dana Air has bagged the prestigious Leadership Brand of the Year 2016 award, held recently at the International Conference Centre in Abuja.

Meanwhile, its counterpart, Air Peace, has also the City People’s Airline of the Year Award for its outstanding performance despite the huge challenges faced by carriers in the country last year.

Airlines, NCAA bicker over N15b debt

Ghana removes value added tax
Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and its operating airlines are currently bickering over debts owe by the operators. While the apex regulatory body estimates the debt in excess of N15 billion, the airlines are insisting that they owed only N2 billion.

Flying doctors seek investment in air ambulance services

Dr. Ola Brown

Flying Doctors Nigeria has advocated for improved investment and development in air ambulance infrastructure to ensure patients got prompt healthcare.

So doing, the government will save billions of dollars just by concentrating expert resources and reducing healthcare spending.

Arik, MedView, Aero Top Airlines Owes NCAA N15bn In Unremitted Passengers Service Charge To

As the controversies concerning the remittance of 5 per cent Ticket and Cargo Sales Charge (TSC) to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and indigenous airlines continue, Sahara Reporters has uncovered the breakdown of the debts owe the regulatory agency by the airlines. A document made available to our correspondent indicated that 13 airlines are indebted to NCAA on the 5 per cent PSC alone. However, some of the debtors have closed shop while many of them are still in operations. 

As the controversies concerning the remittance of 5 per cent Ticket and Cargo Sales Charge (TSC) to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and indigenous airlines continue, Sahara Reporters has uncovered the breakdown of the debts owe the regulatory agency by the airlines.

A document made available to our correspondent indicated that 13 airlines are indebted to NCAA on the 5 per cent PSC alone.

However, some of the debtors have closed shop while many of them are still in operations.  The document indicated that the troubled Arik Air, which is under the receivership of Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) is the highest debtor with N9,460,745,429.96 accumulated as debt. The debt was as at December 2016 while the airline was yet to pay any amount of money to the agency in 2017.

Air Peace plane

The document revealed that Arik Air was supposed to remit N61.4vmillion to NCAA monthly, but has failed in this regularly and only pays stipends to the coffers of the agency monthly.

The debt of Arik Air alone is about 70 percent of defaults by local airlines. Following in the footstep of Arik Air is Dana Air with a monthly remittance of N57. 5 million, but was indebted to NCAA to the tune of N1.2billion as at December 2016. Besides, Med-View Airlines has a total debt of N1.03billion debt to NCAA.

Aviation union urges airlines to comply with NCAA’s directive

The Air Transport Senior Staff Services Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) has urged domestic airlines to comply with the directive  to automate their remittance of the five per cent Ticket and Cargo Sales Charges (TSC/CSC).

The President of  ATSSSAN, Ahmadu Illitrus, made the call while speaking with newsmen on Sunday in Lagos.

Nigeria to Lose $68m to Saudi Arabian Airlines for 2017 Hajj Exercise

 

Nigeria risks loosing $68million to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the forthcoming 2017 hajj, following the allocation of 45 per cent of the total pilgrims to a Saudi Arabia-based airline, FlyNas, by National Hajj Commission (NAHCON).

Already, local stakeholders in the sector have raised eyebrow as they described the move as a  “rip off that has the capacity to stunt growth in Nigeria airline industry.”

Reps implore aviation ministry to reopen Abuja airport as scheduled

 Mrs Onyejeocha Nkeiruka, Chairman House Committee on Aviation, on Wednesday implored the Ministry of Aviation to ensure that Nmandi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja, was reopened within the stipulated six weeks.

Nkeiruka, made the call while speaking to newsmen in Abuja during her oversight visit to the Abuja and Kaduna airports.

Aviation sector suffered 13.3% decline in Q4 2016 – NBS

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has said that measured output from the nation’s aviation industry showed that the sector suffered the largest year on year fall in the final quarter of 2016, declining by 13.3 per cent.

According to the Q4 Full Year 2016 Air Transportation Data made available yesterday by the bureau, output of the aviation transport sector in real terms declined by 4.9 per cent between 2015 and 2016.

Amadeus, Dana Air partner on content

Minister of Defence, Mansur Mohammed Dan Ali (left) and Communications, Media Manager of Dana Air, Kingsley Ezenwa, during the presentation of Leadership Brand of the Year Award 2016 to Dana Air

Amadeus, a leading provider of advanced technology solutions for the global travel industry has announced full content agreement with Nigeria’s Dana Air.Under the agreement all Amadeus subscribers in Nigeria and worldwide can now access Dana Air’s full product range, schedules and availability under the same terms and conditions as Dana Air’s website, call centres or ticket offices.

First Nation suspends operations over low patronage on Kaduna route

FirstNation Airways

• Abuja Airport to get second runway in 24 months

Low passenger turnout on the Lagos-Kaduna-Lagos route has forced First Nation Airways to suspend operations.The airline that has lately been frequent on Lagos-Abuja-Lagos route, flying two Airbuses, said the market has not been the same since traffic was diverted to Kaduna International Airport, following the closure of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.

FAAN, Cross River government declare Calabar airport unsafe for planes

 

Following alleged illegal activities around the Margaret Ekpo International Airport, the Federal Airport Authourity of Nigeria (FAAN) and Cross River State government have declared that the airport is no longer safe for planes to land.

FAAN officials, state government representatives and community leaders in the state disclosed this in a communiqué after a stakeholders meeting last Friday.The Special Adviser to Governor Ben Ayade on Aviation, Mr. Amos Kajang, facilitated the meeting.

Being seen above the clouds – Perception of Business Aviation in West Africa and how to affect it

Atedo N. A. Peterside

Business Aviation has a terrible reputation in West Africa. Unfortunately, private jets are still seen in the region as expensive toys for playboy millionaires, insensitive and wasteful Heads of States/Senior Government Officials or politicians and others who acquired their wealth through questionable means. And yet it need not be so.

Arik resumes operations as dialogue continues with unions

 

After 24 hours shutdown, Arik Air yesterday resumed scheduled flight services on several routes across the country.The development was on the heels of a late Thursday’s meeting and resolutions between the airlines’ management and aggrieved workers unions that had forced a shutdown two days ago.

The Guardian learnt the meeting, brokered by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), was able to get a consensus that all parties concerned should return to dialogue as the best means of resolving the differences.

Arik Air Asks Court to Disqualify AMCON’s Receiver Manager

Arik Air last Friday told the Federal High Court in Lagos that the process leading to the take over of the airline by the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) was improper.

AMCON had on February 8, 2017 announced the take over of Arik Air.The corporation said it took over the airline to save it from collapse and in the best interest of the general public, workers, creditors and other interest groups in the aviation sector.

NCAA Sanctions Airline for Violation of Airspace

 

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has announced that it has sanctioned an airline, Lyxor International, a non-schedule, general aviation operator for violating the terms of an approved flight clearance for its type of operation.

The regulatory authority grounded the airline’s aircraft at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on February 16, for the violation of airspace regulation.

NCAA DG seeks regular interaction with airline operators

The Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Muhtar Usman, has called for regular interactions between the regulatory authority and airline operators in the country.

A statement issued on Sunday by the NCAA General Manager, Public Relations, Mr Sam Adurogboye, said Usman made the call at a meeting with the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) in Lagos.

Ethiopian Airlines to Add Two New Destinations in Africa

Mr Tewolde GebreMariam, Group CEO Ethiopian Airlines

Starting 28 March 2017, Ethiopian Airlines will add two more destinations on the continent, to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and Antananarivo, Madagascar strengthening the airline’s network to 400 weekly flights to 53 cities across Africa.

Unions kick as Aero Contractors sacks 60% workforce

Aero Contractors yesterday said it has sacked 60 per cent of its total workforce due to poor financial state of the airline.

However, the effected workers will be paid their pension and gratuity. The management of the airline was taken over last year by Asset Management Company of Nigeria, AMCON, as a result of the heavy indebtedness of the airline to the company.

Aero Contractors sacks 900 workers

Aero Contractors Airline, which is under the management of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), has sacked about 900 workers representing 60 per cent.

Letters of redundancy were issued to the affected employees during the week. Media Consultant to the 58 year-old airline, Mr Simon Tumba, who confirmed the development in a statement issued on Thursday in Lagos, said the workers would be paid their pension and gratuity.