TheNewsGuru

Tag: Airports

  • FAAN to set up magistrate court at Airports to prosecute touts

    FAAN to set up magistrate court at Airports to prosecute touts

    The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has announced plans to set up magistrate courts at airports nationwide to prosecute touts and address the growing issue of harassment at Nigerian airports.

     

    FAAN’s Managing Director, Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku, made this announcement during a meeting with security agency heads at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. The meeting aimed to update stakeholders on recent airport developments, share the management’s strategic goals, and explore ways to enhance passenger experience and facilitation.

     

    This move comes after Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo promised in May 2024 to eliminate touting from Nigerian airports. In 2022, FAAN arrested 90 touts, indicating a persistent problem.

    The establishment of magistrate courts at airports is a step towards addressing this issue and ensuring a smoother travel experience for passengers.”

  • BREAKING: Major airlines, TV stations grounded over global IT glitch

    BREAKING: Major airlines, TV stations grounded over global IT glitch

    Dutch airline, KLM said that a global computer outage has made “flight handling impossible” and is largely suspending its operations.

    Airlines and airports around the globe have been affected by IT problems.

    “KLM and other airlines and airports have been affected by a global computer outage, making flight handling impossible,” the airline said in a statement.

    “We realize that this is very inconvenient for our customers and staff, particularly in the midst of the summer holiday season.

    “We’re working hard to resolve the problem. Until then, we will have to suspend operations largely.”

    In the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration has stopped flights by major airlines United, American and Delta.

    German airports in Berlin, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Cologne-Bonn and Nuremberg reported various degrees of service disruptions.

    Outage halts traffic at Berlin airport, Hamburg hit by disruptions

    No planes were taking off or landing at Berlin’s airport, while some departures were affected in Hamburg on Friday morning, due to IT outages.

    Similar failures were being reported across the world, affecting airlines and airports, media outlets, banks and telecommunication companies in countries including Spain, Australia, India and Britain.

    In the U.S., the Federal Aviation Administration has reportedly stopped flights by major airlines United, American and Delta.

    The European budget airlines Ryanair said it has also had its operations disrupted.

    A spokeswoman for Berlin Brandenburg Airport said there “are delays in handling due to a technical fault’’ and that flight operations would be suspended until 10 a.m. (0800 GMT).

    Local broadcaster RBB reported there was a server failure, but the spokeswoman would not confirm this.

    At Hamburg Airport, four airlines were suffering from tech failures at

    A spokeswoman said the airlines were Eurowings, Ryanair, Vueling and Turkish airlines.

    She said the airlines were issuing tickets manually.

    French TV channels affected by worldwide tech outages

    Several television channels in France have also been affected by a major computer outage wreaking technical havoc worldwide.

    Canal+, a French TV station has informed its subscribers that it is suffering from the effects of an IT breakdown that is preventing the broadcast of its regular programmes.

    The television channel TF1 has also been hit. A French presenter said during the programme that the channel could not broadcast everything as usual.

    For instance, no maps for the weather report could be shown.

    Development traced to Microsoft

    Meanwhile, the development has been traced to Virtual Machines running on Microsoft Windows that are running the CrowdStrike Falcon agent.

    Microsoft said it is aware of the issue and that though it is an external dependency, it is currently being investigated.

    “We experienced a Storage incident  in Central US which had downstream impact to a number of Azure services.

    “This is currently mitigated, however we are still in the process of validating recovery to a small percentage of those downstream services.

    “This was communicated to affected customers via the Service Health dashboard in the Azure portal.

    “We are also aware of an issue impacting Virtual Machines running Windows, running the CrowdStrike Falcon agent, which may encounter a bug check (BSOD) and get stuck in a restarting state.

    “While this is an external dependency, we are currently investigating potential options for Azure customers to mitigate and will be providing updates via the status page here: azure.status.microsoft/en-gb/status/ as well as our Azure portal, where possible,” Microsoft stated.

    Meanwhile, according to George Kurtz, President & CEO of CrowdStrike, the issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed.

    “CrowdStrike is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts. Mac and Linux hosts are not impacted.

    “This is not a security incident or cyberattack. The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed.

    “We refer customers to the support portal for the latest updates and will continue to provide complete and continuous updates on our website.

    “We further recommend organizations ensure they’re communicating with CrowdStrike representatives through official channels.

    “Our team is fully mobilized to ensure the security and stability of CrowdStrike customers,” Kurtz stated.

  • New FAAN MD, Kabir vows to reposition airports

    New FAAN MD, Kabir vows to reposition airports

    The newly appointed Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr. Kabir Yusuf,  has pledged to reposition the nation’s airports, toward growth and development of the country.

    He made the declaration on Tuesday in Abuja during the handover ceremony that took place at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA).

    Yusuf promised to effectively and efficiently work with the staff members and other stakeholders in to achieve the feat.

    According to the new managing director, airport is a catalyst to tourism growth and key to national and international relations.

    “I am grateful to Allah for the opportunity to contribute my quota to my country. I am not the most experienced, neither most qualified nor deserved. It is just a choice of God.

    “To Him, I extend my sincere gratitude.

    “Current global reality shows that aviation drives sustainable growth. We will put all hands on deck to reposition our airports towards establishing sustainability during our purposely leadership, with professionalism, discipline, accountability and responsibility“ he said.

    He sought support of all stakeholders to build on the successes of previous leaders.

    The new managing director said effort would be intensified to improve facilities for safety, security, and efficiency, to carry passengers and goods at world-class standards.

    Earlier, the outgoing managing director, Capt. Rabiu Yadudu, described  Yusuf as strong , proactive, intelligent, and a hard worker with unique wisdom in aviation industry.

    He said that Yusuf’s special performance as NAIA Airport Manager and other positions he had held previously would have earned him recommendation to be his successor.

    Yadudu, whose four-year tenure expired on May 19, gave thanks for the opportunity to serve.

    He said that during his tenure, there was robust staff welfare, constant critical support for stakeholders and projects met were fully accomplished.

  • FG declares preferred bidders for airports concession programme

    FG declares preferred bidders for airports concession programme

    The Federal Government has announced the selected preferred and reserve bidders for Nigerian airports concession.

    Sen. Hadi Sirika, the Minister of Aviation, made the announcement when he addressed newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja.

    According to him, the preferred bidder for the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, is Corporacion America Airports Consortium, while ENL Consortium has also been selected as the reserve bidder for NAIA.

    Sirika said the preferred bidder for the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, is TAV/NAHCO/Project Plant Limited (PPL) Consortium while Sifax/Changi Consortium has also been selected as the reserve bidder for MMIA.

    He further said that the preferred bidder for the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, is Corporacion America Airports Consortium while there are no reserve bidders for MAKIA for now.

    The minister stated that Port Harcourt International Airport (PHIA), Port Harcourt, did not receive any proposals when the Request for Proposal (RFP) deadline closed.

    “The Federal Government, in line with the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (establishment, etc.) Act, 2005, and global best practice, is ready to inform all stakeholders, local and international, development partners and the media on development regarding airports concession.

    `The Request for Proposals (RFP) phase of the Nigeria Airports Concession Programme (NACP), came to a close on the 19 of September 2022.

    Sirika said that the ministry is in consultation with the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) and other stakeholders for the fourth airport asset which did not receive bids as at the time of the RFP deadline.

    The minister said the process was a multistage process, adding that the final outcome of the NACP is yet to come.

    “The next stage of the programme is the negotiations and due diligence stage, during which the ministry will invite preferred bidders to enter detailed negotiations with its representatives, with a view to developing a Full Business Case (FBC) before onward transmission to ICRC for review and approval.

    “Only after a successful conclusion of the negotiation and due diligence stage will the FBC and all other approvals be presented before the Federal Executive Council for final approval by the Federal Government,” he said.

    Sirika urged all participants who had responded to RFP to continue referring to the NACP website — www.nacp.aviation.gov.ng, where all updates and relevant documentation, including updated FAQs, could be found.

  • ASUU/FG Faceoff: NANS threatens shutdown of major airports

    ASUU/FG Faceoff: NANS threatens shutdown of major airports

    The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Zone D, on Monday threatened to shutdown major airports if the face-off between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Federal Government continued.

    NANS South West Zone Coordinator, Mr Adegboye Olatunji, made this known in Abuja on Monday, at a protest to All Progressive Congress (APC) Secretariat in solidarity with Gov. Dapo Abiodun of Ogun to run for second term.

    Olatunji said that it was time both parties came together to resolve the issues leading to the strike as students were at the receiving end.

    “We are planning to block government organisations that generate money for them if the ASUU issue is not resolved.

    “We have been protesting on this issue by occupying major roads in the South West but we believe if we ground airports, the government will do something about the strike,” he said.

    Olantunji said that the student body had dissociated itself from Abiodun’s prosecution and disqualification from contesting 2023 elections.

    He said Abiodun’s education policy remained enviable in the South West region because his coming on board had helped in the resuscitation of some tertiary institutions in the state.

    “Their call for prosecution and disqualification of Gov. Abiodun from running for second time in office through their petition to the EFCC copied to the National Chairman of the APC is nothing but ruse that cannot stand the test of time.

    “We wish to advise them and their sponsors of this unwarranted political venture to follow the right channels through legal means to prove their allegations as their claims are nothing but figment of imagination.

    “As students’ leaders from South West, we can state unequivocally that the way and manner Abiodun is conducting the affairs of Ogun has hitherto improved the standard of living of all residents in the State.

    “And of great concern to us as students is the improvement in the standard of education in Ogun State. His adherence to rule of law in managing the affairs of the state is highly remarkable to us as young people,” he said.

    Olatunji, however, said that the student body passed a vote of confidence on the governor for his commitment and sacrifices toward education development in the state.

    Also speaking on the alleged N80 billion fraud by the Accountant-General of the Federation, Mr Ahmed Idris, NANS Joint Campus Committee (JCC) Chairman, Mr Damilola Kehinde said the alleged fraud was a slap on the integrity of the country when students were at home due to the ASUU strike.

    Kehinde said that the educational sector was suffering as the country was not able to implement the UN recommendation of 26 per cent budget on education.

    “We have been at the forefront of the ASUU struggle ever since it commenced, we have shut down most of the federal roads in south west agitating that the Federal Government listen to the plight of ASUU.

    “We have not kept our sword in fighting for the lecturers and the generality of the students.

    “If government officials or politicians can upgrade themselves every three months spending billions of naira for wardrobe allowances, I don’t think it is wrong to also equip our academics.

    “What ASUU is clamouring for is not up to what a single person is embezzling. I think it is high time government has to rise by using some of these persons as deterrent to others,” he said.

    Inscription such as ‘Moving Ogun Forward’, we need Dapo Abiodun, Dapo Abiodun, a silent achiever, Dapo Abiodun, the people’s choice’, among others were written on the placard during the protest.

  • FAAN bans 2 immigration officers from airports nationwide

    FAAN bans 2 immigration officers from airports nationwide

    The Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN ) has banned two officials of Nigeria Immigration Service from operating in any of the nation’s airports for extorting N8000 from a passenger at Lagos airport.

    The Spokesperson of FAAN, Mrs Faithful Hope-Ivbaze, said in a statement on Friday in Lagos that the two immigration officials were banned from the airports after confirming the extortion at the Muritala Muhammad International Airport (MMIA).

    Hope – Ivbaze said that a team of FAAN Aviation Security officers were commissioned to investigate the allegation, following a tweeted allegation on Feb. 19, 2022 by the mother of a 14-year old girl travelling on Lufthansa Airline that the two immigration officials extorted N8000 from her daughter.

    “Upon investigation, they found the allegation to be true, as the officers involved were identified with the help of footages on our CCTV facility, and the cooperation from the Nigerian Immigration Service.

    She said that the officers were made to refund the exact amount collected from the passenger.

    Hope-ivbaze added that the officers’ On Duty Cards were also withdrawn permanently, and they have been banned from working in any Nigerian airport to serve as deterrent to others.

    She commended the mother of the child, who has confirmed receipt of the money and for deeming it fit to escalate the case.

    Hope-ivbaze also commended the mother for assisting FAAN tremendously in the course of the investigation.

    She expressed appreciation to the Comptroller of Immigration at the MMIA and her team for her cooperation and support in addressing this issue.

    The FAAN Spokesperson said that the Authority would continue to identify and sanction any airport official (including FAAN officials) found to be extorting passengers or perpetuating any act of illegality at our airports.

  • Ukraine deploys air defence near kiev, kharkiv, cherkasy airports

    Ukraine deploys air defence near kiev, kharkiv, cherkasy airports

    The Ukrainian Armed Forces has deployed air defence units near the Kiev, Kharkiv, and Cherkasy, Eduard Basurin, International Airports, the spokesman for the forces of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), said on Tuesday.

    “Our intelligence has recorded the movement of columns of units of Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile regiments armed with S-300 and BUK-M1 complexes, which took up starting positions near the international airports of the cities of Kiev, Kharkiv and Cherkasy.

    “We do not rule out a planned provocation against passenger planes,’’ Basurin told reporters.

    The DPR forces also recorded the movement of tanks and BM-21 Grad rocket launchers by the Ukrainian militants near Mariupol city in the south of the Kiev-controlled part of the Donetsk region, he added.

    “The movement of eight tanks and five BM-21 Grad is recorded from the ground in the Hurzuf area to the Mariupol area, from where rocket artillery can perform firing tasks on the territory of the DPR,’’ the spokesman explained.

  • COVID-19: Funny bone berates absence of testing facilities at Nigerian airports

    COVID-19: Funny bone berates absence of testing facilities at Nigerian airports

    Popular comedian, Stanley Chibuna, popularly known as Funny Bone, on Monday criticized the absence of COVID-19 testing facilities at Nigerian airports.

    The entertainer took to his Instagram page, comparing Nigeria with Ghana, as regards each country’s reaction to COVID-19.

    He wrote, “Ghana had their borders secured right from day one. You need a negative COVID-19 test to fly to Accra and upon your arrival, you will be tested again before you are allowed entry.

    “Now this is small Ghana. But our airports both Abuja and Lagos don’t have the facilities to test you at the airports upon arrival despite the billions allocated for COVID-19. Please who are we fooling? Red list is our potion.”

    He added, “Meanwhile, most persons in Lagos now are either down with cough, catarrh or sore throat plus fever and body weakness. Have you caught the bug yet?”

    TheNewsGuru recalls that United Kingdom has earlier placed Nigeria on a red list following the outbreak of the COVID-19 omicron variant.

    Days back, Former Big Brother Naija Shine Ya Eye housemate, Maria Chike, revealed that she has been tested positive for COVID-19.

    She made this announcement via her Instagram page where she also appreciated her fans for showing concern about her well-being.

     

     

  • ONSA clears air on notice of attacks to airports nationwide

    ONSA clears air on notice of attacks to airports nationwide

    The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) on Thursday assured members of the public that there is no threat to the nation’s airports.

    It said it only sent an advisory to security agencies to liaise with airport management to upgrade existing security measures at the nation’s airports.

    ONSA described the advisory as a “routine threat assessment” to ensure the preparedness of all relevant agencies.

    The clarifications were made in a statement by the Head of Strategic Communication in the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Mr. Z.M. Usman.

    The leakage of the advisory to all security agencies on Thursday caused panic in all airports among aviation workers and air travellers.

    But ONSA reassured the public and all aviation stakeholders of the safety of the nation’s airports.

    The statement said: “The attention of the Office of the National Security Adviser has been drawn to reports of a threat to the nation’s airports from an internal government correspondence.

    “The correspondence was a routine threat assessment to ensure the preparedness of agencies and not meant for public dissemination.

    “In the period covered by the correspondence, threat analysis identified the need to advise airports’ management nationwide to upgrade existing security measures around the nation’s airports.

    “Regrettably, the unauthorised release of this advisory is likely to raise fear among airport users home and abroad.

    “Accordingly, this statement is issued to reassure the public and all aviation stakeholders of the safety of our airports.

    “The security and intelligence services will continue to monitor security threats and provide the assessment and timely advice required by airports’ management to continuously upgrade security measures in the airports.”

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) had earlier received an alert from the Ministry of Aviation over planned attacks on airports in the country.

    These airports are those in Kaduna, Maiduguri, Sokoto, Kano, Abuja and Lagos State.

    The report of the threat was contained in a memo signed by FAAN’s Deputy General Manager of Administration and Logistics, S.M. Mamman, and addressed to airport chiefs of security.

  • FG again alerts FAAN of planned attacks on six airports

    FG again alerts FAAN of planned attacks on six airports

    The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has confirmed the receipt of an alert from the Ministry of Aviation over planned attacks on airports in the country.

    These airports are those in Kaduna, Maiduguri, Sokoto, Kano, Abuja and Lagos State.

    The report of the threat was contained in a memo signed by FAAN’s Deputy General Manager of Administration and Logistics, S.M. Mamman, and addressed to airport chiefs of security.

    The memo was dated April 9, 2021, and airports on the list are those in Kaduna, Maiduguri, Sokoto, Kano, Abuja, and Lagos.

    “I am directed to convey an alert from the Ministry of Aviation regarding security threats by criminal elements against airports in Nigeria and to also request for the immediate enumeration of necessary countermeasures for the protection of all airports/facilities under your purview.

    “Specifically, the airports top on the list for which criminals are considering carrying out attacks include those in Kaduna, Maiduguri, Sokoto, Kano, Abuja, and Lagos among others. However, all airports are hereby alerted and requested to operate at a heightened threat level,” the memo read.

    The airport chiefs have been directed to “submit a list of existing and additional countermeasures to address the threats, along with their cost implications where applicable.”

    Also, they are expected to urgently convene an emergency meeting of airport security committees “to review the status of airport security, jointly recommend appropriate measures and share responsibility for effective implementation.”