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Tag: Aviation

  • Air Peace unsettled by Hadi Sirika’s revelation, says ex-Aviation Minister is a liar

    Air Peace unsettled by Hadi Sirika’s revelation, says ex-Aviation Minister is a liar

    The management of Air Peace has implored the general public to disregard claims made against the Airline by the immediate-past Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, in his interview on Arise TV.

    Sirika on Sunday , during an Interview with Arise News, while praising Ethiopian Airline, said Air Peace leased ‘two’ Boeing 777 aircraft on a monthly lease fee of $250,000, parked the aircraft for several months and incurred losses of $19 million while all the aircraft engines and landing gears became due for replacement when the airline was ready to fly.

    The former minister also claimed that Air Peace stopped flying to Dubai because it lacks capacity.

    However, in a swift response, Air Peace, in a statement by its Chief Operating Officer, Toyin Olajide, described Sirika’s claim as a blatant, stark lie.

    Olajide said Air Peace never stopped the Dubai operations because of lack of capacity.

    “This is a blatant lie as we have three and not two Boeing 777 aircraft, which were never leased or rented but were purchased outrightly by the airline.

    “Air Peace never incurred such a loss, we never paid rentals contrary to his lies. The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) can attest to the purchase and ownership of the Aircraft by Air Peace.”

    She explained that Air Peace commenced operations into the UAE in July 2019, but in October 2022, the UAE Government announced a total visa ban on Nigerians.

    “We watched with dismay the interview granted by former Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika, to Arise TV on Sunday, June 11, 2023, where he made spurious claims about Air Peace, Nigeria’s foremost airline.

    “Air Peace deems it absolutely necessary to debunk these false assertions.

    “Firstly, Sirika, in his bid to denigrate Air Peace while praising Ethiopian Airline, stated that we leased ‘two’ Boeing 777 aircraft on a monthly lease fee of $250,000, parked the aircraft for several months and incurred losses of $19 million while all the aircraft engines and landing gears became due for replacement when we were ready to fly. He went on to ask, “Who does that?”. He stated that Ethiopian Airlines would never do that.

    “This is a blatant lie as we have three and not two Boeing 777 aircraft, which were never leased or rented but were purchased outrightly by the airline.

    “Air Peace never incurred such a loss, we never paid rentals contrary to his lies. The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) can attest to the purchase and ownership of the Aircraft by Air Peace.

    “Secondly, Sirika said the airline stopped flying to Dubai because ‘we lack capacity’. This is another stark lie.

    “Air Peace never stopped the Dubai operations because of lack of capacity. Air Peace commenced operations into the UAE in July 2019, but in October 2022, the UAE Government announced a total visa ban on Nigerians.

    “Neither Emirates nor Air Peace is operating the Nigerian/UAE route since the ban. The persisting non-issuance of visas and the accompanying inconveniences necessitated the suspension of our Dubai operations from November 22, 2022, till date.

    “For the former minister to ascribe the suspension to ‘lack of capacity’ is not only shocking but also shows how keen he is to disparage an airline whose ascendancy has defied all the commercial odds and hostile environment placed on its path to continue to serve our nation proudly.

    “How could an airline that placed a firm order for 13 brand new E2-195 aircraft, a firm order of 15 Boeing 737 Max 8 & Max 10, with over 30 aircraft already in its existing fleet be accused of lacking in capacity?

    “How can an Airline that stood up for the entire nation during the Covid-19 outbreak and embarked on rescue operations worldwide, evacuating Nigerians from far-away China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, India, UK and South Africa during the Covid-19 lockdowns be accused of lacking capacity?

    “We implore the general public to disregard these lies told by the former minister of Aviation against Air Peace during the Arise TV Interview.

    “We take serious exception to a situation where Air Peace is being misrepresented in the public sphere, causing wrong perceptions about our brand.”

     

  • BREAKING: Reps declare Nigeria Air a massive fraud

    BREAKING: Reps declare Nigeria Air a massive fraud

    The House of Representatives has declared Nigeria Air a massive fraud allegedly perpetuated by the former president Muhammadu’s administration.

     

    Reps Committee Chairman on Aviation, Nnolim Nnaji, declared the launch of Nigeria Air a fraud after the major stakeholders in the deal between the Federal Government and Ethiopian Airlines denied knowledge of the launch.

    The Ministry of Aviation claimed Nigeria Air was only unveiled and not launched, which the committee dismissed as an attempt to divert the lawmakers’ attention.

    Members of the committee were shocked when NAMA disclosed that the aircraft bearing Nigerian colours was on a chartered flight to Nigeria.

    Other stakeholders who confirmed the disclosure noted that a chartered flight could be painted in any colour and with any inscriptions.

    Details shortly…

  • Aviation unions condemn concession of Abuja, Kano airports

    Aviation unions condemn concession of Abuja, Kano airports

    Four aviation unions have condemned the concession of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja and the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, to Corporacion American Airports Consortium without due process.

    The unions are: National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP) and Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP).

    The NUATE Secretary General, Mr Ocheme Aba, made this known at a news conference on Thursday in Lagos, with the theme: “Buyer Beware of Purported Concession of Airports”.

    Aba said the unions brought  the situation to the public domain to alert the incoming government to the underlying issues.

    According to him, the unions remain committed to ensuring that the concession is carried out in ways that will ensure unwavering development in the aviation sector.

    “The present exercise falls short acceptable limits and standards of airports concession by global best practices.

    “On the foundation of the concession, the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace has no authority to do so.

    “To begin with, the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace does not own neither does it run any airport in the country.

    “By the dictates of the governing Act of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), ownership and management of all Federal Government airports are fully vested in the authority not the ministry.

    “On the other hand, the Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission (ICRC) procedure document states, with respect to the agency that wishes to concession a facility that the public entity should have enabling authority to transfer its responsibility – enabling legislative and policy framework or an Administrative Order to that effect.

    “By the combined import of the FAAN Act and the ICRC procedures manual, it is evidently manifest that the entire airports concession is based on an incurably faulty foundation,” he said.

    According to him, the labour issues around the concession of airports were not resolved before the airports were concessioned to the American company.

    The union scribe noted that the issues must be resolved before concession could be taken.

    “FAAN workers are not airports-tied in their employments, all employees are considered as a whole unit.

    “Concession of the four major airports away from FAAN will necessarily cause a cessation of the employment of all the staff involuntarily.

    “As FAAN pension liability is unfunded, the federal government’s promise to provide this funding has to be actualised immediately.

    “The pension liability is estimated to be about N120 billion. Before redundancy can be discussed, individual liabilities of staff and pensioners have to be determined through up-to-date actuarial valuation for 2022.”

    Aba said the entirety of the airport concession programme of the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace is facing  legal action by their unions at the National Industrial Court, Lagos Jurisdiction.

    He noted that proceeding with the concession was in contempt of the court.

  • National Assembly wades into aviation workers’ strike

    National Assembly wades into aviation workers’ strike

    The National Assembly Joint Committee on Aviation on Wednesday directed the Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika to halt planned demolition of the offices of aviation agencies in Lagos.

    The directive is contained in a letter to the minister and signed by Clerk, Senate Committee on Aviation, Mrs Franca Mbah and her House of Representatives counterpart, Mr Bassey Edem.

    They stated that the directive was the fallout of the two-day warning strike embarked upon by aviation workers’ unions.

    The joint committee stated that it was working to ensure amicable resolution of the issues in contention.

    It requested the minister to halt the planned demolition of the aviation agencies headquarters and offices in Lagos pending the outcome of the committee’s intervention.

    The committee stated that it was deeply worried by the rampant cases of strike actions by workers in the aviation industry with attendant disruption of flight operations, citizens’ movements, economic paralysis and grave security implications.

    “The strikes have become too many and too frequent to be let low even though the issues in contention are not new.

    “Some have lingered for over eight years with several agreements signed between the unions and the government.

    “These include non-implementation of the consequential adjustment to the national minimum wage by some of the agencies as agreed as at February 2022.

    “They also include non-release of reviewed Conditions of Service by relevant government agencies for upward of a decade.

    “Another issue is continuous threats of demolition of aviation agencies: (FAAN, NCAA and NAMA) headquarters in Lagos without making reasonable provisions for befitting regional offices in Lagos being the nation’s aviation hub,’’ the letter read.

    The committee requested the minister to furnish it with comprehensive details on all issues under contention.

    It also requested to be informed of actions taken by the ministry and its agencies to address the grievances of aviation staff and their unions.

    Aviation workers embarked on a warning strike in Lagos on Monday to demand that the minister halts his planned demolition of their offices to pave way for an Airport City, among other demands.

  • What FG is saying about aviation workers’ strike

    What FG is saying about aviation workers’ strike

    Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika has appealed to aviation workers to end their ongoing strike.

    Sirika’s appeal is contained in a statement issued in Abuja by Mr Odutayo Oluseyi, the Head of Press and Public Affairs in the Ministry.

    According to Sirika, the unions should call off the strike and join hands with the ministry to make Nigeria’s aviation industry a hub in Africa.

    He said the ministry had intensified efforts to meet the demands of the workers, and expressed displeasure at the ongoing warning strike

    According to him, the strike is unnecessary as it will only increase hardship to citizens, affect flight schedules, lead to economic losses, and negatively impact the country’s global rating.

    The minister stated that the grievances prompting the strike by the unions ought not to have led to strike.

    “It should be noted that the planned demolition of certain buildings obstructing the runway is in public interest and an administrative issue that can be sorted in-house.

    “The Unions should have met with management of Agencies for alternative accommodation to all affected offices before going ahead with the strike.

    “On the concession of airports, the Unions are aware of global practices.

    “And for the Aviation industry in Nigeria to be the hub in Africa, concession is the way to go to improve infrastructure and make the nation`s airports economically viable without loss of jobs.”

    On Conditions of Service in some of the agencies, the minister said the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission “is already carrying out assessments and will soon conclude”.

    “The Unions should also note, if they are not already aware, that consequential adjustment of the minimum wage has been finalized and about to be paid any time soon.

    “We have always conveyed this information in several conversations and meetings held with the Unions.

    “The Management of the Ministry of Aviation is open to continuous engagement with the Unions to improve their welfare.

    “However, this can only be done in an atmosphere of peace and mutual respect, “ he said.

    According to him, while appealing to the unions to sheath their sword, the Management will view seriously any behaviour by any union that is likely to lead to breakdown of law and order at the airports.

  • Passengers stranded as aviation unions begin strike

    Passengers stranded as aviation unions begin strike

    Passengers were on Monday stranded in the Murtala Muhammad Airport (MMA) terminal as Aviation Unions began their two-day warning strike.

    Members of the union blocked the entrance of the MMA, leaving passengers stranded.

    Officials of various aviation agencies including owners of businesses and staff within the airport, didn’t have access to their offices.

    NAN correspondent who monitored the airport, noted that flight operations were grounded.

    Also, there was  heavy traffic around the airport and environs due to the strike.

    The passengers were seen trekking dragging their luggage due to the disruption caused by the strike.

    Some passengers lamented the situation, noting that the passengers were at the receiving end of the “crossfire”

    Mr John Thompson, who was visibly angry, expressed his frustration at the situation.

    “Everytime there is an issue and they decide to go on strike, it is the passengers who have absolutely no business in it, that suffers.

    “Like the daily problems in the country are not enough, they are adding theirs and I have nothing to do with it,” he said.

    Another passenger, Miss Tinuke Adeite voiced her frustration at the trend of agencies embarking on strike due to internal disputes.

    “What isn’t my business with the issues they have with the authorities and in all of these, I would miss my flight.

    “There are better ways to resolve issues that destabilizing the economy of the country by going on strike,” she said.

    The unions are demanding the immediate release of the reviewed Condition of Service, implementation of the minimum wage consequential adjustments and arrears for the Nigeria Meteorological Agency, NiMet since 2019

    They also demanded the halt of the planned demolition exercise of aviation’s agency buildings in Lagos by the Minister of Aviation for an airport city project.

    The unions had issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Minister of Aviation and specific aviation parastatals on Feb. 7, over non-implementation of minimum wage consequential adjustments and arrears for the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMet).

    Others are the refusal of the Income & Wages Commission and Office of the Head of Service of the Federation to release the reviewed Condition of Service of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) and Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET).

  • Nigeria Air will fly before May 29 – Hadi Sirika assures

    Nigeria Air will fly before May 29 – Hadi Sirika assures

    The Federal Government has assured that the National Carrier will take to the sky before May 29.

    The Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, gave the assurances during his presentation at the National Aviation Stakeholders Forum 2023, on Thursday in Abuja.

    According to him, the Federal Government is taking all necessary measures to overcome the hurdles introduced by the indigenous airlines that went to court to stop the process.

    The minister, however, said that the Muhammadu Buhari administration had supported local airlines more than all previous governments in the country.

    Sirika said the national carrier would create numerous jobs and better opportunities in the industry when fully established.

    He said that the Nigerian aviation industry was the only one in the world where qualified pilots were without jobs.

    “About 50 pilots have come to me complaining about their unemployment status.  The national carrier should be able to employ more pilots and create other job opportunities.

    “Ethiopian Airlines, the offered bidder for the national carrier is highly competent, and profitable enough to add value to the Nigerian aviation sector, “ he added.

    Sirika said the ministry had focused on investment in airports terminals by the private sector and airside infrastructure in the last couple of years.

    He said that the ministry had supported development of associated services such as aircraft maintenance and airport service providers.

    “By the investment in air navigation systems to provide and improve safe, and enhanced air traffic management services.

    “Support financing of airlines and other aircraft-related investments based on the feasibility, transition gaps and sustainability of such investment.

    “Also, providing an overview of the infrastructural developments and other allied achievements in the Aviation Sector since the inception of President Buhari’s administration, “ he said.

  • BREAKING: Passengers stranded at MMIA as aviation staff embark on strike

    BREAKING: Passengers stranded at MMIA as aviation staff embark on strike

    Aviation handling staff at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport on Monday embarked on a strike, leaving passengers stranded.

    As a result, Qatar Airways made a return to Doha while other airlines dropped passengers without workers to handle the clearance.

    It was gathered that the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc (NAHCO) embarked on the strike over salary increments.

    Serious tension has been reported inside the departure and arrival halls of the MMIA as passengers protest.

    Meanwhile, a source at NAHCO, who asked not to be named, has disclosed that management had met with the staff on Sunday over the strike but assured that the situation will be addressed soon.

     

    Details shortly…

  • Aviation sector complaints third highest in 2022 – FCCPC

    Aviation sector complaints third highest in 2022 – FCCPC

    The Federal Competition, Consumer Protection Commission, (FCCPC) on Sunday said that complaints on Nigeria’s aviation Industry ranked third in the list of those it received in 2022.

    Dr. Adams Abdullahu, Director of Operations, FCCPC, said this in a statement made available to newsmen in Lagos.

    Abdullahu said that complaints on various incidents in the sector account for 674 of the 13,580 received by the commission in 2022.

    He said that the aviation sector complaints came behind those on financial services  — 5,709, and the Electricity and Power sector  — 3,293.

    The drector said that complaints received about the aviation sector were on delays, cancellations, pilfered baggage, lost baggage and airport experience.

    He said complaints were also received on the general condition of the terminals, cooling system and discourteous service, among others.

    Abdullahi said that airlines did not communicate properly with their customers.

    ”Most times, if you explain to passengers what the problem is, they can understand, but operators don’t tell public what is actually going on with their operations.

    “You buy a ticket, sit in the airport for unending hours, you don’t even get any sort of information on the status of your flight and that really angers passengers.

    “If you usually carry them along and tell them, these are the challenges that you are facing, it brings down the tempers and that is always what we encourage our service providers to do and they should do that also”

    The Operations Director noted that the commission was working on a Memorandum of Understanding with the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and all sectors of consumer protection to address the lapses in the sector.

    Meanwhile, he listed other sectors on which fewer complaints were received and the numbers.

    They include Telecommunications, with 605;  E-commerce with 508; Electrical electronics with 415; Food and Beverages with 222; Satellite and Cable services with 122.

    Also listed are, Postal and Courier service with 71; Road transport with 69; Land and Construction with 65; Real estate with 63; Health services with 52: Education with 29, among others.

    He said that 3,327 complaints were resolved out of the total number of complaints that were received by the commission.

    “In the corresponding year, which was 2021, the commission received 10,178 complaints and resolved 1,990

    “Financial services also topped the list with 2,736 complaints followed by electricity/power with 3043, telecommunications with 510, Aviation with 459 and Electrical/Electronic with 502.” he said.

  • Air Peace demands investigation into aircraft damage by ground equipment

    Air Peace demands investigation into aircraft damage by ground equipment

    Air Peace Airline has urged the aviation authorities to look into the ground handling equipment that collided and damaged its aircraft elevator at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos

    Spokesman of Air Peace, Mr. Stanley Olisa, who confirmed the incident in Lagos on Wednesday, said the aircraft was scheduled to transport passengers to Owerri from Lagos.

    Olisa explained that the aircraft was an Airbus A320 aircraft belonging to Air Peace with the registration number: A320 ES-SAZ.

    He said that the incident had led to disruption of scheduled flight operations after one of the ground handling company’s equipment rammed into one of its aircraft.

    Olisa said before the incident occurred, the aircraft was scheduled to transport passengers from Lagos to Owerri for a 7.00 a.m flight.

    He said: “This same aircraft was positioned for about 10 flights on the same day, however, the incident changed all that causing a ripple that affected the airlines schedule.

    “This is the third time in one month that the aircraft is grounded and we don’t know when it will be up again.

    “The NAHCO staff had no reason to be where he was and he was not assigned to the aircraft and how he rammed into our aircraft is still shocking.

    “This is going to cause revenue loss for us as an airline because the aircraft was scheduled to operate several flights today (Wednesday), but could not do so.

    “This has caused flight disruptions and delays hence, the authorities should investigate the incident and take necessary actions.”

    Olisa said the airline had made a formal complaint to NAHCO management on the incident.

    Reacting, the Group Executive Director, Business and Corporate Services (GED), NAHCO, Dr Sola Obabori, also confirmed the incident.

    Obabori said it was not possible for its staff to deliberately and maliciously damage one of its major customer’s aircraft.

    The official said the handling company had filed a report on the incident, adding that the company had commenced an engagement with the airline on the incident.

    “We have a very cordial relationship with the airline and we have been together all these years, we serve them diligently and professionally.

    “Our staff are well-trained, accidents do happen. You will agree with me that aircraft do crash due to human error.

    “In this particular case, the staff was driving on the runway to attend to another flight that arrived before Air Peace.

    “He was driving towards that direction and wanted to support that operation, but he committed an error in terms of processes he was supposed to follow, which he didn’t follow.”

    The official said that was what caused the incident, adding that the staff might had a blind spot, which prevented him from seeing well.

    He, however assured that the company would review what had happened so that such incident would not reoccur.