Category: Aviation

Re: Air Peace responds to “Weight Restriction Issues”

Air Peace, West Africa’s leading airline has responded to the publication on thenigerialawyer.com over the claims of “weight restriction issues”. The statement signed by the management of the airline is reproduced below-

“The attention of Air Peace has been drawn to a story published on thenigerialawyer.com which calls into question the safety of our aircraft. The online report attributed statements to a lawyer who boarded Air Peace flight P47121 on November 6, 2020, Abuja-Lagos at 8:45am.

The lawyer alleged that the luggage of some of the passengers were not carried due to ‘weight restriction issues’. We are stating categorically that all our aircraft are safe and airworthy, and it is a globally accepted fact that every aircraft has a weight limit.

For the flight in question, we did not carry all the luggage because the aircraft had reached its maximum weight capacity. It would have been unsafe and dangerous to do otherwise. We did the right thing- a safety measure that is known worldwide. Airlines, all over the world, drop bags to avoid being overweight. So how does this translate to being unsafe?

Members of the public are urged to disregard the publication as it is the handiwork of mischief-makers who are bent on discrediting a Nigerian airline committed to providing safe, best-in-class and affordable air travel for Nigerians and the flying public.”

November 8, 2020
Emirates resumes daily flight to Lagos

Emirates has announced an increase to its four times a week service to Lagos to a daily flight from 1 November. The expanded schedule of daily services offers enhanced
connectivity for Nigerian customers to Emirates’ growing destination network via Dubai of close to 100 destinations.

Emirates operates its modern Boeing 777-300ERs between Lagos and Dubai. EK 783 departs Dubai at 10:30, arriving in Lagos at 15:40. The return flight, EK 784, departs Lagos at 18:10, arriving in Dubai at 04:15 the next day.

Customers can stop over or travel to Dubai as the city has re-opened for international business and leisure visitors. Dubai is one of the world’s first cities to obtain Safe Travels stamp from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) – which endorses Dubai’s comprehensive and effective measures to ensure guest health and safety. To ensure the safety of travelers, visitors, and the community, COVID-19 PCR tests taken within 96 hours of travel are mandatory for passengers arriving to Dubai (and the UAE).

Nigerian travelers can now travel with confidence thanks to the free cover on COVID-19 related medical expenses should they be diagnosed with COVID-19 during their travel while they are away from home. This cover is immediately effective for customers flying on Emirates until 31 December 2020 and is valid for 31 days from the moment they fly the first sector of their journey. This means Emirates customers can continue to benefit from the added assurance of this cover, even if they travel onwards to another city after arriving at their Emirates
destination.

The free, global cover for COVID-19 related costs is further complemented by the comprehensive set of measures that Emirates has put in place at every step of the customer journey to ensure the safety of its customers and employees on the ground and in the air, including the distribution of complimentary hygiene kits containing masks, gloves, hand sanitiser and antibacterial wipes to all customers.

Emirates has also revised its booking policies to offer customers more flexibility and confidence to plan their travel. Customers whose travel plans are disrupted by COVID-19 related flight or travel restrictions, can simply hold on to their ticket which will be valid for 24 months and rebook to fly at a later time; request travel vouchers to offset against future Emirates purchases, or request refunds via an online form on Emirates’ website or via their travel booking agent.

November 5, 2020
Air Peace Receives Another ERJ-145 from C-check

The Management of Air Peace has announced the arrival of another ERJ-145 which has undergone C-Check. The aircraft, with registration number 5N-BVD, arrived Lagos last night.

Most of the aircraft were out on C-Check during the COVID-19 pandemic, but they have started arriving one after the other.

It can be recalled that just a couple of weeks ago, the airline received a new acquisition bringing its current Embraer 145 fleet to 8. By next week, two more aircraft from C-Check will be arriving in Nigeria

November 4, 2020
Reps halt concession of airports

The House of Representatives has directed the federal government to suspend plans to concession four international airports in the country, pending the resolution of all contentious issues.

The chairman, House Committee on Aviation, Nnolim Nnaji, gave the directive, on Monday, at a meeting between the committee and officials of the Federal Ministry of Aviation.

Nnaji said a halt in the planned concession is imperative, so as to avoid an industrial dispute in the aviation sector, which would not be in the overall interest of the country.

The lawmaker, who stated that the committee has received several petitions for and against the concession, said efforts by the parliament to interface with the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, and agencies under him, on the issue, have not been successful, as they have failed to attend all the meetings.

“You will recall that in September or thereabout, this committee had interactions with the representatives of the labour unions in this matter. During the meeting, which was sequel to our earlier intervention over the unions’ strike action against the concession, a lot of concerns were raised by the representatives of the labour unions regarding the airports concession.

Among the concerns were the lack of transparency in the exercise, labour issues, the Chinese loans, the legal issues that mat arise from the existing concessions and the lack of proper valuation of the present status of the affected airports among others,” he stated.

November 2, 2020
COVID-19: Emirates SkyCargo to set up the world’s largest GDP compliant air cargo hub in Dubai for global distribution of COVID-19 vaccine

• Emirates SkyCentral DWC in Dubai South to be operated as a dedicated anchor hub for COVID-19 vaccine distribution
• Air cargo carrier has also set up a dedicated rapid response team to handle requests for vaccine transport

Emirates SkyCargo is stepping up its readiness to handle the logistical complexities of distributing a potential COVID-19 vaccine globally by creating the world’s first dedicated airside cargo hub for the vaccine in Dubai. The air cargo carrier is taking a global leadership position by announcing that it will be re-opening its Emirates SkyCentral DWC cargo terminal in Dubai South to serve as a dedicated anchor hub for cold chain storage and distribution of the vaccine.

Watch a video about Emirates SkyCargo setting up the world’s largest GDP compliant airside hub for COVID-19 vaccine distribution.

The freight division of Emirates has also set up a dedicated rapid response team to coordinate requests from the various partners involved in the international vaccine distribution ecosystem and to streamline the carrier’s response to vaccine transportation requests.

HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Emirates Chairman and Chief Executive said: “Dubai is well positioned to serve as a gateway and distribution hub for COVID-19 vaccines to the rest of the world. We have the infrastructure and logistics connections, and a geographic location that puts markets representing more than two-thirds of the world’s population within an 8-hour flying radius. Over the years, through our continuous investment in capabilities and processes for the transport of temperature sensitive pharmaceuticals, Emirates SkyCargo has managed to position Dubai amongst major global pharmaceutical customers as the year-round preferred point of transit for their valuable cargo. Setting up a dedicated airside hub for COVID-19 vaccines is a keystone project harnessing our network, reach and competencies to positively impact the lives of people around the world.”

World’s first dedicated airside hub for COVID-19 vaccine

Emirates SkyCargo’s vaccine hub in Dubai South will be the largest dedicated airside facility in the world for COVID-19 vaccines. The Dubai hub will allow the air cargo carrier to fly in vaccines from manufacturing sites globally, store and prepare shipments for regional and global distribution.

Emirates SkyCentral DWC has over 4,000 square metres of temperature controlled GDP certified dedicated pharma storage area allowing for large scale storage and distribution of the potential COVID-19 vaccines. Overall, it is estimated that the facility can hold around 10 million vials of vaccine at a 2-8 degrees Celsius temperature range at any one point of time.

The state of the art infrastructure at Emirates SkyCentral DWC is also complemented by one of the world’s largest fleet of Cool Dollys helping protect temperature sensitive cargo during transit between the aircraft and cargo terminal. Additionally, the availability of a large number of temperature controlled trucking docks and the proximity of the terminal to the aircraft parking gates will ensure rapid and efficient clearance of cargo for further distribution.

In addition to cold storage, Emirates SkyCargo will also offer dedicated zones for value-added services such as re-icing and repackaging of vaccines for global distribution for its customers.

The extensive size of the facility, which can potentially handle millions of vaccine doses, along with the creation of a dedicated team to handle and execute requests will allow Emirates SkyCargo to be able to effectively handle the large volume of time critical requests for cross-border vaccine movement that will follow the successful introduction of a vaccine.

Through a combination of scheduled and charter flights, the cargo carrier will then be able to fly the vaccines to markets where they will be most needed.

Emirates’ pharma transportation capabilities

Emirates SkyCargo is harnessing decades of experience gained from transporting temperature controlled pharmaceutical products and vaccines for global manufacturers to develop innovative solutions that will meet the challenge of distributing a potential COVID-19 vaccine globally within a short timeframe.

Since 2016, the air cargo carrier has invested substantially in its capabilities for the transportation of temperature sensitive pharmaceuticals. This included the introduction of a specialised product – Emirates Pharma – and the development of dedicated GDP certified ‘fit for purpose’ infrastructure pharma both at Dubai as well as at major origin and destination points under its pharma corridors programme that currently covers more than 30 cities. Emirates SkyCargo has moved more than a quarter million tonnes of pharmaceutical cargo in the last four years.

With its fleet of modern and efficient all wide-body aircraft and a network that currently spans more than 130 destinations across six continents, combined with the strategic geographic location of its Dubai hub, Emirates SkyCargo will be able to rapidly move vaccine shipments from manufacturing sites to the vaccine hub and then onwards to the rest of the world on a combination of scheduled and passenger flights.

Over the last few months, however, Emirates SkyCargo has worked on restoring its worldwide network and cargo connectivity with flight services restored to 75 destinations by May, 100 by July and nearly 135 destinations by early October. Emirates SkyCargo’s network covers all major pharmaceutical clusters and manufacturing locations, facilitating the eventual transportation of the COVID-19 vaccine once manufacturing commences.

October 30, 2020
Emirates launches integrated biometric path at the airport for added convenience

• The contactless airport experience reduces human interaction, putting emphasis on health and safety
• Emirates launches integrated biometric path at the airport for added convenience

As part of Emirates’ commitment to continuous innovation and an unmatched customer experience, the airline has launched an integrated biometric path at Dubai International airport (DXB). The contactless airport experience is now open to Emirates passengers travelling from and through Dubai.

The integrated biometric path will give passengers a seamless travel journey from specific check-in to boarding gates, improving customer flow through the airport with less document checks and less queuing. Utilizing the latest biometric technology – a mix of facial and iris recognition, Emirates passengers can now check in for their flight, complete immigration formalities, enter the Emirates Lounge, and board their flights, simply by strolling through the airport. The various touchpoints in the Biometric path allow for a hygienic contactless travel journey, reducing human interaction and putting emphasis on health and safety.

Adel Al Redha, Emirates’ Chief Operating Officer said: “We have always focused on providing a great customer experience at any touchpoint and now it is more vital than before to make use of technology and implement products, and introduce processes that focuses not only on fast tracking customers, but more importantly on health and safety during their travel journey. The state-of-the-art, contactless biometric path is the latest in a series of initiatives we have introduced to make sure that travelling on Emirates is a seamless journey and gives customers added peace of mind.”

The biometric touchpoints are currently installed at select First, Business and Economy Class check-in desks in Terminal 3 at DXB; immigration gates including a “smart tunnel”; Emirates’ premium lounge entrance at concourse B as well select boarding gates. Areas where biometric equipment are installed will be clearly marked and additional units will be installed at each touchpoint in the future.

The Smart Tunnel, a project by the General Directorate of Residence and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA) in collaboration with Emirates, is a world-first for passport control, where passengers simply walk through a tunnel and are “cleared” by immigration authorities without human intervention or the need for a physical passport stamp.

Emirates is also the first airline outside America to receive approval for biometric boarding from the U.S. Customs Border Protection (CBP). Customers flying from Dubai to Emirates’ destinations in the U.S. will be able to choose facial recognition technology at the departure gates.

The biometric path is the latest in a host of initiatives by Emirates to provide a smart contactless journey. In the last month, the airline has introduced other services including self-check-in and bag drop kiosks at DXB for a smoother airport experience.

Emirates’ booking policies offer customers flexibility and confidence to plan their travel. Customers who purchase an Emirates ticket for travel on or before 31 March 2021, can enjoy generous rebooking terms and options, if they have to change their travel plans. Customers have options to change their travel dates, extend their ticket validity for 2 years, or convert their ticket into a travel voucher to use against any future flight-related purchase for themselves or their family and friends.

Customers can now travel with confidence, as Emirates has committed to cover COVID-19 related medical expenses, free of cost, should they be diagnosed with COVID-19 during their travel while they are away from home. This cover is immediately effective for customers flying on Emirates until 31 December 2020, and is valid for 31 days from the moment they fly the first sector of their journey. This means Emirates customers can continue to benefit from the added assurance of this cover, even if they travel onwards to another city after arriving at their Emirates destination. For more details: www.emirates.com/COVID19assistance.

Emirates has implemented a comprehensive set of measures at every step of the customer journey to ensure the safety of its customers and employees on the ground and in the air, including the distribution of complimentary hygiene kits containing masks, gloves, hand sanitizer and antibacterial wipes to all customers. For more information on these measures and the services available on each flight, visit: www.emirates.com/yoursafety.

Tourist entry requirements: For more information on entry requirements for international visitors to Dubai visit: www.emirates.com/flytoDubai.

Dubai residents can check the latest travel requirements at: www.emirates.com/returntoDubai.

October 30, 2020
African travellers to relish A380 to Jordan through Dubai

African travellers, including Nigerians, have now got the opportunity to travel from Africa through Dubai to Jordan as Emirates will be providing more options and choices for its customers with the introduction of scheduled Airbus A380 services to Amman as part of its expanded schedule of 10 weekly services.

The expanded flight schedule between Dubai and Amman demonstrates the airline’s commitment to safely connect customers to and through Dubai to
Africa, America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. Emirates continues to gradually deploy the A380 in line with increased passenger demand.

The iconic A380 will begin serving travellers to and from Amman from 4 November. The airline currently operates the A380 to Cairo, Paris, London Heathrow, Guangzhou and Moscow.

The Emirates A380 experience is sought after amongst travellers for its spacious and comfortable cabins and the airline will continue to expand uts deployment in line with the gradual return in demand and operational approvals.

Emirates reintroduced its signature products and services on the A380, including the iconic A380 Onboard Lounge and Shower Spa, balancing an elevated customer experience during the pandemic with measures that prioritize the health and wellbeing of passengers.

Customers can fly the Emirates A380 from Dubai to Amman three times a week on Wednesdays, Thursday and Fridays. Emirates flight EK 903 will depart Dubai at 14:05 and arrive in Amman at 15:30 local time. The return flight, EK 904 will depart Amman at 17:10 and arrive in Dubai at 22:00 local time.

The expanded schedule also includes flights EK 905 and EK 906. Emirates flight EK 905 will depart Dubai at 22:15 and arrive in Amman at 23:40 local time. The return flight, EK 906 will depart Amman at 01:45 and arrive in Dubai at 06:40 local time.

Timings have been scheduled to facilitate more effective onward connections to destinations in the United States such as well as vital connections to European points popular with Jordanian travellers.

October 29, 2020
FAAN seals counters of Abuja based domestic airlines

over outstanding debts, passengers stranded

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria FAAN has sealed off some airline counters in Abuja over debts owed by these airlines. This development left many passengers stranded at the Nnamdi Azikiwe international airport, NAIA, Abuja today.

Passengers on Azman air to Maiduguri and other places could not buy tickets or even board their flights as staff of the airlines could not complete ticket and boarding formalities as the FAAN task force sealed off the counters.Also affected are aero contractors passengers and many others.

The counters were sealed according to investigation because the airlines were unwilling to offset their debts despite several entreaties. Some of the domestic airlines are said to be owing FAAN millions from last year and before the covid19 came onboard.

Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu who confirmed the development said, it was FAAN revenue drive in NAIA. Commenting on the development, stakeholders say they are unhappy with the treatment melted on the passengers as they had to suffer for the failure of the airlines to do the needful.

One of the stakeholders says, “The passengers were stranded because the airlines failed to pay bills which the customers had already provided funds for.” They also say, the untold hardship suffered by passengers would have been avoided if the airlines had remitted what they collected in behalf of FAAN back to them, adding that FAAN should not be blamed for their action.

“We have joined to condemn FAAN on occasions of poor service delivery, we should also call out debtor airlines who owe FAAN and not allowing it earn in other to perform its duties. FAAN should just any legal means to collect its monies. Some airlines are chronic debtors. If everybody does their part we will have a functional sector.”

“Not paying your bills when you have received the funds should not be encouraged either. Much stiffer sanctions could have been applied.” Another stakeholders however blamed this never ending problem of outstanding debts on the attitude of FAAN Management whom he believes are not proactive in dealing with such issues.

“The problem with our FAAN over the years has been its lackadaisical attitude to revenue collection. Sometimes, it is either the other company claims irregular billing or inaccurate billing or irreconcilable differences in their billing system. FAAN has also failed as much as it had tried to engender Automation in billing and payment system. We have advocated some safety measures severally, but same system. The worst part is the diversion of same funds to private pockets.”

October 27, 2020
Air Peace expands commercial flights into South Africa

Reputed for its trailblazing footprints, foremost Nigerian airline and West Africa’s largest carrier, Air Peace, has announced that it will be commencing regular commercial flight operations from its Lagos hub into the city of Johannesburg, South Africa, soon, in keeping with its vision to provide seamless connectivity across cities.

The airline says it has made huge progress in meeting the stipulated requirements of the aviation authorities in both South Africa and Nigeria to enable it launch flight operations into the country before the year runs out. In a press release issued by the Spokesperson of Air Peace, Stanley Olisa, the airline hinted that South Africa is one of the destinations which the Federal Government had designated Air Peace to operate into, adding that Lagos-Johannesburg-Lagos will be operated thrice a week.

Olisa stated that South Africa has always been on the radar of Air Peace as the airline is constantly reviewing its route network and looking at strategic ways of expanding it to provide immense value to Nigerians first, and other Africans. He added that this focused route planning and expansion is driven by the airline’s ‘no-city-left-behind’ initiative, an ambition to interconnect various cities through the provision of safe, comfortable, and cost-effective flights.

Reiterating the commitment of the airline to continuously add more connections to its route network, Olisa noted that apart from South Africa, Air Peace has also been designated to operate commercial flights into Mumbai, London, Guangzhou-China, Houston, with other destinations still in the works. “We shall continue to strategically increase existing connections to give our customers more network options while also creating more employment opportunities for Nigerians”, he said.

Air Peace, in a historic feat, had kicked off international flight operations with United Arab Emirates in July 2019 and has consistently shown vibrancy and reliability by operating several evacuation flights to and from China, United Kingdom, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Israel, India and Turkey during the COVID-19 lockdown as well as the free airlift of 503 Nigerians from South Africa amidst the xenophobic onslaught last year.

October 26, 2020
Air Peace releases Curfew Flight Advisory

Air Peace, Nigeria’s leading airline, has released the curfew flight Advisory for her teeming travellers ok the domestic routes.

The statement reads, “We wish to notify the flying public that following the easing of the curfew by the Lagos State Government, we shall resume flight operations from our Lagos hub on Saturday, October 24, 2020.

Flights will operate between 8am and 6pm as this is the time frame announced by the state government. However, we shall not be operating flights into Owerri, Asaba and Enugu as curfew still subsists in these cities.

Our esteemed customers whose flights have been disrupted by the curfew can send a mail to us via callcenter@flyairpeace.com for a possible reschedule.”

October 24, 2020
Air Peace takes delivery of another ERJ-145 aircraft

…set to receive 2 brand new E195-E2s

Nigeria’s leading carrier, Air Peace, has taken delivery of a new ERJ-145 aircraft to help boost its domestic and regional operations. The aircraft, with registration number 5N-BXF, arrived the Murtala Muhammed International Airport at about 20:00hrs on Saturday, October 10, 2020.

Disclosing this to Newsmen, Spokesperson of the airline, Stanley Olisa, said the new arrival is a 50-seater aircraft. He stated, “We are very glad to announce the arrival of our eighth Embraer 145 Jet, another addition to the fleet of our subsidiary, Air Peace Hopper”.

Olisa reiterated the airline’s commitment to ease the burden of travel in Nigeria and beyond. Air Peace now boasts of 26 aircraft in its fleet. ”We’re also gearing up to receive two brand new 124-seat capacity Embraer 195-E2 Jets this October, the first set of the 13 we had ordered, with purchase rights for 17 more”, he added.

Olisa affirmed Air Peace’s ambition to interconnect various cities in the country and added that the flying public should expect more domestic and international routes to be launched, like Johannesburg, London, Houston, Guangzhou, Mumbai and other planned destinations.

October 11, 2020
Unions issue 7 day ultimatum over unpaid salaries, non-remittance, others to FAAN Mgt

Three unions in the aviation industry are set for a showdown with the Management of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) over the non payment of outstanding workers’ salaries, allowances, grants and claims.

To this end, the unions, Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP) have given the Management of FAAN 7 days to pay to avoid workers strike.

This was contained in a letter dated 7th October, 2020 to the Managing Director, FAAN Captain Rabiu Yadudu.

The letter signed by Comrade Aba Ocheme, NUATE, Comrade Frances Akinjole, ATSSSAN, and Comrade Abdul Razaq Saidu, ANAP say, the continue unilateral actions by the management of FAAN, in the increasing delays and staggering of salary payments which have become unbearable, adding that the unions have decided the situation can no longer be tolerated, due to uncontrollable damage to workers and the smooth operations of FAAN.

The letter read, “Accordingly, management is hereby notified that if within seven days from the date of the notice, all shortfalls in salary payments are not fully rectified and settled, our unions will commence an indefinite industrial action against the authority”.

The unions says FAAN Management must expedite action to pay the, “full outstanding salaries, full remittances of all outstanding cooperatives, contributive pensions, tax, deductions; full payment of all outstanding allowances, grants, claims.”

October 8, 2020
FG: Foreign airlines capacity increased to 200 paxs per aircraft effective Oct. 2

Foreign airlines approved to operate into the country will be smiling to the banks with more sales of tickets as the Federal Government has increased available seats to 200 passengers per aircraft operating into Lagos and Abuja.

25, 200 seats per week is now available to foreign carrier to sell.

The Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Capt. Musa Nuhu communicated the approved capacity increase to ‘All Foreign Airline Operators Flying Into Nigeria’ through the Air Operators Letter (AOL) dated October 2, 2020 which is also the effective date of the updated flight schedule.

“Following the partial resumption of international flights approved by the Presidential Task Force (PTF) and subsequent request for additional flight frequencies by airlines updated flight schedule is given.”

The Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos with the new update is to see on the average, 2,200 passengers daily while the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, to witness averagely, 1,400 passengers on daily basis.

Captain Nuhu encouraged the operators to follow guided health protocols, “You shall ensure that all flights operations are conducted in compliance with Covid-19 Health protocols as issued by Aeronautical and Public Health Authorities.”

British Airways, Middle East Airlines , Turkish Airlines, Kenya Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Qatar Airways, RwandAir, Africa World Airlines, Asky, Air Cote d’Ivoire, Delta Airlines and Egypt Air are the currently approved carriers to operate into the country.

October 4, 2020
FG, UAE reach agreement to end ban on Emirates Airlines

The Federal Government has agreed to lift the ban placed on Emirates Airlines from operating into and out of the country based on the undertaking by the authorities of the United Arabs Emirates (UAE).

In a statement by the Director press in the Ministry of Aviation, James Odaudu, the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika says the commencement of the airline’s operations will however depend on the commencement of visa issuance by the UAE.

According to the statement “UAE has written to state that they agree to issue visas to Nigerians, consequently decision has been reached to allow Emirates to fly into Nigeria. Commencement of the Visa issuance is condition precedent. Please bear with this unusual situation.”

The Minister appreciates the understanding of everyone who has been negatively affected by the recent policy decisions which forbade some airlines from operating into the country when Nigeria reopened its air space to international flights”. it adds.

The decisions, he said were taken to protect the interests of the nation and its citizens who deserve to be treated with respect and dignity, same Nigeria treats other nationals.

Emirates Airlines was initially given approval to operate into the country, an approval which was withdrawn following the inability of Nigerians to obtain/use valid tourist visas to enter the UAE.

September 30, 2020
Database: NCAA to capture all obstructions to flight safety in the country

Not leaving any stone unturned in ensuring that safety of aircraft in the country is guaranteed, the Director General, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, Capt. Musa Nuhu says, the authority has kick started the building of a database system to capture all obstruction to flight safety in the country.

The database tagged the electronic terrain and obstacle database, if successfully achieved will kick start the operation of helicopter at night in the country.

Speaking at the gateway forum of the League of Airports and Aviation Correspondents, LAAC via zoom, Capt. Nuhu said it is part of their statutory responsibility to identify obstructions within and around the airports to ensure flight safety.

He noted that in the past all kinds of masts were erected within and around the airports constituting obstruction without clearance from the NCAA but has however directed those involved to obtain clearance height certificate before mounting their masts, adding that talks are on with telecommunications companies as regards payments for the clearance.

“Height clearance is a regulatory function of the NCAA which is in our regulations that has been signed and passed by the government, we are dealing with all the communication companies, we are in contacts and deliberations with them, some of them have made part payment and we are working toward getting the remaining payment.
He added, ” we are not using it to rake in money, it is base on cost recovery.”

Director, Aerodromes and Airspace Standards, DAAS, Engr. Mohammed Odunowo stressed that these masts have constituted a lot of safety hazard for them and are trying to do a better job to prevent accident by these oversight.
“If we can implement it (the electronic terrain and obstacle data base) and go live, that will enable with the help of the federal government helicopter to fly at night, we are trying to capture all the obstruction that is out there because everybody flies.”

September 22, 2020