Tag: IATA

NAMA Commences Implementation of Free Routing Airspace

…as Akinkuotu tasks Airlines to Embrace Technology

The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has commenced the implementation of Free Routing Airspace (FRA) in keeping with its commitment to enhancing airspace efficiency and reducing operational costs to airlines.

Giving this indication at a stakeholders’ sensitization forum which held at Sheraton Lagos Hotel, Ikeja, Managing Director of NAMA, Capt. Fola Akinkuotu said Nigeria had earlier in October 2021 notified the global aviation community of its intent to commence the implementation of the Free Routing Airspace concept in December, 2021.

He said “the journey to the implementation of the Free Routing Airspace in Nigeria started two years ago, following the decision and recommendations of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) AFI (African- Indian Ocean) Region that member states should develop necessary strategies towards implementation of FRA in their respective states and regions. ICAO in collaboration with International Air Transport Association (IATA) supported this push by developing the FRA concept of operations, conducting FRA gap analysis as well as providing guidance in the development of FRA implementation checklist.

“After several meetings, workshops, and coordination among contiguous FIRs (Flight Information Regions), the FRA concept is surely transforming from an abstract idea to concrete reality and that has been largely the Nigerian experience as the nation successfully commenced FRA implementation on the 2^nd of December, 2021.”

“FRA was first conceptualized about 13 years ago in Europe, being the first region in the world to have implemented a full FRA concept beginning from 2008. However, in the entire ICAO AFI Region, Nigeria is the second country, after Mauritius to implement this globally new concept.”

Explaining further, the NAMA boss said FRA basically accords airspace users over Kano FIR the opportunity to migrate from the conventional fixed Air Traffic Service (ATS) route network to flight plannable direct routes between a published FRA significant boundary entry point to a published FRA significant boundary exit point, thereby optimizing airspace utilization.

He listed the benefits of FRA to airspace users to include: Savings in terms of distance covered per route segment; Savings in terms of time required to cover one route leg; Fuel savings per route leg as well as carbon emission reduction per route segment per volume of airspace.

Capt. Akinkuotu also used the opportunity of the forum to enjoin airline operators in Nigeria to take advantage of new technologies being deployed by the agency as these would enhance their operational efficiency and also. He recalled that in the last couple of years, NAMA had deployed several next-generation tools like the Performance-Based Navigation (PBN) Approaches, Controller-Pilot Data Link Communication (CPDLC), Instrument Landing System (ILS) Category II and III, etc but noted that some Nigerian airlines were not taking advantage of them, stressing that NAMA would continue to strive to ensure that Nigeria has, not only safe airspace but also a profitable aviation industry.

The Free Routing concept is associated with ICAO Aviation System Block Upgrade – ASBU modules B1-FRTO, i.e. Introduction of free routing in defined airspace, where the flight plan is not defined as segments of a published route network or track system to facilitate adherence to the user-preferred profile.

The sensitization forum was well-attended as it attracted representatives from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), IATA, Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), Max Airlines, Air Peace, Emirates Airlines, United Airlines, Arik Air among others.

December 14, 2021
IATA: Willie Walsh takes over from Juniac as DG/CEO

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that Willie Walsh has officially taken on the role of Director General of the organization. He succeeds Alexandre de Juniac.

“I am passionate about our industry and about the critical work that IATA does on behalf of its members, never more so than during the COVID-19 crisis. IATA has been at the forefront of efforts to restart global connectivity, including developing the IATA Travel Pass. Less visible but of equal importance, airlines continue to rely on IATA’s financial settlement systems, Timatic and other vital services to support their day-to-day operations. I am grateful to Alexandre for leaving behind a strong organization and a motivated team.

Together, the IATA team is absolutely focused on restoring the freedom of movement that airlines provide to billions of people around the world. That means your freedom to visit friends and family, to meet critical business partners, to secure and retain vital contracts, and to explore our wonderful planet,” said Walsh.

“In normal times over four billion travelers depend on aviation each year and the distribution of vaccines has put the value of efficient air cargo in the spotlight. Airlines are committed to delivering safe, efficient, and sustainable services. My goal is to ensure that IATA is a forceful voice supporting the success of global air transport. We will work with supporters and critics alike to deliver on our commitments to an environmentally sustainable airline industry. It’s my job to make sure that governments, which rely on the economic and social benefits our industry generates, also understand the policies we need to deliver those benefits,” said Walsh.

Walsh was confirmed as IATA’s 8th Director General by the 76th IATA Annual General Meeting on 24 November 2020. He joins IATA after a 40-year career in the airline industry. Walsh retired from the International Airlines Group (IAG) in September 2020 after serving as its CEO since its inception in 2011. Prior to that he was CEO of British Airways (2005-2011) and CEO of Aer Lingus (2001-2005). He began his career in aviation at Aer Lingus in 1979 as a cadet pilot.

Walsh is deeply familiar with IATA, having served on the IATA Board of Governors for almost 13 years between 2005 to 2018, including serving as Chair (2016-2017). He will work from the Association’s Executive Office in Geneva, Switzerland.

April 2, 2021

Emirates becomes one of the first airlines in the world to trial IATA Travel Pass, a digital platform for COVID-19 updates and test verification

Emirates has partnered with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to become one of the first airlines in the world to trial IATA Travel Pass – a mobile app to help passengers easily and securely manage their travel in line with any
government requirements for COVID-19 testing or vaccine information.

IATA Travel Pass enables Emirates passengers to create a ‘digital
passport’ to verify their pre-travel test or vaccination meets the
requirements of the destination. They will also be able to share the
test and vaccination certificates with authorities and airlines to
facilitate travel. The new app will also enable travellers to manage all
travel documentation digitally and seamlessly throughout the travel
experience.

Prior to a full roll out, Emirates will implement phase 1 in Dubai for
the validation of COVID-19 PCR tests before departure. In this initial
phase, expected to begin in April, Emirates customers travelling from
Dubai will be able to share their COVID-19 test status directly with the
airline even before reaching the airport through the app, which will
then auto-populate the details on the check-in system.

Adel Al Redha Emirates’ Chief Operating Officer said: “While
international travel remains as safe as ever, there are new protocols
and travel requirements with the current global pandemic. We have worked
with IATA on this innovative solution to simplify and digitally transmit
the information that is required by countries and governments into our
airline systems, in a secure and efficient manner. We are proud to be
one of the first airlines in the world to pilot this initiative, which
will provide an enhanced customer experience and conveniently facilitate
our customers’ travel needs.”

Nick Careen, IATA Senior Vice President for Airport, Passenger, Cargo
and Security said: “We’re proud to work with Emirates to make IATA
Travel Pass available in the Middle East region. With its global
customer base and network traffic, Emirates as a partner will also bring
invaluable input and feedback to improve the Travel Pass programme. This
is the first step in making international travel during the pandemic as
convenient as possible giving people the confidence that they are
meeting all COVID-19 entry requirements by governments. As borders
re-open, IATA Travel Pass will be further enhanced with more
capabilities to meet all governments testing or vaccination verification
requirements and Emirates customers will be among the first to have
these services.”

Within the IATA Travel Pass app, the integrated registry of travel
requirements will also enable passengers to find accurate information on
travel and entry requirements for all destinations regardless of where
they are travelling from. It will also include a registry of testing and
eventually vaccination centres – making it more convenient for
passengers to find testing centres and labs at their departure location
which meet the standards for testing and vaccination requirements of
their destination.

The platform will also enable authorized labs and test centres to
securely send test results or vaccination certificates to passengers.
The global registry, managed by IATA, will manage and allow the secure
flow of necessary information amongst all stakeholders and to provide a
seamless passenger experience.

Emirates is committed to providing a seamless customer experience at all
touchpoints. In the last few months, it has introduced a smart
contactless journey with an integrated biometric path and other services
including self-check-in and bag drop kiosks at Dubai International
airport for a smoother airport experience.

January 29, 2021

IATA Unveils Key Design Elements of IATA Travel Pass

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) unveiled key design elements of the IATA Travel Pass.

IATA Travel Pass is a mobile app to help travelers easily and securely manage their travel in line with any government requirements for COVID-19 testing or vaccine information.

“Testing is the immediate solution to safely re-open borders and re-connect people. And eventually this is likely to transition to vaccination requirements. In either case, a secure system to manage COVID-19 testing or vaccination information is critical. The IATA Travel Pass is a solution that both travelers and governments can trust. And it is being built with data security, convenience and verification as top priorities,” said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO.

IATA emphasized these priorities with three critical design elements:

Putting travelers in control of their personal information for top level data security and data privacy. The IATA Travel Pass stores encrypted data including verified test or vaccination results on the mobile device of the traveler. The traveler controls what information is shared from their phone with airlines and authorities. No central database or data repository is storing the information. By keeping travelers 100% in control of their information, the highest standards for data privacy are ensured. IATA Travel Pass is also built on the highest standards of data protection laws, including General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR).

Technically, the app is being built in accordance with Self-Sovereign Identity* (SSI) principles. The IATA Travel Pass is scheduled for release early in the first quarter of 2021 for Android and for iPhone. For iPhone it will use the “Secure Enclave” features of Apple devices and a similar security encryption technology for Android.

Global standards recognized by governments to ensure verified identity and test/vaccine information.

a. Verified identity: A government issued ePassport is used to verify the identity of the user. It also serves to create a digital representation of the user’s passport to allow the information to be sent electronically in a secured way that is linked to their verified identity. The key to this are global standards developed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) which match biometric passport data and a selfie taken by the user. This creates a Type 1 digital travel credential (a verified digital identify**) in line with ICAO standards.

b. Verified test results or vaccine information: Currently the main vaccination requirement for entry into some countries is for yellow fever. Under the International Health Regulations, this is managed by the “yellow card” or International Certificate of Vaccination and Prophylaxis. The World Health Organization (WHO) is developing digital standards that will make these vastly more secure and will dramatically reduce fraud. When ready, the IATA Travel Pass will be able to accommodate such new global standards.

Until a COVID-19 vaccine is widely available to the general public, the priority is on COVID-19 testing. Laboratories have well-established safety standards for managing and verifying test results to individuals. IATA is partnering with selected and established laboratories to securely link their test results with the verified identity of the IATA Travel Pass holder.

Convenience and biosafety will be enhanced with integration into contactless travel processes. The ICAO CART recommendations for biosafety include the use of contactless travel processes to reduce the risk of virus transmission when documents need to be exchanged in the travel process.

The industry has been developing contactless travel processes as part of a One ID transformation program for several years. The IATA Travel Pass digital identity management module uses the well-developed principles of One ID (which are, in turn, based on ICAO standards). For the passenger this means that the IATA Travel Pass will also unlock the potential for convenient contactless travel processes from check-in to boarding. As such, while the need for COVID-19 information verification may eventually disappear when we overcome the pandemic, IATA Travel Pass, however, will remain as a bold step forward in the implementation of contactless travel.

IATA research amid the COVID-19 crisis (September 2020) shows that contactless processes will be popular with travelers:
70% of passengers had concerns about handing over their passport, phone or boarding pass to airline agents, security staff or government officials at the airport
85% of travelers said that touchless processing throughout the airport would make them feel safer, and
Already 44% of travelers said that they are willing to share personal data to enable touchless process, up significantly from 30% in June.
Interoperable Solution

IATA is developing the IATA Travel Pass in four independent modules that can interact with each other. These modules will cover registries for regulatory entry requirements and labs/test centers, verified certificate issuance, digital identity and the possibility for passengers to share their tests results along their journey via their mobile device. Open standards enable the modules to be used as one solution or to complement capabilities being developed by other solutions providers.

“We are building the IATA Travel Pass with one aim—to help reconnect our world safely. IATA has brought advancements in global standards like e-ticketing and mobile boarding passes to consumers in all parts of the world. This unique capability demonstrates that we can work with industry and governments to re-shape travel processes based on global standards. We are confident that we can deliver a complete solution with IATA Travel Pass. And we are building the IATA Travel Pass so that other solutions serving the same industry re-opening goal can also benefit from it. We want airlines to have a competitive marketplace with the widest range of options that meet their specific needs,” said Nick Careen, IATA’s Senior Vice President, Airport, Passenger, Cargo and Security.IATA’s Timatic offering is a foundational element of the IATA Travel Pass. For decades it has provided reliable entry requirement information to airlines and travellers. Integrating Timatic into the IATA Travel Pass entry requirements registry model brings with it an established process for the global collection, verification, updating and distribution of this information.

December 16, 2020
ACI and IATA Outline Roadmap for Aviation Industry Restart

…global coordination needed to ensure new measures are driven by data and evidence

Airports Council International (ACI) World and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) have called on governments to ensure any new measures introduced for airports and airlines in the wake of COVID-19 are supported by scientific evidence and are consistent across the world.

The aviation sector has been brought to a standstill and a balanced and effective restart and recovery depends on collaboration among the key participants in the global aviation ecosystem.

ACI and IATA have jointly issued a paper laying out a pathway for restarting the aviation industry – Safely Restarting Aviation – ACI and IATA Joint Approach. Airlines and airports have cooperated to build a roadmap for resuming operations which reassures the travelling public that health and safety remain the overall priorities.

The joint approach proposes a layered approach of measures across the entire passenger journey to minimize the risk of transmission of COVID-19 at airports and onboard aircraft, and to prevent aviation becoming a meaningful source of international re-infection. Such measures should be globally consistent and subject to continued review, improvement, and removal when no longer required, to ensure an even recovery.

ACI and IATA are both central members the COVID-19 Aviation Recovery Task Force (CART) being led by the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). CART enables the collaboration – among governments and between governments and industry -that is vital to ensure the harmonization and consistency of measures that are essential to restoring air connectivity and passenger confidence in air travel.

“Airports and airlines have come together with ICAO and the wider aviation industry to address the biggest challenge ever faced by commercial aviation in restarting a global industry while continuing to halt the spread of COVID-19,” ACI World Director General Angela Gittens said. “There is currently no single measure that could mitigate all the risks of restarting air travel but we believe a globally-consistent, outcome-based approach represents the most effective way of balancing risk mitigation with the need to unlock economies and to enable travel.”

IATA’s Director General and CEO Alexandre de Juniac said, “Safety is always our top priority and that includes public health. Restoring air connectivity is vital to restarting the global economy and reconnecting people. Our layered approach of measures recommended by airports and airlines safeguard public health while offering a practical approach for a gradual restart of operations. It is important to remember that the risk of transmission on board is very low. And we are determined that aviation will not be a significant source of re-infection. We are working continuously with governments to ensure that any measures put in place are done so consistently and with scientific backing. That is key to restoring public confidence so the benefits of safely re-starting aviation can be realized.”

May 22, 2020
IATA Appeals to Nigerian Government to Support Aviation in the Face of COVID-19 Crisis

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has called for aviation-specific financial relief measures from the government of Nigeria to address the severe impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the air transport sector.

In a statement by IATA notes that Air transport has ground to a halt in efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19. Along with the direct impact on jobs and companies in aviation, related industries including tourism, hospitality and trade have been hit hard. All play an essential role in creating jobs and powering economies.

Prior to the crisis, aviation contributed $1.7 billion to Nigeria’s GDP and supported 241,000 jobs. IATA estimates that the COVID-19 crisis puts 124,000 Nigerian jobs at risk and some $900 million of the country’s GDP.

The Nigerian government has introduced broad economic relief packages to mitigate the devastation caused by COVID-19 but IATA now urges the government to implement specific financial relief measures for aviation to ensure that, the sector will be capable of driving the recovery.

“Nigeria has announced general relief measures for sectors affected by COVID-19, but not specifically for aviation. Given the importance of air transport for Nigeria’s economy and connectivity, the government must not let aviation fail. The industry faces a liquidity crisis. Without a viable aviation sector Nigeria’s eventual recovery from COVID-19 will be longer and even more painful.

According to Muhammad Albakri, IATA’s Regional Vice President for Africa and the Middle East, aviation-specific financial relief measures are urgently needed as a matter of survival.

The Government should consider implementing some or all of the following relief measures:

1)       Direct financial support to passenger and cargo carriers

2)       Loans, loan guarantees and support for the corporate bond market by the Government or Central Bank

3)       Tax relief – rebates on payroll taxes paid to date in 2020 and/or an extension of payment terms for the rest of 2020

4)       Financial relief on airport and air traffic control (ATC) charges and taxes

5)       Reduction, waiver or deferral of government-imposed taxes and fees

6)       Foreign exchange availability

“As the aviation industry looks to restart, it is important that key regional players like Nigeria are ready and able. Aviation is a strategic pillar for social and economic development. Supporting aviation now will mean that Nigeria’s economy can pick up from where it stopped and drive forward,” said Albakri.

May 11, 2020
COVID-19: IATA offers free online training to 5,000 aviation workers

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is offering free access to online training courses for up to 5,000 aviation workers as part of its efforts to help the industry through the COVID-19 crisis.

Current employees—or those who wish to become a part of the aviation or related industries–can select one from six of IATA’s most popular e-learning courses to strengthen their industry knowledge and skills:

Aviation Competition Law
Destination Geography
Travel Agency Fees: A Professional Approach
Accounting and Financial Management for Travel Agencies
Geography in Travel Planning
Distribution and Airline Retailing

‘’Aviation will make it through the COVID-19 crisis. That’s because, as with past crises, the many great people of this industry will pull together to face the challenges head-on. In a salute to the women and men of this industry, IATA is making a small contribution to support the sector’s recovery with free training. These are tough times but we wanted to see the opportunity of the future, and what better way than through learning,” said Stéphanie Siouffi, IATA’s Director of Training.

Courses will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis for 5,000 online training opportunities. Applications must be received before 27 April 2020.

IATA is proud to offer this as part of an ongoing campaign, #WeAreAviation, to support the men and women in the aviation community during these challenging times as well as to showcase the passion and people behind the business of freedom.

April 15, 2020
Turkish Airlines update Nigerians regarding flights into the country

As Turkish Airlines, we would like to advise our passengers that some reported news mentioning Turkish Airlines’ full suspension decision on its flight operations to/from Nigeria do not reflect the reality.

Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in various countries, Turkish Airlines has been changing its flight schedule to several destinations around the globe in accordance with international and national authorities.

We would like to inform our passengers that due to the lowered load factors caused by the suspension of other routes, several of our flights to/from Nigeria will be undergoing cancellations in March.

Passengers with tickets to the cancelled flights will be able to refund or change their tickets free of charge until the end of May, if they start the process until March/April depending on the route.

As the airline that always puts the travel security at the forefront, Turkish Airlines will continue to monitor the latest developments on the situation with the national and international health authorities and take appropriate precautions. As the World Health Organization declared the potential risk of the virus, we have been acting in accordance with the recommendations and instructions of World Health Organization, IATA, and related national and international authorities since the first week of the January 2020.

All our passengers are mandated to complete the passenger self-reporting form distributed by the Federal Ministry of Health.

For detailed information about the updated flight schedule please visit www.turkishairlines.com, contact the international call centre at +90 212 444 0849, and Nigerian call centre at +234 1 277 22 30-32, or visit any Turkish Airlines sales office.

Turkish Airlines, Inc.
Media Relations

March 12, 2020