Air Peace Airfares: Keyamo lashes out at FCCPC

He says about the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC): “We cannot have an agency of government floating all over the place, having all the powers. That means if there is problem with yam pricing, they will go and call the agricultural minister.” Mr. Festus Keyamo, the Aviation and Aerospace Development Minister lampooned the FCCPC for their lack of circumspection for coming to the media space to attack Air Peace without due regard to the effort the ministry is putting in to develop the aviation industry. Earlier this December, FCCPC had threatened to probe Air Peace over what it called “exploitative practices”, especially “significant price hikes for advance bookings on certain domestic routes” following consumer complaints. Mr. Keyamo, while appearing on Arise TV this Sunday, berated the FCCPC for their statement, calling it “very carless.” READ ALSO: What is the Arab Spring and How did it Start? “I think it was a very careless statement – I say that with all apologies – by the agency, without even consulting the core agency involved in regulation, which is the NCAA,” the Minister said. “We cannot have an agency of government floating all over the place, having all the powers. That means if there is problem with yam pricing, they will go and call the agricultural minister.” “They should have contacted the NCAA for them to look at the figures and the books which we have been doing, so we would have given them facts. But to single out a few airlines while we are struggling to expose them to the world for them to get more enhanced capacity was a bit careless,” Mr. Keyamo, SAN, reasoned.

Aviation unions to protest 50% IGR deduction

Unions in the air transport sector have voiced concerns about the continued deduction of 50 per cent from the internally generated revenue of aviation agencies, saying it has concluded plans to embark on a peaceful protest over the issue. The unions include the National Union of Air Transport Employees, NUATE, Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals, ANAP, National Association of Aircraft Pilots And Engineers, NAAPE, Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees, AUPCTRE, Air Transport Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, ATSSSAN.

NCAA lifts suspension on XEjet operations

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) said it lifted the suspension on the operations of XEjet Airline following the resolution of an aircraft insurance challenge with one of the airline’s planes.  According to a letter signed by Director General Civil Aviation, Capt Musa Nuhu, after considering the submission of the airline and confirming it met regulatory compliance, the suspension was lifted. The document titled: Lifting Of Suspension On Your Air Transport Licence (Atl) And Air Operators Certificate (AOC) reads: Further to the NCAA’s letter on the above subject matter referenced NCAA/DGCA/GC/8/16/628 and dated 30 August, 2023, the Authority hereby lifts the suspension on your ATL and AOC after considering your submissions.  “Consequently, you have been cleared to exercise the privilege of your ATL and AOC.” Speaking on the issue, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of XEjet, Mr. Emmanuel Iza said: “The suspension is within the regulatory framework and we want to thank the Authority for diligently doing its work. We are happy to be back and we will continue to deepen our safety consciousness. “We sincerely thank you all for your patience, unwavering support, understanding and cooperation. We look forward to continuing delivering our premium services to you. Your safety and security is always of utmost importance to us.”

NCAA, ICAO sign Civil Aviation MasterPlan agreement

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has signed the Civil Aviation MasterPlan (CAMP) agreement with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in Montreal, Canada to foster development in the industry. The Director-General Civil Aviation (DGCA) Capt. Musa Nuhu confirmed the development in a statement on Wednesday in Lagos. Nuhu represented Nigeria at the signing ceremony, while ICAO’s Secretary-General, Mr Juan Salaazar signed for the international body. CAMP is a course for senior and middle managers of the State’s Civil Aviation Authorities (CAAs) on the recovery from the impacts of COVID-19, in accordance with the relevant ICAO provisions. Nuhu explained that the partnership with ICAO was to enable the sector to attain its full potential, while also making significant contributions to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The director-general said that the partnership with ICAO would further lead to more direct and indirect job opportunities for qualified Nigerians in various fields. The NCAA chief said that it was high time the sector in the country played its key role of developing the nation through air travel. Nuhu stated that the industry had played pivotal roles in the development of many countries around the world and Nigeria with the biggest economy in Africa could not operate in isolation of the others. He said: “CAMP is a process to plan for the short, intermediate, and long term development goals through implementing policy directives and to drive change and transformation. “Civil aviation masterplan would be critical to facilitate the growth of the sector and the deployment of required action plans. “This is to stimulate the development and growth of the industry, thereby acting as catalysts and enabler of national economy. “We need to have an orderly growth and development of the industry in tandem with our national aspirations. “Economies of many countries depend almost entirely on aviation and aviation played a significant role in the development of Dubai and Emirates is its global brand.” In a bid to ensure the development to the industry in particular and Nigeria at large, Nuhu said that all relevant stakeholders within and outside the ecosystem would be carried along.

United aircraft skids off Lagos airport runway

United Nigeria Airlines said on Wednesday that one of  its aircraft skidded off the runway at the Murtala Muhammed Airport 2 (MM2) in Lagos . Mr Achilleus-Chud Uchegbu, Head, Corporate Communications, disclosed this in a statement to newsmen in Lagos. Uchegbu said that the aircraft, which had 50 passengers on board, was flying in from the airport in Abakaliki, when the incident happened. He said the aircraft landed safely but was forced to terminate its movement to the apron off the runway. He said all passengers disembarked safely and were transported to the arrival hall alongside their luggage. The spokesman said  that officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) were at the scene of the incident alongside engineers, in order to move the aircraft to the hangar. He said  that the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) had also been duly notified of the incident. Uchegbu reiterated the airline’s commitment on maintaining the strictest safety standards in its operations and prioritising  passenger safety always.