Turkish Airlines' flight will strengthen ties with Kano – Kwankwaso

Mr Mevlut KAYAR, Vice President Marketing and Sales for Africa, Turkish Airlines Inc presenting a model aircraft to Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano

As Turkish Airlines commenced scheduled flights between Istanbul, Turkey to Kano, Nigeria at the weekend, Friday, December 13, the Governor of Kano State, Ahlaji Rabi'u Kwankwaso has described it as further means in strengthening relationship between Turky and Kano State.

Governor Kwankwaso who spoke at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport where he led other dignitaries to witness the inaugural flight from Istanbul, Turkey said "I believe the coming of Turkish Airlines will go a long way in strengthening the relationship that has been existing between us for very long time.

According to him, “it is truly exciting to see that my people will no longer travel to Abuja and Lagos to board a flight to Istanbul which will also connect them to both Europe and Asia. Turkey is a country which seat in between Europe and Asia.”

"Let me at this point assure the government of Turkey and the management of Turkish Airlines that Kano State government will continue to support the airline and all the bilateral relationship between Kano and Turkey as much as we can so that our relationship will continue to grow," he stated.

He noted that becasue of the long standing relationship, "when we were sending 501 students last year to 11 countries, we deliberately decided to make Turkey one of the 11 countries." adding that "right now we have 125 young men and women of Kano State origin studying Postgraduate courses in Turkey.

"When we were sending these students, we had to go through other countries. But now that we have Turkish Airlines we can go direct from Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport to these places. Thank you very much for meeting our transportation challenges," he said.

Also the Minister of Aviation, Mrs Stella Oduah, who was represented by the Commissioner/CEO Accident Investigation Bureau, AIB, Capt. Usman Muktar, described the occasion as "an important event in the history of aviation in Nigeria".

He said the Minister had "worked tirelessly to actualise this dream of bringing more international flights to Kano and still working, in line with President Goodluck Jonathan’s transformation agenda in the aviation industry to encourage more foreign airlines to operate into Nigeria's airports."

The General Manager, Turkish Airlines, Kano, Mr Ahmet Can Akbuga said "it is a dream fulfilled commencing flight between Istanbul, Turkey and Kano, Nigeria," adding that "we thank the Governor for standing by us and the Minister of Aviation for her tireless effort."

According to him, "the inauguration of flights from Turkey business centre, Istanbul to Kano will build bridge that will bring the two cities closer.”

He said that "Kano has become Turkish Airlines’ 25th flight destination in Africa. Also, Kano now makes flight operation from Istanbul the 242nd flight destination around the world operated into by Turkish Airlines.

"The Istanbul-Kano and N’Djamena-Istanbul flights will be four times a week on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. And our first flight is launched today December 13, 2013 with new aircraft.”

Governor Kwankwaso to witness Turkish Airlines first flight to Kano

Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso

As preparations for the commencement of flights on the Kano-Istanbul route by Turkish Airlines hots up, the Governor of Kano State, Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso is expected to join many Nigerian and foreign dignitaries that will witness the first flight from Istanbul, Turkey into the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano on Thursday December 12, 2013.

The General Manager of Turkish Airlines, Kano, Mr Ahmet Can Akbuga said that 'the Executive Governor of Kano State, Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has gladly accepted to be at the airport to witness the Turkish Airlines first flight into Kano city.”

“The airline is highly honoured and grateful for this commendable gesture from his excellency, the executive governor of Kano state,that Turkish Airlines will be operating in Kano,” Mr Akbuga said.

He disclosed that “all necessary arrangements have been made to ensure that the inaugural flight is a memorable event and we believe that subsequent flights will be as endearing experience for all our passengers.”

Mr Akbuga said that “the airline will operate four weekly flights for a start and increase it as we grow the route.”

He added that “because of our membership as a Star Alliance member, our passengers will enjoy the benefit to fly to any part of the world from Kano, which we regard as the commercial hub of northern Nigeria.”

The General Manager assured passengers of “high quality and dependable service, especially with our track record as Europe Best Airlines for the Year 2013”

He disclosed that passengers can also enjoy the airline's special fare offer of $599 to Istanbul.

Turkish Airlines begins Kano flight December 12

  

Dr Temel Kotil

President/CEO Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines, Europe's best airline of the year 2013, will meet with travel agents and agencies on Friday November 15 in Kano at a workshop to prepare for the commencement of flights between Kano, Nigeria and Istanbul, Turkey on Thursday, December 12.

The managing director, Turkish Airlines, Kano, Mr Ahmet Akbuga said “the workshop is geared towards sensitizing the travel agents, agencies and the public on the commencement of flights between Kano and Istanbul.

“The workshop will also serve as an opportunity to formally meet with and interact with the agents and agencies who are mostly our partners in our relationship with the traveling public,'” he said

According to him, “we see Kano City as a rallying point for the sustenance of the longstanding cultural relationship, together with the expansion of the business frontiers between Nigeria and Turkey.”

He added that passengers in Kano State and the neighboring states in the northern part of Nigeria can travel to any part of the world through Turkish Airlines, a member of the Star Alliance.

Turkish Airlines was recently announced as the best airline in Europe by Skytrax for the third year consecutively.


While reacting to the award, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the the airline, Dr Temel Kotil, said “This is a major accomplishment for our airline and one that we are very proud of. The results propel us to continue to deliver unparalleled service year after year to our global travelers.”

FAA approves use of electronic devices during flight

WASHINGTON– The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Michael Huerta today announced that the FAA has determined that airlines can safely expand passenger use of Portable Electronic Devices (PEDs) during all phases of flight, and is immediately providing the airlines with implementation guidance. 
Due to differences among fleets and operations, the implementation will vary among airlines, but the agency expects many carriers will prove to the FAA that their planes allow passengers to safely use their devices in airplane mode, gate-to-gate, by the end of the year. 
The FAA based its decision on input from a group of experts that included representatives from the airlines, aviation manufacturers, passengers, pilots, flight attendants, and the mobile technology industry.
Passengers will eventually be able to read e-books, play games, and watch videos on their devices during all phases of flight, with very limited exceptions. Electronic items, books and magazines, must be held or put in the seat back pocket during the actual takeoff and landing roll. Cell phones should be in airplane mode or with cellular service disabled – i.e., no signal bars displayed—and cannot be used for voice communications based on FCC regulations that prohibit any airborne calls using cell phones.    If your air carrier provides Wi-Fi service during flight, you may use those services.  You can also continue to use short-range Bluetooth accessories, like wireless keyboards.
“We believe today’s decision honors both our commitment to safety and consumer’s increasing desire to use their electronic devices during all phases of their flights,” said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “These guidelines reflect input from passengers, pilots, manufacturers, and flight attendants, and I look forward to seeing airlines implement these much anticipated guidelines in the near future.”     
“I commend the dedication and excellent work of all the experts who spent the past year working together to give us a solid report so we can now move forward with a safety-based decision on when passengers can use PEDs on airplanes,” said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta.
The PED Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) concluded most commercial airplanes can tolerate radio interference signals from PEDs. In a recent report, they recommended that the FAA provide airlines with new procedures to assess if their airplanes can tolerate radio interference from PEDs. Once an airline verifies the tolerance of its fleet, it can allow passengers to use handheld, lightweight electronic devices – such as tablets, e-readers, and smartphones—at all altitudes. In rare instances of low-visibility, the crew will instruct passengers to turn off their devices during landing. The group also recommended that heavier devices should be safely stowed under seats or in overhead bins during takeoff and landing.
The FAA is streamlining the approval of expanded PED use by giving airlines updated, clear guidance. This FAA tool will help airlines assess the risks of potential PED-induced avionics problems for their airplanes and specific operations. Airlines will evaluate avionics as well as changes to stowage rules and passenger announcements. Each airline will also need to revise manuals, checklists for crewmember training materials, carry-on baggage programs and passenger briefings before expanding use of PEDs. Each airline will determine how and when they will allow passengers broader use of PEDs.
The FAA did not consider changing the regulations regarding the use of cell phones for voice communications during flight because the issue is under the jurisdiction of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).  The ARC did recommend that the FAA consult with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to review its current rules. Cell phones differ from most PEDs in that they are designed to send out signals strong enough to be received at great distances

FAAN designates 13 airports as cargo terminals

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN has designated 13 airports  as perishable cargo airports as strategies to transform the aviation sector into a major revenue earner for the country.

Th airports, based on expression of interest from the private sector and State governments, include Abuja, Akure, Calabar, Ilorin, Jalingo, Jos, Kano, Lagos, Makurdi, Minna, Owerri, Port Harcourt and Uyo.

According to a statement from the FAAN signed by Yakubu Datti, 'these airports which are in proximity to food baskets will be developed with international standard perishable cargo facilities to enhance their operations.'

State governments have also been encouraged to partner with the Federal government to revive smaller airports, particularly for taxi operations, tourism and cargo operations which could benefit domestic and regional economic development.

This is to enable them key into the over N250 billion annual air freight export market out of Africa. 

Countries like Kenya, South Africa, Benin, Cote d'ivoire, Ghana, Senegal, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Egypt are participating in the trading in commodities such as fruits, fresh fish, vegetables and flowers while Nigeria, which produces these produce in abundance, records zero participation.

The strategy is therefore to create the much needed storage infrastructure in view of the large volume involved and to facilitate the evacuation of agricultural produce to domestic markets, in conformity with international standards. 

The European Union (EU) is the main market for African exporters, accounting for more than 40% of total exports, followed by the US with 20%. Intra-regional trade represented only 8% of the total, with South Africa as the leading exporter to the region with 21% of the total.

In recent times, the more dynamic destinations for African products are China, with 27.5% annual average growth registered over a decade-long period and India, growing by 19.5% during the same period.

The development of Economic Free Trade and Export Processing Zones will be targeted alongside cargo airports and afro-allied industrial clusters, based on local opportunities and the state's competitive and comparative advantage in agriculture production. 

The Nigerian aviation sector is establishing closer co-operation with Federal Ministry of Agriculture and State Governments for concerted and strategic focus to this efforts.

IATA sets agenda for cooperation between airlines and airports

 

                                     Murtala Muhammad International Airport, Lagos

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) called for a unified agenda between airlines and airports to address the mutual challenges of growth and sustainability. “Airports are airlines’ closest partners. Neither of us could exist without the other,” said Tony Tyler, IATA Director General and CEO.

Speaking at the Airports Council International (ACI) Europe / World Annual Congress and Exhibition in Istanbul, Tyler noted that major investments in infrastructure will be needed to meet the global demand for air connectivity which is growing at about 5% annually.

Meeting these requirements efficiently will require close cooperation. Over the long term, airline profit margins have been insufficient to cover their cost of capital and this also has been the case for some airports. “Neither partner can afford poorly-thought out and overly expensive infrastructure development. To avoid this, we must work together in a collaborative process based upon the basic principles laid down by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) which include consultation with airport users, transparency, non-discrimination, cost-based charges, and strict safeguards on pre-financing of future infrastructure,” said Tyler.

Tyler also cautioned that “decades of practical experience and longstanding and credible economic theory have shown that most airports have substantial market power. Strong independent regulation is required to provide the cost discipline that otherwise would be imposed by the free market. And the ICAO principles offer sufficient flexibility for regulators to apply various levels of economic oversight where market forces do exist.”

Tyler proposed a unified agenda and partnership between airlines and airports based on:

• A mutual understanding that long-term sustainability is an issue for both airlines and airports
• Recognition that the solution to our common challenges is not to take each other in an Anaconda-like grip to squeeze out every last penny from one another
• Working together to help airports find mutually beneficial efficiencies
• Removing capacity constraints, particularly in Europe where 98 airports have insufficient capacity and require slot coordination
• Seeking opportunities for cooperation to enable process improvements and new value added commercial opportunities such as through providing universal access to Wi-Fi
• Scoping out potential for joint business development.

“An agenda of cooperation does not mean that we will agree in every specific instance. But it does mean that we recognize we will achieve far more together than each could on our own,” said Tyler.

A template for cooperation is found in the approach to safety and security which are aviation’s top priorities. Two key airport safety initiatives are the result of close collaboration between IATA, ACI and others, including regulators: the Runway Excursion Risk Reduction Toolkit and the IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations. Airports are also working with airlines and regulators in the development of a Checkpoint of the Future to make airport security more efficient while reducing hassle for passengers.

Nigerian Pilots and swollen ego

 

Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah

By Ayodele Ojo

The Yoruba proverb which says, “Ti ewe ba pe lara ose, a ma do’se” loosely translated to mean, “when a leave is used to wrap a bar of soap for long, it becomes foamy” aptly captures the current atmosphere of political mudslinging reigning in the aviation sector in recent weeks, such that pilots that chauffeur VIPs in the air have managed to raise dust of political misgivings to high heavens, such that every action or inaction is termed “political vindictiveness”,  even while pilots operate against the rules and regulations governing aviation operations. This is happening for the second time in as short a time, and the culprits are being allowed to get away with it.

It seems the Nigerian pilots have grabbed or attracted political insulation and immunity to themselves by virtue of transporting political heavyweights around the country. They  have managed to convert errors to bragging rights, so much that simple instructions by Air Traffic Controllers  are simply parried, glossed over or ignored outrightly, because of their association with the political bigwigs onboard their aircraft. The brouhaha over the issue of grounding of aircraft is becoming one too many and needs be examined closely.

In the first instance, the aircraft belonging to Rivers State Government was grounded by the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), based on the fact that the manifest was not filed as and when due, but attention was focused on the issue of the troubles in PDP and a perceived grouse between Governor Rotimi Amaechi and President Goodluck Jonathan. The second crisis came just last Friday when the pilot manning the chattered OAS chopper of the Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole decided that it was no longer essential to have a flight plan when flying VIPs, neither was it necessary to have a manifesto.

While it is easy to shift the blame on political games, nobody bother to look inwards, at the little foxes that spoil the vineyard. The expatriate pilots flying in the Nigeria airspace are the little foxes spoiling the vineyard, and the ones flying non-scheduled flights seem to have developed big egos, commensurate with the height attained by their aircraft, or is it their aircraft wings, how can it be explained that pilots who fly “their excellencies” automatically have been bestowed with diplomatic immunity from abiding by aviation regulations, as against those who fly scheduled routes.

A pilot that is supposed to be the best example in self discipline and humility, considering the delicate nature of their jobs, have become so arrogant in recent times that they are now the new ‘untouchables”. Even if the special passengers onboard are ignorant of the law, the onus is on our VIP pilots to let “their excellencies” know that the issues of “manifest and flight plans” that have been bloated out of proportion in recent times are merely ‘procedural’, and is without sentiment or vindictiveness.

If the pilots have managed to get away with by-passing such orders in the past, it is a shame, and it shows the level that our standards had fallen to, but must it continue?  You cannot live in sin and ask for abounding grace. Every culprit pilot should be made to pay a penalty that will not create a political storm.

The aviation sector is strictly guarded by rules which must be strictly adhered to, and it is not a matter of Nigerian laws, but international standards which make the sector one of the most peculiar worldwide. The fact that a VIP is onboard does not make an aircraft less vulnerable to air glitches, and aircraft can be unforgiving when any protocol are by-passed, so it is beyond political name-calling and rhetoric.

Captain James Manahash, a Korean who decided to by-pass the procedure on Friday will definitely not consider himself a super hero if he was flying ordinary citizens from a jungle to the Sahel, and excuses will not be given, if he was flying a commercial aircraft that operates a scheduled route without filing a flight plan or submitting the manifest, a simple procedure that is in operation in our local inter-city parks and is strictly adhered to.

Neither will a Nigerian pilot operating outside the shores of Nigeria be allowed to abrogate such powers. The time is ripe when defaulting pilots ought to be given harsh sanctions that will not rub off on their VIP passengers. If a pilot realizes that there are punitive measures in place that can affect his daily bread, he will definitely toe the line.

The National Assembly ought to wade into the matter and make laws that will check the impunity of our pilots whose ego are bigger than the wings of their aircraft. The dearth of local pilots does not mean expatriate pilots are ‘tin gods’ to themselves, after all ,“what is good for the goose is good for the gander”.

International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has strict rules guiding the mode of operations of both pilots and all that operate both within and outside the aerodrome, and it does not include answering a simple request for a flight plan and manifest with a puffed up reply, “his Excellency is on board”. It is not excuse-able for a pilot not to do the right thing even when they ferry VIPs in the air.

When we put our house in order, expatriate pilots will not feel that they are above the law, if Nigeria Civil Aviation Agency is empowered to seize flight certificates of erring pilots for a number of weeks, or sanction erring airlines, a bit of sanity will return to the aviation industry. Accusation of witch hunting of political opponents will not exist, and political jobbers will simply look for new excuses outside the aviation industry to play out their games.

The aviation sector is not meant for political mudslinging and witch hunting. Let’s investigate thoroughly the instances of such abuses before more havoc is done to the fragile industry, and grant the aviation sector a reprieve from the altar of political crucifixion.

Ayodele Ojo, writes from Lagos.