Deputy Senate President to commission Abuja GAT

Aviation Nigeria

The General Aviation Terminal of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja will be commissioned Monday, January 21, 2013, by the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu.

The General Manager, Corporate Communications of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria(FAAN), Mr Yakubu Dati in a press release on Friday noted that 'this is the second terminal to be commissioned under the on-going airport re-modelling project, initiated by President Goodluck Jonathan'. 

The first being the Domestic Terminal One at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, which was commissioned October 22, 2012. This leaves nine more airports in the first phase of the Airport Re-modelling Project to be commissioned.

Re-modelling work started at the Abuja [GAT] started in October, 2011 when domestic flight operations at the airport were transferred to the international wing of the airport. 

Dati said that the re-modelling entailed the expansion of the left, right and frontal areas of the old Domestic Terminal to accommodate more modern facilities, including a conference center, kitchen and dining area for VIPs. 

The operational area for both arriving and departing passengers has also been substantially increased, to make provision for a pilots' lounge, a food court of international standard, shops, offices for airlines, games room and many more.

For enhanced security, CCTV cameras have been installed at several points in the terminal, apart from X-ray scanning machines for the processing of passengers and cargo.

The new General Aviation Terminal is the first to be constructed at the airport since its inception in the early 1980’s and will now handle all non-scheduled flights at the airport. 

Scheduled domestic flight operations will continue to take place at the present location of the international wing of the airport.

Aero to introduce flights to Sokoto

Aviation Nigeria

Aero will later this month commence flight from Lagos to Sokoto via Abuja. Flights are available from 28 January 2013 onwards, and will be operated on weekdays and Sundays. Schedule:

• ABV-SKO AJ251 08:00-09:15
• SKO-ABV AJ252 10:00-11:15

The airline has suspended its Lagos-Warri-Port Harcourt NAF Base-route again.

Source: Aviation in Nigeria

Dana Air falsifies media reports of paying celebrities to board first flight.

Aviation Nigeria.

Dana Airlines has refuted some online reports of its financing celebrities Basket Mouth, DIPP, Harrysong and Buchi to board its first flight.

The artist where among the  which who were among the passengers that boarded the plane from the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos, Southwest Nigeria, to Abuja, the nations capital, its first flight since resuming operations.

In a press statement released by the Dana Management on Monday 7 January 2012, Dana management pointed to these accusations as false and misleading.

The statement also read: "Like all other esteemed guests of the airline, many of which are notable personalities from Nigeria’s entertainment scene, these celebrities have always been a part of the Dana Air family. Their decision to be part of the airline’s re-launch was purely out of goodwill, having personally experienced the unrivaled hospitality and world-class services offered by the airline many times before."

The Dana Air inaugural flight was a Lagos to Abuja trip on Friday, 4th January, 2013 and is the first since the airlines plane crash in June 3 2012.

DANA Air resumes with 144 passengers on first flight.

Aviation Nigeria

A total of 144 passengers were on board Dana Air flights 353 and 354 from Lagos to Abuja and Abuja to Lagos respectively on Friday as the airline resumed flying seven months after one of its planes crashed in Lagos on June 3, 2012 killing over 160 people.

There were 62 passengers on the Lagos to Abuja flight while 82 came back to Lagos from Abuja.

The first flight, which departed the Murtala Mohammed Airport 2 (MMA2), Lagos at 10:10am, landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport (NAA), Abuja at 11:05am.

Speaking to journalists shortly after landing in Abuja, Dana’s Group Director, Mr. Francis Ogboro, assured the flying public of utmost safety in its entire operations.

Ogboro described the 2012 disaster in the Iju-Ishaga area of Lagos as unfortunate and maintained that the accident had necessitated its resolve to enhance the maintenance of its fleet.

He revealed that the airline may increase and change its fleet in the next six months, but added that MD83 aircraft was still in operation in major countries of the world including the United States of America (USA).

According him, “In the past six years that we commenced flight operations, we’ve never played with the maintenance of our aircraft and safety of the passengers and we will continue to do that to ensure that we give Nigerians a safe aircraft for our passengers to fly with. We are expanding our fleet.

“It is not impossible that we bring in some other aircraft types as well. Hopefully, in the next six months we will bring in some new aircraft, may be Boeing 737 or others. But I re-emphasise again, there is nothing wrong with the MD 83 aircraft.”

He also disclosed that the airline was considering collaborating with foreign investors who had indicated interest to partner with it.

On the two months deadline given the airline to complete payment of compensation to all the families of victims of the crash, Ogboro assured that the airline would meet the deadline, but explained that the payment of all compensation to the beneficiaries would not come from the airline, rather from the insurance companies.

Ogboro stated that all the passengers on board the crashed plane were properly insured by its insurance companies both at home and abroad and that the insurers had made adequate arrangement to pay all the families involved in the crash.

He disclosed that more than 90 per cent of the bereaved families had been compensated with the initial $30,000 compensation while about eight families have applied for the remaining $70,000 compensation as at two weeks ago.

In his words, “The payment of the insurance due to the families is not something that will come from Dana Air’s pocket. We are fully insured. I can assure you that our insurance companies led by Lloyds of London have made adequate arrangement to pay all the families involved in the crash”

A passenger, Mr. Charles Mbadon, said that though he was afraid initially, he soon overcame it when the aircraft took off at the airport in Lagos

Another passenger, Mr. Michael Babaniji, said that there was nothing like fear in his mind, adding that the June 3 incident was an accident that could have happened to any airline.

Comedian Bright Okpocha, aka Basketmouth, who was also on the flight said that he did not entertain any fear, adding that he is ready to fly Dana any time

Source : Daily Independent

Med-View starts Abuja-Yola and Lagos-Owerri

Aviation Nigeria

Med-View Airline has uploaded schedules for its new daily Abuja-Yola and Lagos-Owerri service:

LOS-QOW VL2110 07:30-08:45
QOW-LOS VL2111 09:30-10:45
ABV-YOL VL2102 10:30-11:40 (Weekdays)
ABV-YOL VL2102 11:00-12:10 (Saturday)
ABV-YOL VL2104 13:55-15:05 (Sunday)
YOL-ABV VL2103 12:30-13:40 (Weekdays)
YOL-ABV VL2103 13:00-14:10 (Saturday)
YOL-ABV VL2105 15:45-16:55 (Sunday)

The flights to Yola originate from Lagos, meaning that passengers can travel from Lagos to Yola with a stopover in Abuja

New Abuja-based charter airline: Re-Routine Air.

Aviation Nigeria

Reports indicate the arrival of a new charter outfit, Re-Routine Air.

The airline is said to have been operating a wet-leased Embraer Legacy 600 (D-ATWO) from Abuja Airport, since this summer.

Unclear details of its ownership is still unclear.