Category: Travels

NLC rejects airports’ concession plan, recommends alternatives

Omobayo Azeez

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has written a letter to the President Muhammadu Buhari, disagreeing with the planned concession of four of the nation’s most viable airports. In the letter dated October 8, 2020 and signed by Ayuba Wanna, the NLC president, the congress warned the Federal Government that it would resist vehemently if the concession went ahead without a reconsideration of the facts. The letter entitled, ‘The Nigeria Labour Congress rejects the plan to concession Nigeria’s major airports’, asked the government to consider other viable and sustainable ways of…

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IATA accepts US military report on risk of catching COVID-19 on a flight

Business Metrics
ACI World, IATA in joint push for globally consistent approach to testin

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) welcomed the release of the results of testing by the United States Transportation Command (US Transcom) confirming the low risk of COVID-19 transmission onboard an aircraft. The US Transcom testing, which was conducted in August, found that “the overall exposure risk from aerosolized pathogens, like coronavirus, is very low” on the types of airline aircraft typically contracted to move Department of Defense (DOD) personnel and their families, US Transcom stated. More than 300 aerosol releases, simulating a passenger infected with COVID-19, were performed over…

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ACI World, IATA in joint push for globally consistent approach to testing

Business Metrics
ACI World, IATA in joint push for globally consistent approach to testin

Airports Council International (ACI) World and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) have made a joint call for a globally-consistent approach to testing international passengers as an alternative to quarantine measures. The global shut down of air transport as a result of COVID-19 travel restrictions has had a catastrophic impact on employment. Some 4.8 million industry jobs have been lost or are under threat. Governments must cooperate to remove quarantine restrictions and restart air travel, the duo demanded, adding: “A systematic approach to COVID-19 testing will provide an effective way…

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Emirates resumes Nigerian flights, UAE begins visa issuance

Business Metrics

The United Arab Emirates has confirmed that it would begin the issuance of visas to Nigerians from Thursday (today), the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, announced on Wednesday. Sirika had announced on September 30 that the UAE had written to state that it agreed to issue visas to Nigerians, a development that made the Federal Government lift the ban it had earlier placed on Emirates Airlines. “UAE has written to state that they agree to issue visas to Nigerians, consequently decision has been reached to allow Emirates to fly into…

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Sterling Bank pledges N10bn support for Nigeria’s ailing tourism

Banjo Olaniran
Sterling Bank pledges N10bn support for Nigeria’s ailing tourism

Sterling Bank Plc has pledged a N10 billion facility for the recovery of domestic tourism sector in the country post-COVID-19. This is based on the intelligence that the sector is one of the most hit industries by the heavy blow of novel Coronavirus pandemic, such that the United Nation (UN) has estimated that the sector loss $320 billion in exports in the first five months of the year and more than 120 million jobs at risk. Abubakar Suleiman, the chief executive officer of Sterling bank, revealed the lender’s plan to…

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Africa to lose $37bn in GDP to troubled aviation sector

Omobayo Azeez
IATA: Global airline traffic to fall by 66% in 2020

4.5m jobs at risk due to COVID-19, travel restrictions _____________________________________ The African economy is set to lose an estimated sum of $37 billion to dwindling traffic and travel restrictions bedeviling the aviation sector of the region. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) warned that the damage being done to the African aviation industry and on economies by the shutdown of air traffic owing to the COVID-19 pandemic has deepened. According to new data published today (Thursday, October 1, 2020) by the Air Transport Action Group of which IATA is a…

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FG places nine-year presidential jet on sale

Banjo Olaniran

The Federal Government has put up for sale a jet in the presidential fleet, Hawker 4000 aircraft with registration number, 5N-FGX/: RC 066. The business-size jet which entered into service in December 2011, has capacity for nine passengers and three crew members. Findings indicate that only 73 Hawker 4000 aircraft were manufactured by Hawker Beechcraft between 2001 and 2013 and they were sold for $22.91m each as of 2012. The FG in a published advert on Wednesday disclosed that the aircraft with a range of 3,190-nautical mile had flown for…

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COVID-19: Global tourism $460bn in H1’2020

Banjo Olaniran

The coronavirus crisis cost the global tourism sector $460 billion in lost revenue during the first six months of 2020 as the number of people travelling plunged, the UN has said. Revenue lost between January and June amounted to ”around five times the loss in international tourism receipts recorded in 2009 amid the global economic and financial crisis,” the Madrid-based World Tourism Organization said in a statement. International tourist arrivals fell by 440 million during the period, or 65 per cent, with Asia, the first region to feel the impact…

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Passengers groan as aviation unions shut Arik operations

Banjo Olaniran

Operations of Arik Air were on Monday shut down by the aviation unions over alleged non-payment of staff salaries since April after placing many of the workforce on compulsory leave and other anti-labour practices. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that unions included the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and Air Transport Senior Staff Services Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN). A NAN correspondent, who monitored the situation in Lagos, reports that all Arik Air operations were shut down including airlines as passengers expressed reservations. The Chairman, ATSSSAN, Arik…

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