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AFRICA NEWSAviation

Air Peace starts direct flights to Saudi Arabia

by Editor
written by Editor

West and Central Africa’s largest carrier, Air Peace, has concluded plans to commence direct flights from Nigeria to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The inaugural flight is slated to take place in October 2023. The airline made this disclosure during an engagement session with travel agents in Kano yesterday.

Lagos and Kano to Jeddah will operate three days every week with a possible connection from Abuja.

However, while commenting on the development, Air Peace’s Ground Operations Manager, Ayodeji Adeyemi, stated that the connectivity would be direct using the luxury Boeing 777.

He commended the travel agents, reinstating that the airline is committed to working with them in other to ensure the new route is maximised for everyone to enjoy the payoffs.

In his words: “In the first half of this year, we launched two major international destinations- Mumbai and Tel Aviv- and now we are gearing up for Jeddah next month.

“This does not only signal growth and expansion for the airline but it also demonstrates our firm commitment to reducing the burden associated with connecting cities with stopovers.

“We promise direct connectivity and this is evident in our international route network. We offer direct flights at affordable fares.”

The Vice-president, National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies, Northern Zone, Abdulrazak Ibrahim, commended Air Peace for the planned Jeddah route and reaffirmed their support while also urging the airline to keep blazing the trail in driving route connectivity across domestic and international cities.

Air Peace, which operated a flight to Antigua and Barbuda in August, with prospects of scheduled operations into the Caribbean nation, has a network of twenty domestic routes, 8 regional and 5 international destinations.

Source; Vanguardngr.com

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AfricaAFRICA NEWSAviationNigeriaOil & GasTransportation & Logisitics

Flight disruptions loom as Aviation fuel scarcity worsens,

by Radarr Africa
written by Radarr Africa

Domestic airlines under the aegis of the Airline Operators of Nigeria have warned Nigerians of impending disruptions in scheduled flight operations due to the scarcity of aviation fuel otherwise known as JETA1.

The AON in a statement signed by its spokesman, Prof Obiora Okonkwo, said the scarcity would force airlines to reschedule flights, leading to late operations and cancellations in some cases.

It stated that the unexpected development was a dent in airline operators and the industry, especially at this time of mass movement of people for the Christmas and New Year festivities.

The airline operators said, “While we do our utmost best to manage the situation and ensure safe flight operations, we plead for the understanding of the travelling public in the circumstance.

“We also call on the concerned authorities including product importers and marketers to do their best to resolve this ugly situation so as to ease the stress it brings on the travelling public.”

They reiterated their commitment to ensuring seamless services and safe air travel in the country. Aviation fuel scarcity had hit the domestic carrier a few months ago after the price of the product rose from about N300 per litre to over N600 per litre.

The President, the Association of Foreign Airlines and Representatives in Nigeria, Kingsley Nwokeoma, said there were fears that domestic carriers might suspend operations over the scarcity of aviation fuel

SOURCE: Punch news

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AfricaAFRICA NEWSAviationBusinessNewsNigeriaTransportation & LogisiticsWestern Africa

Aero Contractors acquires new aircraft

by Radarr Africa
written by Radarr Africa

Aero Contractors, Nigeria’s oldest airline, says it has taken delivery of the first set of two Dash-8 (Q-400) aircraft.

The airline announced this in a statement on Thursday.

The Dash 8 aircraft is said to be one of the most fuel-efficient and modern aircraft in the market and has a capacity of 74 seats.

Last month, Aero Contractors suspended operations due to the “impact of the challenging operating environment” on its daily operations.

The airline also said that most of its aircraft were undergoing maintenance.

According to the statement, the new aircraft, owned by UMZA Air, will be operated by Aero Contractors under a joint venture agreement between both parties.

The airline said the aircraft arrived at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja, on Thursday.

It added it would take delivery of the second aircraft in a couple of days.

Speaking on the development, Abdullahi Mahmood, managing director of Aero Contractors, assured customers that the airline would soon resume operations.

“We are pleased to inform our customers and stakeholders of the delivery of this aircraft under a joint venture agreement with UMZA Air,” the airline boss said.

“We missed our customers over the last few weeks and we are eager to offer our services to our highly esteemed passengers.

“Once we are ready to commence operation, we shall officially inform the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

“We shall announce our resumption of services with a new schedule soon once we are ready.”

Source: The Cable

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BusinessGlobal NewsNewsTransportation & Logisitics

British Airways suspends short-haul ticket sales from Heathrow

by Radarr Africa
written by Radarr Africa

British Airways (BA) has suspended the sale of short-haul flight tickets departing from Heathrow airport as industry challenges persist globally.

Short-haul flights are trips lasting anywhere from 30 minutes to three hours.

In a statement on Tuesday, BA said the move was in response to Heathrow’s request for airlines to limit new bookings and will last till August 8.

“We’ve decided to take responsible action and limit the available fares on some Heathrow services to help maximise re-booking options for existing customers, given the restrictions imposed on us and the ongoing challenges facing the entire aviation industry,” the statement reads.

It added that the suspension of ticket sales would affect flights to domestic and European destinations.

On July 12, 2022, Heathrow said it would restrict daily departing passengers to 100,000 as the industry continues to face several challenges.

Europe’s biggest airport (by passenger numbers) said its decision to restrict travellers numbers was taken “in the best interests of passengers” to provide “better, more reliable journeys this summer.”

The airport said it was happy that British Airways, its biggest airline, followed the request.

“We are pleased to see action from British Airways, acting responsibly and also putting passengers first,” it said.

The global aviation industry is facing numerous challenges as it strives to bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Nigeria, the sector is facing rising costs of aviation fuel, insecurity and infrastructural challenges, which have limited flight operations and exponentially increased airlines’ cost of operations.

ALSO READ: Telecel Group to take over Vodafone shares in Ghana

In a meeting on Wednesday, Hadi Sirika, minister of aviation, explained that the aviation fuel crisis was a global problem, adding that Nigeria plans to address it by revamping its refineries.

“It is aggravating in Nigeria because we don’t produce the product,” he had said.

“It’s aggravated also because the foreign exchange is scarce in Nigeria because the source of earning the foreign exchange also has dwindled.”

On Sunday, Emirates Airlines announced that it would reduce flight operations to Nigeria over its inability to repatriate about $85 million in revenue.

Source: The Cable

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BusinessSouth Africa

Liquidation for Kulula owner as Comair’s business rescue fails

by Radarr Africa
written by Radarr Africa

Comair’s business rescue practitioners (BRP) have lodged a court application to liquidate the airline after they failed to raise the funding needed to save it and resume operations, the BRPs confirmed in a statement on Thursday.

The company, which owns and operates domestic carrier kulula.com and has a franchise agreement to operate local British Airways flights, has been around since 1946.

“We did our utmost to secure the funding, but when we were unable to do so, had no option to [but] lodge the application. It is an extremely sad day for the company, its employees, its customers and South African aviation,” says BRP Richard Ferguson.

Despite being in business rescue, Comair was able to remain operational with the help of the Comair Rescue Consortium (CRC) which invested R500 million in the business for a 99% equity share

However, the cash-strapped airline hit the skids again late last month when it suddenly suspended all its flight. This shocked customers who just hours before the announcement were purchasing flight tickets at discounted prices.

Although there is still no certainty about what will happen to Comair employees during this process, the BRPs have noted that all company employees and customers – who held bookings or were owed refunds – will become creditors of the company to be considered when liquidation proceedings begin.

Source: Moneyweb

 

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