AVIATION MEGAFORCE

    ASKY has expressed shock at the suspension of all its operations into Nigeria by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on the orchestrated death of an Ebola virus victim who came into the country from Liberia. According to the Director General of ASKY Airlines, Yissehak Zewoldi, the flight restriction was seriously affecting passengers within the region. He therefore urged NCAA to reconsider its position on suspending ASKY airline’s operations into Nigeria. He said since the initial outbreak of the Ebola virus in Guinea Conakry last February, and the recent spread in Liberia and Sierra Leone, the airline was highly concerned and has taken measures to avoid further spread. He disclosed that he had written to the Director General of NCAA twice already on the measures taken so far and the airline's full commitment to closely work with all authorities, governments and organizations in the region on the fight against the spread of the disease. He ...

MANAGING DIRECTOR UNVEILS NAMA ACT The Managing Director, Engr. Ibrahim Abdulsalam, has challenged all staff of the agency to have a clear understanding of the provisions of the act establishing NAMA as it relates to their various job functions. Engr. Abdulsalam, who made this remark at the official presentation of the NAMA ACT HANDBOOK at NAMA headquarters in Lagos, noted that “as a primary reference document, the Act would make for better understanding and appreciation of the mandate, functions and roles of the agency, thereby   enhancing   optimum performance and better service delivery”, stressing that “every staff has a part to play in the working and success of the Act through collective synergy”    Earlier in her address, the Legal Adviser, Mrs Anastasia Gbem, described the Act as the basic working document which every NAMA staff must take pains to understand its provisions as “the foundation of our very existence as an organization is derived therefrom...

>Pilot changed route because of storm, officials say File Photo of the missing MD-83 Spanish private airline company Swiftair has confirmed it had no contact with its MD-83 aircraft operated by Air Algerie, which it said was carrying 110 passengers and six crew. There were likely many French passengers among the 110 on the Air Algerie flight which disappeared en route from Burkina Faso to Algeria, France’s transport said today. Burkina Faso transport minister Jean Bertin Ouedrago said the Air Algerie flight that was en route from Ouagadougou to Algiers had asked to change route at 01.38 GMT because of a storm in the area. Authorities have lost contact with the flight en route from Ouagadougou to Algiers with 110 passengers and six crew on board, Algeria’s APS state news agency and a Spanish airline company said today. “There were likely French people on board, and if there were French people on board there were certainly many of them,” French minister Frederic Cuvillier...

  US officials stop short of blaming crash directly on Moscow and say separatists likely shot down plane by accident.  Pro-Russia rebels guard the area around the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 during monitoring by investigators. Photograph: Rob Stothard/Getty US intelligence officials accused Moscow of "creating the conditions" that resulted in the death of 298 people aboard the Malaysian Airlines jet shot down last week over a part of Ukraine controlled by Russia-backed separatists. But in a partial declassification of US intelligence on Tuesday, officials stopped short of laying the blame for the disaster directly at the door of Russia. The assessment of the US intelligence community is that the separatists shot the plane down by accident. The newly declassified information largely reaffirmed an account given last Friday by Samantha Power, US ambassador to the United Nations, saying that a missile from an SA-11 anti-aircraft battery in separatist t...

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has urged  Nigerians, especially air travellers, to make early preparations for their travel during the forthcoming Eid-fitr (Sallah) celebration. This, it noted was to avoid the rush that usually takes place during this period at major airports across the country. According to the General Manager, Corporate Communications of FAAN,Mr Yakubu Dati, airports across the country usually witness a huge volume of passenger traffic during these holidays, due to increased local movements of passengers for people travelling for the holidays, added to those returning from different countries overseas for the same purpose. The Authority counseled  travellers to leave home early during this period, in order to confirm their tickets and complete other pre-boarding formalities in good time because of the heavy vehicular movements on access roads close to the terminals that may cause some passengers to miss their flights. ...

  A RUSSIAN made helicopter belonging to the Nigerian Air Force reportedly crashed yesterday in South Bama, Borno State. Two out of the three member crew of the Mi-35 Helicopter- a pilot and engineer- died. The helicopter was said to be on a training exercise when the accident occurred. The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) confirmed yesterday evening that a Nigerian Air Force Mi-35 Helicopter on a training mission crashed due to technical fault at a location South of Bama. A statement by defence spokesman,Major General Chris Olukolade said investigation has commenced to unravel the circumstances that led to the accident. Olukolade  further  said “it is established that the crash is not as a result of any enemy action”.

  More than three days after the jetliner crashed, international investigators still have limited access The Associated Press Posted:                                              Pro-Moscow rebels piled nearly 200 bodies from the downed Malaysian jetliner into four refrigerated boxcars Sunday in eastern Ukraine, and cranes at the crash scene moved big chunks of the Boeing 777, drawing condemnation from Western leaders that the rebels were tampering with the site. The United States, meanwhile, presented what it called "powerful" evidence that the rebels shot down the plane with a Russian surface-to-air missile and training. Although other governments have stopped short of accusing Russia of actually causing the crash, ...

MH17: UN to vote on international access to crash site - live updates International pressure builds on Russian-backed rebels to allow free access to crash site and train containing bodies of the passengers.

  By Femi Fani-Kayode     Whoever it was that shot down Malaysian Airline flight MH 17 which was carrying innocent civilians through the skies of eastern Ukraine whilst on it’s way from Amstersdam to Melbourne on 17 July 2014 has indulged in an act of exceptional barbarity. This was a horrendous act of pure savagery and evil. The consequences of indulging in such a course of action for those that were involved in it will be far -reaching and devastating. As far as the unfolding and ugly events in Eastern Ukraine are concerned this episode is a real game changer. The question that is on everyone’s lips is who was behind it? The western and particularly the American media and international news networks have already provided an answer to that question and they would have us all believe their own version of events and accept their understanding of the narrative.   Yet things are never as simple as they appear to be when it comes to such matters. ...

  Widi Yuliono shows photographs of his relativesJohn Paulisen (Top-L), Yuli Hastini (Top-R), Arjuna Martin Paulisen (L) and Sri Paulisen (R) who are victims of the Malaysian Airline flight MH 17 plane disaster in eastern Ukraine, at his home in Solo, Central Java, Indonesia. Photograph: Mohammad Ali/EPA Topics: News World Europe Malaysia Airlines Australia Belgium Canada Germany Hong Kong Indonesia Malaysia More Topics United Kingdom Ukraine Philippines New Zealand Netherlands                            The Malaysia Airlines plane that was shot down over eastern Ukraine was carrying 298 people from at least 10 countries....

  A Malaysian airliner was shot down over eastern Ukraine by militants on  moments ago today (Thursday) killing all 295 people aboard, a Ukrainian interior ministry official was quoted as saying by Interfax-Ukraine news agency. The aircraft, which other sources said was a Boeing 777 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, came down near the city of Donetsk, stronghold of pro-Russian rebels, Anton Gerashchenko said, adding that it was hit by a ground-to-air missile. There was no further confirmation of the report, although Ukrainian officials said local residents had found wreckage. Malaysia Airlines said on its Twitter feed it had lost contact with its flight MH-17 from Amsterdam. "The last known position was over Ukrainian airspace," it said. Gerashchenko was quoted as saying: "A civilian airliner travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur has just been shot down by a Buk anti-aircraft system ... 280 passengers and 15 crew have been killed." Interfax...

  Commitment for 30 737 MAX 8s marks fleet transition for U.K.-based carrier to Boeing airplanes FARNBOROUGH, United Kingdom , July 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing [NYSE:BA] and Monarch Airlines today announced that the two companies are finalizing terms and working towards a Purchase Agreement for 30 737 MAX 8s, marking the start of a fleet transition for Monarch to Boeing single-aisle airplanes. The order, valued at $3.1 billion at current list prices, will be posted to the Boeing Orders & Deliveries website when finalized. "Today's announcement is an important milestone in an exhaustive three year evaluation process, and a key part of The Monarch Group's transformation and renewal," said Iain Rawlinson , Executive Chairman, The Monarch Group. "Boeing truly understood our business and put together a complete package that fits extremely well with our ambitions for the Group. With this announcement, we begin another chapter in our long and fruitful re...

Boeing  has announced  the selection of TRU Simulation + Training Inc. as its supplier for state-of-the-art full-flight training suites for the 737 MAX. The initial suite will include a full-flight simulator, a flat-panel training device and 10 desktop trainers which are anticipated to be ready for training in 2017 for customers new to both the Next-Generation 737 and 737 MAX. Current Next-Generation 737 customers who will begin operating the MAX can continue training new pilots on one of 14 Next-Generation 737 full-flight simulators within the Boeing Flight Services training network followed by a short differences training course for the 737 MAX. Pilots already certified on the Next-Generation 737 will not require a simulator course to transition to the 737 MAX. “Our flight training assets – including our state-of-the-art full-flight training suites – provide customers the benefit of Boeing’s knowledge and expertise while incorporating the highest standards in technology ...

Chief Judge of t he Federal High Court, Hon. Justice Ibrahim Auta  {left}  and the Acting Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation  Authority {NCAA},  Engr. Benedict Adeyileka  at the opening of a  Two-Day  seminar on Aviation Law for  Federal High Court Judges  and other Stakeholders at the Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja. The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) held the third in the series of its annual seminar Civil Aviation Law for Federal High Court Judges at the Sheraton Hotels & Towers, Ikeja, Lagos where eminent jurists were invited to discuss several legal issues  relating  to incidents, accidents, modern and developing legal issues in Nigeria and around the world. The Acting Director General of NCAA, Engineer Benedict Adeyileka in declaring the two-day seminar opened after welcoming the Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Appeal, the Chief Justice of the Federal High Court, Justices of the Fede...