On being informed of the intention of the Nigerian Aviation Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) to withdraw services starting from 4.00 pm on February 27, 2015, a conciliatory meeting was promptly held by the Honourable Supervising Minister of Labour & Productivity, Alhaji Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN, FCIArb on the same day. 2. During the meeting, the overview of the issues in dispute from the perspectives of the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN)/NATCA and the Management of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) were noted respectively. 3. Subsequently, the issues covered by the Communiqué signed at the end of the meeting between NAMA Management, ATSSSAN and NATCA Executives on January 18, 2015 were discussed seriatim. 4. The meeting noted that items nos. 4, 5, 7, and 8 on the communiqué wer
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By: STEPHEN TRIMBLE WASHINGTON DC Boeing vice-president Randy Tinseth says the company has studied reviving and re-engining the 757 “a couple” of times, but concluded that the economics do not make sense. “We’re not studying 757 re-engined replacements right now. It just doesn’t work,” says Tinseth, addressing the Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance (PNAA) conference in Seattle . Tinseth was asked to respond to a report in the Wall Street Journal that cited a source within Boeing saying a re-engined 757 was one option being considered as the company’s response to the long-range Airbus A321neo. “No, no,” Tinseth replied. In Boeing’s view, the 757 replacement market is limited. There are 550 passenger-carrying 757s still in operation, Tinseth says, excluding about 200-250 freighters. Of that market, only about 50-80 are flying trans-atlantic routes that exceed the maximum range of the 737 Max 9 or baseline A320neo . Instead of focusing on a 757 repla
by David Learmount About 14% of pilots flying for European airlines are self-employed or work for temporary work agencies (TWA), according to a European Commission funded study by the University of Ghent, which says that proportion is growing. The first conference held to examine this social phenomenon is being held in Paris on 12-13 February. It will be interesting to see what conclusions are reached about the practice. It’s perfectly legal, just another of those techniques modern multinational multi-base carriers can use to exploit the fact that laws and taxes stop at national borders, like the cop-cars in the Bonnie and Clyde movie screech to a halt at state boundaries. The study, carried out between September and November 2014 received responses from a total of 6,633 pilots, estimated to be some 10% of the known European professional pilot population. Some 5.4% of European pilots are in what Ghent University terms “atypical employment” involving a contract with a
By: DAVID LEARMOUNT LONDON Source: Flightglobal.com British Airways and the UK Civil Aviation Authority have been given 56 days (until 13 April) to reply to a Coroner’s “Report to Prevent Future Deaths”, that the December 2012 death of a BA pilot, Richard Westgate, was associated with the presence in his body of organophosphate toxins that are present in aircraft cabin air. The report makes a series of statements about the presence of toxins in cabin air and their potential effects on occupants, then demands statements from both organisations about what they intend to do to prevent further such deaths. The Senior Coroner for the County of Dorset, where the Westgate case is being heard, has advised BA and the CAA of his “matters of concern”, including: “That organophosphate compounds are present in cabin air; that the occupants of aircraft cabins are exposed to organophosphate compounds with consequential damage to their health; that impairment of the health of tho
By: DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW TOULOUSE Airbus took net orders for 1,456 aircraft during 2014, narrowly exceeding Boeing ’s end-of-year total of 1,432. It also achieved a record 629 deliveries, three more than it managed in the previous year, including handing over its first A350-900 to Qatar Airways . The remaining deliveries comprised 30 A380s as well as 108 A330s, plus 490 single-aisle types. Its order total for the year included 135 long-haul jets – among them the first A330neos – as well as 1,321 aircraft in the A320 and A320neo families. The figure means Airbus, which had only 61 long-haul orders at the end of November, more than doubled the total in the last month of the year. These agreements helped take Airbus’s backlog at the end of December to 6,386 aircraft, which the company values at more than $919 billion at catalogue prices. Airbus disclosed the figures during a briefing in Toulouse. Boeing last year delivered 723 aircraft.
Manpower capacity of the Nigerian A irspace Mana gement Agency, (NAMA) has recorded a giant leap with the additional rating of 40 Air Traffic Controllers by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, (NCAA),a statement by the acting general manager Public Affairs, Olajumoke Adetona said. The Air Traffic Controllers who cut across different cadres got their rating s after successfully passing the oral, practical and written examinations conducted in Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt as well as Benin airport s and supervised by the regulatory authority. A total of 43 Air Traffic Controllers took part in the rigorous rating examinations held between November and December, 2014 on Aerodrome, Approach, Approach Radar, Area/Airways and Area Control Surveillance . Out of this number, forty were successful while three were not. The Managing Director of the agency, Engr. Ibrahim Abdulsalam in a reaction , has commended the Air Traffic Controllers for justifying the huge
NAMA MOURNS AS FORMER MD ,MOHAMMED YUSUFU LAID TO REST A huge pall of grief has enveloped the entire NAMA family following the news early in the week that Alhaji Mohamed Yusufu, second Managing Director of the agency had passed on. The late Alhaji Yusufu who held sway as NAMA boss between 2001 and 2004 was born in Kogi State in 1948. He joined the then Nigerian Civil Aviation Department as an Air Traffic Controller in 1967 after graduating from the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) Zaria. By dint of hard work, commitment and dedication to duty, Alhaji Yusufu rose through the ranks to become a General Manager in 1995 and Managing Director/ Chief Executive of NAMA in 2001. A seasoned Air Traffic Controller and administrator par excellence, the late Yusufu who died on the 9 th of February, 2015 will be remembered for his unflinching commitment to the safety of the Nigerian airspace. Meanwhile, a high-powered delegation comprising top ma
A couple of days ago industr y players were gathered at the O riental h otel Lekki , at the instance of the Honourable Minister Aviation for the public presentation of Aviation Commit Initiative. In his words "It is a compendium of the industry commitments and initiative aimed at repackaging, rebranding and redirecting the industry towards enhanced service delivery and customer satisfaction". In achieving these objectives he directed members of the committees on accident report and aeronautical charges to liaise with the requisite agency heads and institutions for an accelerated implementation of their findings. The minister went further by highlighting some decisions he has consented to before proceeding with the public presentation of the aviation commit manual. The minster in his presentation said he had directed NCAA to publish the list of private operators who should not operate commercial flights, while all commercial flights being flown in the country must have
Indonesian crews pulled out more bodies following last year's crash of an AirAsia jet, raising the total to 100 so far, authorities said Sunday. Of the 100 bodies recovered, 72 have been identified, police said. Efforts are underway to identify the remaining victims. AirAsia Flight 8501 plunged into the sea on December 28 as it flew from the Indonesian city of Surabaya toward Singapore. It had 162 people on board. Divers resumed their attempt to lift up the fuselage of the Airbus jet on Sunday after earlier attempts failed. Before the plane crashed, the co-pilot was flying the jet as the more experienced pilot monitored the flight. CNN,JAKARTA INDONESIA. Things may have gone wrong in a span of three minutes and 20 seconds, triggering a stall warning that sounded until it crashed into the Java Sea, according to Indonesia's transportation officials. Though it's common for the co-pilot to be in control of the aircraft, significant questions remain. Why