AVIATION MEGAFORCE

·           Increases capacity ahead of festive season Arik Air, Nigeria’s largest carrier is increasing its capacity ahead of Christmas and New Year celebrations to enable customers celebrate the festive season with family and friends. The capacity increase which will boost our key domestic routes, especially in the South East and South South zones, takes effect from December 15, 2017 and runs through January 14, 2018. The main highlights of the new schedule is the resumption of Abuja-Calabar and Abuja-Uyo routes which were suspended earlier in the year. Arik Air will be flying daily from Abuja to Uyo and five times a week from Abuja-Calabar. Similarly, the airline has increased the frequency between Lagos-Calabar, Lagos-Uyo, Lagos-Enugu, Lagos-Owerri, Abuja-Enugu to daily while Lagos-Asaba will operate five times weekly during the period. Head of Communications of the airline,Banji Ola said in a statement  on Wednesday i...

Nigeria is set to host aviation experts from all over the world to discuss “Financing the Development of Aviation Infrastructure.” The forum  organized by ICAO secretariat and being hosted by Nigeria, is to be declared opened on Monday by President Muhammadu Buhari. A press  statement by  James Odaudu, Deputy Director, Press & Public Affairs to the office of the Minister of State (Aviation) announced  during the week.  The Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, remarked that the hosting of the ICAO World Aviation Forum by Nigeria ,is  coming soon after it hosted the ICAO Symposium on Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) and this he noted ''is a clear indication of the confidence the Buhari Administration has elicited within the sector and an endorsement by the world body of its reform programmes for the nation’s aviation industry''. The third ICAO World Aviation Forum is intended to explore the benefi...

  Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has stopped Ethiopian Airlines from charging what it termed illegal fees from Nigerian passengers under the guise of possible deportation A statement  by the General Manager, Public Relations, of authority, Sam Adurogboye said that these unauthorized charges referred to by the airline as Refundable Deportation Fee is put at between $75 (Seventy five dollars) and $150 (One Hundred and Fifty US dollars)and  must be stopped immediately. Adurogboye said  that all South Africa bound Nigerian passengers on Ethiopian Airlines are often  compelled to pay this amount before boarding. “The Authority has been inundated with several complaints from many passengers that have suffered this fate. According to investigation by NCAA, all outbound passengers to South Africa from Murtala Mohammed International Airport, (MMIA), Lagos and Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, transiting through Addis Ababa, are liable to p...

Efficient, resilient design will expand U.S. missile defense capabilities  Boeing  recently received a $58.6 million, 35-month contract from the U.S. Missile Defense Agency to demonstrate its evolved Multi-Object Kill Vehicle (MOKV) technology, which increases interceptors’ ability to locate and destroy missiles headed toward the United States. The U.S. Department of Defense awarded this contract on May 12. “Our MOKV concept gives the Missile Defense Agency flexibility in eliminating threats more efficiently and affordably,” said Paul Geery, vice president, Mission Solutions, Phantom Works. “We’ve created a robust, resilient design that benefits from our extensive experience in advanced seekers.” In 2015, Boeing received an initial study contract from the Missile Defense Agency to design and develop the MOKV concept. As part of that contract, Boeing recommended technology risk reduction efforts for this next phase. Work will occur in Huntsville, Ala., a...

Photos (3)  Boeing has marked the first delivery of the new 737 MAX. The airplane, a 737 MAX 8, was handed over to Malindo Air at the Seattle Delivery Center. The Malaysia-based airline will be the first to put the 737 MAX into commercial service. “This airplane will change the face of the single-aisle market,” said Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and CEO Kevin McAllister. “The 737 MAX 8 is the best in its class, providing unmatched performance and economics for our airline customers.” “We are thrilled to partner with Boeing to take the delivery of the world’s first Boeing 737 MAX,” said Chandran Rama Muthy, CEO of Malindo Air. “The Boeing 737NG fleet has served Malindo well in its growth and we believe that the 737 MAX will become the centerpiece of our fleet. These new aircraft will allow us to go to further destinations and will play a key role in providing lower air fares to our customers." The 737 MAX family is designed to offer the greatest fle...

The Skyway Aviation Handling Company Limited, SAHCOL, a ground handling company of the SIFAX Group of Companies, has won three additional airlines to its clientele base. The new clients are Fly Mid Africa, Bristow Helicopter and Hak Air Fly Mid Africa is the Gambia's new national carrier, which has commenced flight services from Banjul, the Gambia capital with onward connections to Dakar, Freetown, Accra and Lagos. This contract will see SAHCOL providing total ground handling services: passenger, ramp and cargo handling, to Fly Mid Africa's four times in a week flight operations in and out of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. For Bristow Helicopters, the contract is for the handling of its passengers and ramp operations in Abuja. Bristow Helicopters is a provider of industrial aviation services, offering helicopter transportation Furthermore, SAHCOL shall provide passenger and ramp handling services for Hak Air in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harco...

The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari on Monday , approved new appointments for some agencies in the country’s aviation industry.  According to a statement by Alhaji Sabiu Zakari, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Transportation: "Captain Fola Akinkuotu  will be in charge of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA); Professor Sani Abubakar Mashi  for Nigerian Meteorological Agency ,NIMET); Captain Abdulsalam Mohammed (Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, NCAT Zaria) and Engr. Akinola Olateru – Commissioner, Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB).