Travel News

BY  Chinedu Eze

The Akanu Ibiam International Airport is one of the airports that would receive increased passenger and cargo movement this Yuletide season, as air travellers from different parts of the country and overseas travel to the countryside for the holiday. According to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), at the end of every year, airports in South East and South South parts of the country record over 40 per cent increase in passenger traffic.

During this period, airlines increase their frequencies to the airports located in Benin, Calabar, Asaba, Enugu, Owerri, Port Harcourt, Uyo and Warri and there is also hike in airfares, as there is increase in ticket demand. THISDAY spoke to the Enugu Airport Manager, Mrs. Cecilia Ogwuama, who said that the management of FAAN at the airport has put things in place to host more passengers in December.

She said the airlines that operate to the airport have already increased their flights for the Yuletide season and during that period aircraft would have high load factor so the airport management has put things in place to prepare for the upsurge. Ogwuama also told THISDAY that she had held meeting with security agencies that work at the airport on how to protect the passengers during the period.

“In getting prepared to welcome more passengers during the Christmas season we have procured more seats for travellers, improved the public address system and we have also provided two boarding areas,” she said.

The Airport Manager also disclosed that Ethiopian Airlines, which conducts the only international flights to the airport, has indicated that it would increase its frequency to daily flights in order to meet the demand of travellers from all over the world that head to Nigeria and Enugu during the period.

“So we have looked at the schedule and how to manage our existing space. Ethiopian Airlines has told us that towards the end of November its flight would come with full passenger and cargo load. We are prepared to welcome them,” she added. THISDAY learnt that the international terminal being built at the airport has reached 65 per cent completion and may become ready for operation in 2022.

BY  Chinedu Eze

The trend is beginning to change for Nigerian airlines as they begin to acquire brand new fleet, which saves fuel, has less maintenance cost and improves safety with hi-tech advancement.

At the on-going Dubai Air Show, two Nigerian carriers, Ibom Air and Overland Airways have ordered for brand new aircraft from Airbus and Embraer respectively, thus joining Air Peace, which has already started receiving its 13 brand new Embraer E195-E2. On Monday Embraer announced a firm order from Overland Airways for three Embraer E175 regional jets.

Speaking at the Dubai Airshow, President and CEO of Overland Airways, Capt. Edward Boyo, said, “We are confident that this is the right moment to invest, as regional aviation is on an optimistic post-pandemic recovery. Our customers will really enjoy all comfort in the E175, and we appreciate our partnership with Embraer.”

Also on Tuesday, Ibom Air announced an order of 10 Airbus A220, which delivery would start from the first quarter of 2003.

The new aircraft, A220 burns 20 per cent lower fuel per seat compared to previous generation aircraft and flies to a range of up to 3,400 nm (6,297 km), offering performance similar to larger, single-aisle aircraft.

Ibom Air noted that the A220s have combination of a superior cabin product and low operating costs, which are a perfect fit for the airline’s network growth strategy and would help the airline offer its customers an unrivaled value proposition.

Industry observers said this is a significant break from the past when domestic airlines do with already existing fleet and with the new trend, entrants into the sector would take a cue from the operators.

Over a decade after the defunct Nigeria Airways Limited acquired new aircraft, Arik Air broke the jinx and acquired brand new aircraft for its fleet and after many years, Air Peace which joined the market in 2014 began to acquire brand new fleet, which its delivery started early this year.

The airline had earlier made firm order for Boeing 737 MAX, which order still subsists and the delivery of the aircraft, which had met all standard of safety certification, may begin in 2023.

The Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Musa Nuhu, during the delivery of Air Peace brand new aircraft recently identified the benefits of new aircraft and expressed the wish that other airlines in Nigeria began to order new aircraft, which they have started doing.

Nuhu observed that it was not only ordering a brand new aircraft but the right size aircraft for the Nigerian market.

“That right size is as critical as being brand new because it further enhances the airline economics, you break even with much lower passengers, the operating cost are lower, your maintenance cost are lower, it is much easier. You can fly routes that and still come out even when you don’t have too many passengers. In addition to that, another factor we don’t realise, this new aircraft are environment friendly, less noise, less pollution,” he said.

Air Peace, Overland and Ibom Air acquired regional jets for the short and medium haul, which fit for domestic and regional markets like the West Coast.

While the airlines have to be commended for acquiring brand new aircraft, it has to be noted that old aircraft that are airworthy deliver as efficiently as brand new fleet. This was noted by industry stakeholder and the Chairman of West Link Airlines, Captain Ibrahim Mshelia who argued that in technical terms brand new aircraft is as good as old ones.

“A brand new aircraft is same as an older aircraft in technical terms. An airworthy 30-year-old aircraft is same as an airworthy one-day aircraft in terms of the safety we require. Age is about the comfort features for passenger and crew and update that are mandatory are also done at the right times to remain airworthy. Many if not most people are afraid of flying here, anyway. They are so frightened the moment they enter the cabin to the point some can’t even find an obvious overhead hatch rack door handle,” he said.

But brand new aircraft does not only make economic sense because it is more fuel efficient, but there would be no heavy maintenance for a number of years, which would also save the airline money in addition to the fact that in the first five years, the manufacturers may be providing the spares for the new equipment.

Commending the patronage of Overland Airways, Embraer Commercial Aviation Vice-president for Europe, Middle East and Africa, Cesar Pereira noted: “We are proud of this partnership with Overland and to support their regional expansion. We are seeing growing long-term demand for right sized aircraft to deliver profitable domestic connections in Nigeria.”

On his part, the Chief Commercial Officer of Airbus, Mr Christian Scherer said, “We are thrilled to add Ibom Air as a new Airbus customer. The A220 is ideally suited to Nigeria’s aviation needs, providing operational flexibility, growing the business, and responding to demand for increased passenger services. Through this investment, Ibom Air is underscoring its ambition for regional and in due course, international connectivity, efficiency and versatility.”

By Francois Murphy and Paul Carrel

• Summary

• Austria to reimpose full lockdown from Monday
• Germany can't rule out following suit, minister says
• Europe lockdown fears knock stocks

VIENNA/BERLIN, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Austria will become the first country in western Europe to reimpose a full COVID-19 lockdown, it said on Friday as neighbouring Germany warned it may follow suit, sending shivers through financial markets worried about the economic fallout.

A fourth wave of infections has plunged Germany, Europe's largest economy, into a national emergency, Health Minister Jens Spahn said. He urged people to reduce their social contacts, warning that vaccinations alone would not reduce case numbers.

Austria said it would require the whole population to be vaccinated as of February.

Roughly two-thirds of Austria's population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, one of the lowest rates in western Europe. Its infections are among the highest on the continent, with a seven-day incidence of 991 per 100,000 people.

"We have not succeeded in convincing enough people to get vaccinated," Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg told a news conference, saying the lockdown would start on Monday and the requirement to be vaccinated on Feb. 1.

"It hurts that such measures still have to be taken."

Asked if Germany could rule out an Austrian-style full lockdown, Spahn said: "We are now in a situation - even if this produces a news alert - where we can't rule anything out.

"We are in a national emergency," he told a news conference.

European stocks retreated from record highs, while government bond yields, oil prices and the euro tumbled as the spectre of a fresh COVID-linked lockdown in Germany and other parts of Europe cast a fresh shadow over the global economy. read more

As cases rise again across Europe, a number of governments have started to reimpose limits on activity, ranging from Austria's full lockdown, to a partial lockdown in the Netherlands, to restrictions on the unvaccinated in parts of Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Hungary reported 11,289 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, its highest daily tally, and will make booster shots mandatory for all healthcare workers and require mask wearing in most indoor places from Saturday. read more

While the new measures across Europe are not seen hitting the economy as much as the all-out lockdowns of last year, analysts say they could weigh on the recovery in the last quarter of the year, especially if they hit the retail and hospitality sectors.

A full lockdown in Germany would be more serious, however.

"A total lockdown for Germany would be extremely bad news for the economic recovery," said Ludovic Colin, a senior portfolio manager at Swiss asset manager Vontobel.

"It's exactly what we saw in July, August of this year in parts of the world where the delta (variant) was big, it (COVID-19) came back and it slows down the recovery again," he added.

CHRISTMAS IN QUESTION

The pressure on intensive care units in Germany had not yet reached its peak, Spahn said, urging people to reduce contacts to help break the wave.

"How Christmas will turn out, I dare not say. I can only say it's up to us," he added.

Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday Germany will limit large parts of public life in areas where hospitals are becoming dangerously full of COVID-19 patients to those who have either been vaccinated or have recovered from the illness.

Merkel said on Thursday the federal government would consider a request from regions for legislation allowing them to require that care and hospital workers be vaccinated.

Saxony, the region hardest hit by Germany's fourth wave, is considering shutting theatres, concert halls and soccer stadiums, Bild newspaper reported. The eastern state has Germany's lowest vaccination rate.

New daily infections have risen 14-fold in the past month in Saxony, a stronghold of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which harbours many vaccine sceptics and anti-lockdown protesters.

Much of the Austrian public is also sceptical about vaccines, a view encouraged by the far-right Freedom Party, the third-biggest in parliament. It is planning a protest against coronavirus restrictions on Saturday.

Additional reporting by Dhara Ranasinghe in London Writing by Paul Carrel Editing by Nick Macfie

by  Okechukwu Nnodim

The pump price of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, may rise from the current N162-N165/litre to N170/litre, while its depot price is projected to increase from N159/litre to N165/litre, oil marketers said on Thursday.

Dealers under the aegis of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria and the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria warned that the rising cost of petrol at depots would definitely warrant commensurate increase in pump price if not checked.

They also complained of PMS supply problems, stressing that many tank farms or depots had no petrol, which was why the few ones that had the commodity had to increase its price from the approved N148/litre price to N159/litre.

But the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited maintained its stance that it had enough petrol to last the country all through the festive season and beyond.

IPMAN and PETROAN members own bulk of the filling stations across the country and make purchases from depots before selling to final consumers at their various retail outlets.

Providing explanations for the rising cost of petrol at depots, owners of the facilities told our correspondent that it was because the recent agreement reached by key stakeholders in the downstream oil sector had yet to be effected by the Federal Government.

The NNPC had last week agreed to revert to naira-denominated invoices for excess capacity for coastal movement using the Investors and Exporters window rate for the time being, but this had yet to be implemented.

Depot owners had argued that the payment of the charges in dollars was a major hindrance to their effective participation in products distribution, saying this had led to scarcity in many cities.

On the possibility of a hike in the pump price of petrol soon, the National Public Relations Officer, IPMAN, Chief Ukadike Chinedu, said it was inevitable if the current increase in depot price persists.

Asked if the high depot cost could result in an increase in pump price, he replied, “Yes, because if you look at our profit margin, you will realise that it is regulated and fixed.

“And they (government) often talk about deregulation. But you cannot do deregulation in a regulated market. There is a band and you say you are doing deregulation.

“So for marketers, any moment from now, we will be pushed to take the band above N165 to N170 if this situation continues.”

Chinedu further argued that there had been problems with product availability, contrary to the position of the NNPC that it had enough petrol that would last for months.

The IPMAN spokesperson said, “I want you to know that the availability of petrol is a problem. Most tank farms don’t have products. And the place to go and buy product is from the few ones that have.

“And as a result, profiteering will set in and they will be selling at N159 to N160/litre. You (marketers) will now consider moving the product to your filling stations, particularly for marketers who don’t get bridging claims.

“Now this marketer will pay close to N100,000 to be able to send the product to his station. Now when the product gets to his station, that product’s cost is almost at N163/litre. So, will he use only N2 margin to sell petrol, knowing that he will pay staff, power bill, taxes, etc?”

Chinedu added, “Marketers should not be held responsible when the pump price increases. Many tank farms don’t have products. So marketers don’t have any option because if they buy, they sell.

“If there is surplus you will see marketers selling at N162/litre or below, but right now you hardly find anyone selling at that price. I also want to let you know that by next week, products will be close to N165/litre at depots.”

The President PETROAN, Billy Gillis-Harry, confirmed the position of IPMAN, noting that retailers of petrol at filling stations would adjust their prices upwards beyond the N165/litre if depots continued to sell at unapproved rates.

He said, “Private depot owners have increased their prices arbitrarily by themselves. Most retail outlets are very disciplined now by keeping the pump price within the band.

“But if the depots keep maintaining the N157 to N159/litre as they are doing, there will be no choice for retail outlet owners but to also add the commensurate price to it. That’s the reality.”

Gillis-Harry, however, stated that PETROAN had reported officially to the defunct Department of Petroleum Resources, which had now metamorphosed into two agencies based on the implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act.

“We will be having meeting with the new midstream and downstream regulator soon and this will be one of the issues that will come up when we meet,” the PETROAN president stated.

On why depot owners had raised their pride beyond the approved N148/litre price, an official of the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria told our correspondent that the NNPC had failed to implement an agreement that was reached by stakeholders last week.

The official said NNPC had agreed to revert to naira-denominated invoices for excess capacity for coastal movement using import and export window rate for the time being.

The source further explained that the dollar charges on port dues of fuel vessels by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency and the Nigerian Ports Authority had been a challenge to depot owners.

The official stressed that the insistence of the agencies was despite a presidential directive that had ordered both organisations to stop doing so.

According to the source, the NNPC is now charging in dollars for the use of its vessels contrary to the naira charges previously done.

He stressed that the cost was now huge on depot owners, as this was the basic reason for the hike in depot price to N159/litre.

The Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, NNPC, Garba-Deen Muhammad, could not be reached for comment, as he did not answer calls to his phone.

He had yet to respond to a WhatsApp message sent to him on the matter at the time of filing this report.

However, Muhammad had said in a statement issued recently that the NNPC had over 1.7 billion litres of petrol in stock and more product was expected to arrive Nigeria daily over the coming weeks and months.

He said it was unnecessary to entertain any fear of scarcity of petrol throughout the festive season and beyond.

He also stressed that NNPC was also not aware of any plan by government to cause an increase in the pump price of petroleum.

(Bloomberg) -- “Please assess yourself. Are you physically and mentally fit to fly? Not only may you be interned for up to 21 days quarantine at a government facility, but your family may also be interned for a minimum of three days. Again, assess yourself before every duty. Your well-being and mental state ultimately has an impact on the safety of the operation.”

That was the stark message conveyed in a letter this week to Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. pilots, sent by the Hong Kong Aircrew Officers Association, the union representing them. Essentially, it’s encouraging members disturbed and upset about the city’s ongoing Covid-19 quarantine rules -- among the strictest in the world -- to consider calling in sick rather than risk taking to the skies.

The letter, sent on Nov. 17 and seen by Bloomberg News, is just the latest sign of rising tensions in Hong Kong’s business community as Chief Executive Carrie Lam’s government continues to pursue a zero-tolerance approach to Covid, even as other parts of the world start to open up and move on. The city’s desire to keep out the virus at any cost is manifesting in an array of extreme measures, leaving many with the luxury of choice seriously considering quitting the financial hub.

Two days before the union’s letter, on Nov. 15, Cathay -- the world’s third-biggest airfreight commercial carrier and a crucial link for Hong Kong to the outside world -- said crew members who stayed in Frankfurt this month will be quarantined in a government facility for 21 days after three pilots on cargo flights from the German city tested positive. On Thursday, Cathay said it had fired the individuals involved for a “serious breach” during their layover and as a result, was requesting “the government to review the decision to place certain groups into quarantine.”

The union said the incident led to the quarantining of more than 200 Cathay pilots and crew members at Penny’s Bay, a government-run camp near Hong Kong Disneyland where people must remain locked in small, spartan rooms for the duration of their confinement. The union declined to comment Thursday on the pilots’ sacking or the letter.

The dramatic response and sudden isolation of so many colleagues has caused morale at the airline to plunge, according to people familiar with the situation. The number of pilots handing in their notice could stretch into the hundreds, the people said. 

Pilots, many of whom are expatriates, have also reported being spat upon and otherwise targeted for abuse by Hong Kongers concerned that airline employees may seed cases of the virus, according to the union. “The public view appears to be that we are the equivalent of rats during the Great Plague,” the letter said. 

Read more: Hong Kong Quarantines 120 Kids as Classmate’s Dad Gets Covid

A spokesperson for Cathay said the airline is “doing all we can to help everyone affected,” including bringing in electrical appliances, amenities and additional food supplies to those interned at Penny’s Bay. Beyond that, the airline is “exploring options and seeking expressions of interest from pilots to participate in temporary extended roster patterns which involve a series of duties from outside of Hong Kong.” 

It also acknowledged the importance of cargo to the airline, saying “we are trying our best to maintain our cargo network as much as we can.” On Wednesday, traffic figures for October pointed to an exceptionally strong cargo season for Cathay, one that’s “led to a positive impact on operating cash burn.” Cathay lost HK$21.6 billion ($2.8 billion) last year, and the airline last week warned that tighter crew curbs by the government could disrupt the supply of goods moving in and out of the city.

The Frankfurt incident also prompted Cathay to introduce additional anti-Covid measures for crew returning to Hong Kong who are not subject to self-isolation or quarantine orders. They included an edict to remain at home for three days after returning from a trip other than for essential activities, which should be limited to two hours a day, keeping a log of all locations visited and carrying out rapid antigen tests daily. Cathay already has a vaccine mandate for all crew members and is requiring them to get boosters by the end of April.

Ironically, the measures come as Hong Kong enjoys one of its longest periods since the pandemic began without community cases or significant virus spread. The city is yet to have a local delta outbreak. 

The quarantine regime, which requires residents coming from places like the U.S. to isolate in a hotel for up to 21 days, is being increasingly criticized as unnecessary and outdated, as the world starts to treat Covid as endemic. Hong Kong and China are the last holdouts of the so-called Covid Zero approach, which worked well at eliminating cases in the first year of the pandemic but has been abandoned by places like Singapore and Australia because it’s almost impossible to maintain against the more contagious delta variant. 

Read more: This Is How Long Experts Think China Will Stick With Covid Zero

“It’s a strategy borne out of a desire and belief that they can curb the virus if they pursue such an approach,” said Shukor Yusof, founder of aviation consulting firm Endau Analytics. “I think there’s also an indirect desire to show the world they’re able to not have any infections on a daily basis. It’s been fairly successful but the question is whether it makes sense for them to continue and for how long, because this is a financial center.”

Almost half of the major international banks and asset managers in Hong Kong are contemplating moving staff or functions out of the city, a survey last month by the Asia Securities Industry & Financial Markets Association, the top lobby group for financial firms in Hong Kong, found. An American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong survey released in May found more than 40% of respondents were considering leaving the city amid concerns about the Covid policies and crackdown on political dissent.

Read more: Hong Kong Pressured to Track Residents Like China to Open Border

Back at Cathay, the response to the three positive cases has created a sense of victimization among pilots. Those Bloomberg spoke to requested anonymity because they worry that speaking out could lead to disciplinary action from the airline or prosecution by police using the National Security Law imposed in Hong Kong last year.

The measures are no longer about containing the virus, one Cathay pilot said. Crew either do what they’re instructed or leave, and a high number of pilots are eyeing the door, another said. 

The eastern leg of HS2 to Leeds has been scrapped and a full high-speed east-west line linking Manchester to Leeds will not be built, the government has confirmed, as it insisted faster train journeys would be delivered earlier and cheaper under a £96bn rail plan.

The high-speed rail network will go ahead to Manchester but be curtailed at an existing east Midlands station rather than run from Birmingham to Leeds, while the TransPennine route will be improved mainly through upgrades rather than a brand new line.

The transport secretary, Grant Shapps, told the Commons that the changes and investment would bring better rail connections for passengers years earlier in a network that “works for every community and every passenger, right across the UK”.

© PA Wire/PA ImagesConcrete tunnel segments are taken into the tunnel at the south portal HS2 align compound, in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire. Picture date: Wednesday November 3, 2021. (Photo by Steve Parsons/PA Images via Getty Images)

However, the move has been met with anger and disappointment in the north of England and Midlands, with Labour describing the new plan as “crumbs” after promises of a full joined-up high speed network.

The prime minister, Boris Johnson, said as recently as last month that the government would build Northern Powerhouse Rail, but the route that northern leaders hoped would be at the centre, a new high-speed line from Manchester to Leeds via Bradford, will not be built.

The HS2 line from London to Birmingham and Manchester will still be built.

Calls have been made for an investigation into nurses joining the UK nursing and midwifery register from countries on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) ‘red list’ where active recruitment should not be used.

More than 1,500 nurses have joined the UK nursing register in six months from the red list, figures show.

“I know the UK takes its ethical recruiting framework seriously, but the numbers we are seeing merit further investigation for people to be reassured"
Howard Catton

Latest data released this week by the Nursing and Midwifery Council revealed that in the six months to September 2021, 1,334 nurses joined the register from Nigeria, and 336 joined from Ghana. Both countries are on the WHO’s Health Workforce Support and Safeguard List.

Chief executive of the International Council of Nurses, Howard Catton, said the figures “merit further investigation”.

“When we see a figure of 1,334 nurses joining the register in six months from Nigeria, this flashes red to me,” he told Nursing Times.

In February the government updated its code of practice for international recruitment, aligning itself with WHO advice on ethical international recruitment.

It widened the global market from which the UK can ethically recruit, because the WHO’s ‘red list’ of 47 countries where healthcare staff could not be actively recruited, replaced the previous UK list of 152 countries.

The government said at the time that the new code would help meet its target of delivering 50,000 nurses by 2024. The code says that health and social care worker recruitment from overseas should be “undertaken in an ethical, managed and mutually beneficial way and in line with advice from the WHO”.

Nurses from red list countries are still free to apply for UK jobs, but Mr Catton said the number of nurses moving from Nigeria “does look to be a high figure to be accounted for purely by individuals who are moving of their own accord”.

“We have seen a pick-up in global recruiting to countries in Europe and the US, and the pandemic is only likely to make that worse,” he added.

“I know the UK takes its ethical recruiting framework seriously, but the numbers we are seeing merit further investigation for people to be reassured.”

“What is important is that nurses that come to work in the UK from Nigeria are offered the help and support they need"
Wendy Olayiwola

President of the Nigerian Nurses Charitable Association UK, Wendy Olayiwola, said she was unaware of active recruitment of Nigerian nurses to the UK, and that some nurses were struggling to find jobs in their home country.

“What is important is that nurses that come to work in the UK from Nigeria are offered the help and support they need,” she said.

The NMC figures published on Tuesday revealed that the nursing and midwifery register had grown by 13,011 to a total of 744,929 in the six months to September 2021 – a rise of 1.8%.

Much of the register’s increase in that time was down to recruitment from overseas, with 10,642 of 24,036 new joiners coming from countries outside the European Economic Area.

Professor Judith Ellis, nurse and chair of trustees at the Tropical Health and Education Trust (THET), said: “I recognise the UK health workforce need for international recruitment but the vital element for me as chair of THET is ensuring ‘ethical recruitment practices’.

“This is about recognising that international recruitment must not come at the expense of low and middle-income countries that can at any time, not just when we are all facing a pandemic, ill afford to lose health workers.”

She added: “Ethical international recruitment to the NHS definitely brings benefit to the NHS and to the individuals personally choosing to join the UK nursing workforce, but UK organisations should not be actively and aggressively recruiting from red list countries, unless there is a recognisable benefit to the countries that have trained and educated them.”

BY  Kayode Oyero

The British High Commission has said that high demand for visitor visas among Nigerians has been responsible for late processing.

The commission made this known in a statement titled, ‘Statement from the British High Commission to Nigeria: UK Visitor Visa Application’

It said, “Due to extremely high demand, standard UK visitor visas are taking significantly longer than usual to be processed.

“We are unable to give individual updates on applications. You will be contacted by TLS when your passport is ready for collection. Please do not attend the VAS until you have been invited to do so.

“Where there are extremely compassionate or compelling circumstances (for example, a medical emergency) we may consider expediting specific cases. However, the bar for this is high and will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

“If your request is exceptionally urgent you can contact UK Visas and Immigration for help. Please note that this is chargeable service for overseas customers.

“We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience to all affected customers and recognise that facing delays is really difficult for our customers.

“This is an outcome of an extraordinary travel situation we are experiencing during the pandemic.”

 by Patience Ivie Ihejirika

Nigeria has signed a cooperation agreement with the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire to prevent, suppress, and punish trafficking in persons especially in women and children.

This was the highpoint of the second session of the Ivorian-Nigerian Joint Commission of Cooperation, which was held from 4th to 6th November 2021, in Abidjan.

In a statement issued yesterday by the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), it said the agreement, which is designed to deepen collaboration and mutual cooperation between the two countries, would be implemented by the agency on behalf of the federal government.

NAPTIP said the objective of the agreement is to develop a common front to prevent and punish trafficking in persons by sharing of intelligence and sensitisation campaigns in both countries; to protect, rehabilitate and reintegrate victims of trafficking into their original environment and to promote friendly cooperation between both countries.

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The high-level delegation from Nigeria was led by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, minister of state for foreign affairs, Ambassador Zuberu Dada, minister of state for industry, trade and investment, Ambassador Mariam Katagum, the director-general of NAPTIP, Dr Fatima Waziri-Azi.

South African Airways (SAA), yesterday, concluded plans to resume the Lagos-Johannesburg operations beginning from December 12, 2021. The carrier, just emerging from crisis, has brought options on the lucrative route that also has Air Peace airlines.

SAA has been flying to Nigeria for the past 23 years and the resumption of the service is a welcome addition to its growing continental offering.

The interim Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of South African Airways, Thomas Kgokolo, in a statement, said the Lagos destination takes SAA into one of the biggest travel markets in Africa, and “we are delighted that we are again able to resume operations, providing a link between Africa’s two biggest economies.”

Kgokolo said the service is part of SAA’s gradual growth strategy, having resumed full operations in September. He said: “Our intention is to continue to develop our route network driven by passenger demand and revenue potential. We are constantly evaluating opportunities, both locally, regionally, and internationally.”

He further stated that not only does the Lagos-Johannesburg route function as a key economic link between the two countries but would also service the burgeoning tourism market in both countries.

He disclosed that SAA would continue in partnership with South African Tourism to promote the country in Nigeria in the expectation that it would lead to more visitors now that international pandemic travel restrictions are being revised.

South African Airways had on September 23rd, 2021 resumed operations after a year of inactivity and almost 18 months without a commercial flight.

The carrier initially offered flights from Johannesburg to Cape Town, Accra, Kinshasa, Harare, Lusaka, and Maputo.

SAA has not flown any commercial flights since March 2020 and ceased all cargo and repatriation flights in September last year.

Kgokolo said: “After months of diligent work, we are delighted that SAA is resuming service and we look forward to welcoming on board our loyal passengers and flying the South African flag. We continue to be a safe carrier and adhere to COVID-19 protocols.”

Tickets went on sale on August 26th and have sold well, according to the airline. According to Kgokolo, early figures indicate flights may be up to 75 per cent full. Opening up other routes may prove to be a complication due to ongoing travel restrictions.

Kgokolo added: “There is a profound feeling of enthusiasm within Team SAA as we prepare for takeoff, with one common purpose -to rebuild and sustain a profitable airline that once again takes a leadership role among local, continental, and international airlines.”

The airline hasn’t operated any commercial flights since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020. From that period until September 2020, the airline maintained cargo and repatriation flights but was forced to cease all operations due to financial problems.

After spending a period of 17 months in administration, SAA finally exited ‘business rescue’ in April 2021, before the South African government agreed to sell its majority stake to Takatso Consortium in June.