Travel News

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India will make COVID-19 molecular tests mandatory for people arriving directly or indirectly from the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil in a bid to contain the spread of more infectious virus variants found in those countries.

India, which has reported the highest number of overall COVID-19 cases after the United States, detected the South African variant in four people last month and the Brazilian one in one person this month.

The government has said the South African and Brazilian strains can more easily infect a person’s lungs than the UK mutation. India has so far reported 187 cases of infection with the UK variant.

The government late on Wednesday said airlines would be required from next week to segregate inbound travellers from those countries. India does not have direct flights with Brazil and South Africa, and most people travelling from these countries generally transit through Middle Eastern airports.

By Chinedu Eze

On January 28, 2021, when Air Peace received its first brand new aircraft from Embraer, the Chairman of the airline, Allen Onyema used the ceremony to let Nigerians know what the Buhari-administration did for the aviation industry.

He told his audience about the waiver government gave the domestic airlines on Customs Tariff and VAT, which was an Executive Order on exemption of Customs tariffs and VAT for the commercial operators.

The waivers are expected to save airlines estimated N3 billion to N5 billion annually and such money could be ploughed to other areas like training, he estimated.

Air Peace Chairman while delivering a speech during the ceremony to receive the new aircraft in Abuja, had explained how the airlines worked with the Ministry of Aviation to secure the Executive Order from President Muhammadu Buhari and its many benefits.

"The Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, the Chairmen of Senate and House Committee on Aviation, Senator Smart Adeyemi and Hon. Nnoli Nnaji and Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) worked assiduously to help aviation industry secure the waivers.

"I especially thank the President of Nigeria for making it possible. Today as this plane has come in we are not going to pay customs duties on the plane and 12 others that will come after it.

"Senator Adeyemi, and Hon. Nnaji, we owe all of you a great deal for this feat. What we at AON did was to present those challenges that have been bringing down airlines in Nigeria and we moved to meet the National Assembly Committees on Aviation, and they said the best place to do this is to use a legislation to do it. We met our Minister who took it upon himself to make sure that these things were removed to enable airlines prosper in this country," he had said.

He gave kudos to Sirika who pushed the request through the National Assembly and the Presidency and ensured that the Executive Order was signed by the President.

Former CEO of Aero Contractors, Captain Ado Sanusi told THISDAY that the waiver could save the aviation industry about N3 to N5 billion annually, depending on the level of transaction in that particular year, if effectively implemented by the Nigerian Customs.

He said that the waiver could be up to five to seven per cent of the cost of aircraft engine, for example, which could be purchased for $5 million and the airline would pay up to 5-7 per cent of that amount.

Sanusi also explained that the airlines may not gain directly from the waiver on VAT but it will bring down the cost of air ticket, which could serve as incentive for more people to travel by air because airlines collect the money from passengers and remit them to government.

"If Nigerian Customs Service implements the waiver well it will save the aviation industry between N3 billion to N5 billion annually, but VAT will not save airlines anything but it will reduce the cost of tickets.

"This will enable airlines have more cash flow. So if Customs waivers is fully implemented the industry will benefit but right now it is not being implemented well," he said.

Speaking on the benefits of the waivers, the Director of Engineering, Ibom Air, Lukeman Animaseun, told THISDAY that the waiver would save Nigerian carriers a lot of money, lamenting about how the taxes eroded the finances of Nigerian airlines in the past, stating that Customs still demand some taxes from airlines on aircraft spares and equipment, explaining that what airlines pay now could not be described as duties but they still pay some kind of taxes to Customs.

"There is zero duty on imported spares and aircraft but we still pay some kind of tax, which is 1.5 per cent of the cost of the spares you are importing. This one is not Customs duty or tariff, but it is a kind of tax; so we still pay.

"So if you buy aircraft for $50 million and you pay 1.5 per cent of that amount as tax that is a huge some. But that will be more than double if you pay 5 per cent duties on it. But I hope that Customs will follow the Executive Order signed by the President and exempt airlines from paying those taxes," Anumaseun said.

It was Customs' failure to abide fully with the Executive Order that prompted the House Committee Chairman on Aviation, Nnaji to call on Customs to respect the new government policy of total exemption of duties on imported aircraft and spares, he said.

"The House of Representatives Committee on Aviation has condemned the continued collection of import duties on imported commercial aircraft and spare parts despite the President Muhammadu Buhari's executive order exempting them," Nnaji had said.

BY Okechukwu Nnodim, Abuja

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation on Thursday said it had not effected any increase in the ex-depot price of Premium Motor Spirit and as such the pump price of the commodity had not been hiked.

But on the other hand, oil marketers who dispense the products at the pumps stated that while NNPC claimed not to have increased ex-depot price, private depot owners had raised their prices.

This, they said, had led to the rise in the pump price of petrol in some filling stations, adding that the cost of the commodity would definitely rise in other outlets in the coming days.

Meanwhile, it was observed that queues of motorists surfaced in some filling stations in Abuja and neighbouring Nasarawa and Niger states.

The NNPC filling station on Arab Road in Kubwa, IBWAS filling station on Kubwa-Zuba expressway, among others in Zuba, Niger State, had queues of motorists on Thursday morning, as similar scenarios played out in some other locations.

The spokesperson of NNPC, Kennie Obateru, said there was no increase in petrol price in February.

He noted that this was in spite of the rise in the price of crude oil in the international market, adding that NNPC had ruled out any increment in the ex-depot price of petrol in February 2021.

Obateru said the decision was to allow ongoing engagements with organised labour and other stakeholders to be concluded as regards an acceptable framework that would not expose Nigerians to hardship.

The corporation urged petroleum products marketers not to engage in hoarding of petrol in order not to create artificial scarcity, as it stated that it had enough stock of petrol to keep the nation well supplied for about 40 days.

The National Public Relations Officer, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Chinedu Ukadike, told our correspondent in Abuja that dealers met to address the price concern in the downstream sector.

He said, “We met as regards the emerging trend in the downstream supply of petroleum products. We had a Central Working Committee meeting yesterday (Wednesday) where stakeholders looked at the trends.

“We were able to look at some of the policies and the introduction of e-payments by PPMC and the challenges therein, as well as the issue of buying products from other private depots and the profiteering in that section.”

He said independent marketers were currently buying PMS at between N160 and N161/litre from private depots, while the government approved pump price at filling stations was N162 to N165/litre.

Ukadike stated that with the current development, it was difficult for marketers to profitably sell at the approved pump price, stressing that the cost of petrol would definitely increase soon.

He said, “The queues building up at filling stations show that the supply system has been disrupted a bit, but the spokesperson of NNPC is saying that they have 40 days sufficiency.

“And because the PPMC has not come out with its price schedule for February, this made tank farms to withhold products because they don’t know if price will increase or decrease. But definitely it is going to increase.”

BY Chinedu Eze

In order to enable free flow of movement across borders and to put an end to the impasse occasioned by restriction of airlines by countries due to COVID-19 pandemic, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has introduced new travel pass.

Recently the federal government and the United Arab Emirates had a spat over the introduction of Rapid Antigen Test (RDT), which has prompted Emirates Airlines to stop all outbound flights from Nigeria and also stopped Air Peace from operating to Sharjah in UAE. The objective of the IATA traveling pass is to have a common guideline on international airline operation.

IATA noted that the issue was that governments need to be confident that they are mitigating the risk of importing COVID19 to re-open borders without quarantine and restart aviation. To resolve this issue, IATA recommended testing, which it said has been proven to be the safest and most effective method to achieve this, adding that passengers are willing to get tested to travel.

“But both passengers and governments need to have confidence in each passenger’s verified COVID-19 status,” the body stated. To resolve the problem IATA has given certain conditions, which include that passengers need accurate information on test requirements, where they can get tested or vaccinated, and the means to securely convey test information to airlines and border authorities and it is the authorised government agency that should provide this information to the passenger.

IATA said the airlines need to have the ability to provide accurate information to their passengers on test requirements and verify that a passenger meets the requirements for travel and government needs to be able to verify the authenticity of tests and the identity of those presenting the test certificates, while the laboratories need to be able to issue certificates that will be recognized by governments.

“To address these challenges IATA is launching a combination of four modules that are interoperable and open access. “These include registry of health requirements, which enables passengers to find accurate information on travel, testing (and eventually vaccine) requirements for their journey; registry of testing/vaccination centers, which enables passengers to find testing centres and labs at their departure location which meet the standards for testing/vaccination requirements of their destination and lab app, which enables authorised labs and test centers to securely send test results or vaccination certificates to passengers. Contact travel app introduced by IATA enables passengers to create a ‘digital passport’, verify their test/vaccination meets the regulations and shares test or vaccination certificates with authorities to facilitate travel.

This can also be used by travelers to manage travel documentation digitally and seamlessly throughout the travel experience. Commending the IATA travel app, industry stakeholders said it could be used by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to break the impasse between Emirates Airlines and the federal government, which they said has become a diplomatic row.

Earlier this month, the federal government had banned Emirates for 72 hours for the airline’s introduction of RDT, which it insisted passengers must be tested four hours before the departure of their flight.

But after the lifting of the ban by the federal government, Emirates stopped airlifting passengers from Nigeria to Dubai, arguing that UAE authorities insisted on the COVID-19 rapid test to ensure that passengers coming into Dubai are free from the pandemic. Emirates announced last week that it might begin to airlift passengers from Nigeria on February 28 but two days ago, it shifted it to March 10, 2021 and there are indications that it would shift it again; unless NCAA intervenes. A senior industry official told THISDAY that the federal government was too hasty with the ban, which gave rise to the current face-off.

By Chinedu Eze

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Air Peace, Mrs. Toyin Olajide has said the new Embraer E95-E2, which was recently delivered from Brazil, were uniquely configured to offer superior travel experience to Air Peace's customers.

Olajide, who made this known in an interview, explained why the airline chose the E195-E2 aircraft model, which is a 124-seat capacity state-of-the-art jet with impressive economic performance.

"Now, why have we introduced the E195-E2? The E2 is a brand new aircraft, super-efficient, an aircraft that is for the future and even now.

"This is because a lot of money will be saved as regards the operating cost, there are savings on fuel, bearing in mind the high cost of aviation fuel in Nigeria. These aircraft coming into the country will help lower operating cost.

"The performance is awesome. A lot of Nigerians who hitherto were apprehensive of travelling by air, can now be rest assured. This is the plane for them.

"Once onboard this aircraft, you will feel transported to a world of luxury and comfort and most importantly, safety. This is what Air Peace represents. This is the Air Peace Experience," she added.

Describing the cabin configuration, Olajide said, "The interior is excellent. The staggered seats that we have in the Business Class are second to none. Furthermore, there is an innovation with the table- it has an iPad holder".

She emphasised that Air Peace wants the Nigerian flying public to experience the enhanced comfort, increased privacy and beauty offered by the brand new E195-E2, which is considered the best in its segment.

Olajide, revealed that one of the strong points of the plane was its advanced fly-by-wire system which enables the aircraft to adjust seamlessly through turbulence in such a way that the passenger is oblivious to it.

Embraer's President and Chief Executive Officer, Francisco Gomes Neto, had in describing the new aircraft acquired by Air Peace, said: "The E2s are really fantastic airplanes. Your engineering people are going to love the technology. Your crew is going to love flying them. Your accountants are going to love the operating economics, and your passengers are going to love the stunning interior, especially those sitting in business class with the staggered seat layout."

Border restrictions are going up again to keep new virus variants out. But the benefits don’t always outweigh the cost.

By Lionel Laurent

Globe-trotting tourists used to be “flight-shamed” for their CO2 footprint. Now it is the struggle against SARS-CoV-2 that’s put a target on their back. Whether it’s hypocrite politicians sneaking off for sunny vacations while urging the public to stay home, or social-media influencers flaunting trips to Dubai, the sight of a Panama hat or wheelie suitcase is provoking outrage.

A lot of the anger is justified, especially in countries living under some form of lockdown with foreign travel discouraged or heavily restricted. Nothing undermines public trust in policy like people using dental appointments in Spain to get around restrictions on flying out of Dublin. In the tug of war between vaccinations and variants, letting imported infections go unchecked is the kind of deadly error countries want to avoid. Travel is, after all, the “hallmark” of how Covid-19 spreads, as one expert puts it.

Still, despite their logic, travel restrictions are very tricky to get right. When the coronavirus went global last year, border closures turned out to be a mixed bag, their effectiveness decreasing over time and ultimately failing to really move the needle on cases. Bans were either sieve-like or applied so haphazardly they seemed to do more harm than good. It wasn’t just the Cancun crowd complaining; European workers protested over curbs at the German-Polish border.

Now there is a real risk of repeating these mistakes. Germany this week partially closed its borders with the Czech Republic and Austria’s Tyrol, ostensibly to keep new more-infectious variants at bay. With roughly every second person reportedly denied entry to Germany as a result, the fear is that this has gone beyond catching irresponsible holidaymakers heading for the ski slopes — truck drivers and essential workers are getting caught in the crossfire. Road transport lobby IRU said the flow of goods was in “chaos.” German carmakers have warned their supply chain is at risk of breaking down. It’s deja-vu, and France fears it may be the next target.Bloomberg may send me offers and promotions.

Some will say the benefit of fewer potential infections is worth any cost. However, this isn’t realistic in all cases, especially interconnected European Union exporters like Germany. The B.1.1.7 variant is already there, making up about 22% of new cases compared with just 6% two weeks ago. Talk of preventing “further intrusion” is very optimistic. There may be little epidemiological reward and high economic costs in squeezing border traffic, especially considering Germany’s interdependence with its neighbors in a post-pandemic recovery.

Even Asian countries that have kept a tight grip on infections are no strangers to the unintended consequences of severe travel curbs. Hong Kong’s abrupt extension of its quarantine period for travelers to three weeks from two has driven hotel prices up and hurt low-income domestic workers, whose employers are less willing to pay for their stay. Given most incubation periods for Covid-19 are two weeks, some scientists say that while quarantines do make sense as a policy, the extra seven days may well be overkill.

Still, there are ways to make restrictions fairer without handing the virus a victory. Closing loopholes within travel curbs is one. There is no sense in exempting some countries from traveler quarantines, for example, given the virus doesn’t respect passports. Better calculating trade-offs is another. Karen Grepin, an associate professor at the University of Hong Kong’s School of Public Health, suggests some interconnected countries might weigh a shorter quarantine — say, 7 days — if it got them 90% of the way toward the targeted result.

Restrictions would also benefit from clearer communication and timing. A December study published in the Lancet found that travel restrictions are most effective in places with already-low infection rates where imported cases might trigger a new epidemic wave — such as New Zealand or China — and least effective in countries where rates are high. Co-author Mark Jit of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine says that means countries need to keep their guard up precisely at the time they’re keenest to let it down.

Finally, curbs should be based on data as much as possible, not politics. Preferential treatment of certain countries, no matter how appealing travel bubbles sound, runs the risk of stoking ill will just when trust and cooperation is needed most, according to Joan Costa-Font of the London School of Economics. Take Greece’s recent travel deal with Israel and Cyprus to let the vaccinated travel freely. It’s easy to see why it might annoy other EU members. Speeding up vaccine deployment and managing the virus is probably a more pressing issue than travel deals.

A year on, there is still no easy fix in this pandemic. But some policies can do more harm than good — even if the Panama hat should probably stay on the shelf a while longer.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

To contact the author of this story: Lionel Laurent at [email protected]

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Melissa Pozsgay at [email protected]

By Victor Azubuike 

Members of Fright Forwarders Transport Association have barricaded the Port Harcourt International Airport Junction, stopping vehicular movements.

The members of the Association blocked the roads with their containers in protest against an attack on one of their members by security operatives at a checkpoint around the airport junction.

DAILY POST reports that the incident took place Friday night after an argument broke out between a security agent and a driver.

As at press time, there is no vehicular movement around the Airport junction as members have vowed to remain at the junction.

By Adesina Wahab 

A group, the Nigerian and Canadian Business Network, NCBN, has flayed the Nigerian High Commission in Canada over its planned introduction of new service charges for passport renewal, passport replacement among others.

The group is also of the view that the introduction of the charges at this point on time is not auspicious, bearing in mind the various economic issues Nigerians in Canada are grappling with now. 

It, therefore, vowed to sustain its opposition to the outrageous charges, describing their introduction as not only arbitrary and inauspicious but also capable of bringing untold hardship to concerned family members, as well as Nigerian students who have had to grapple with the effects of COVID-19 pandemic. 

While appealing to the High Commissioner, Adeyinka Asekun, to halt the implementation of the new charges pending a meeting with the relevant stakeholders, the group explained that the decision would impose further hardship on its members. Also read: Telecom providers to charge N4 per 20 seconds for USSD access to banking services.

According to available reports, the High Commission had in a reference letter No. NHC/OTT/ADM.422/X dated 2nd February 2021 titled: “Presidential directive on the implementation of administrative charges at Nigerian missions,” announced the introduction of the new charges to ensure “effective management and efficient service delivery”. 

The letter reads in part: “Consequently, the High Commission hereby presents hereunder, the list of services as well as the administrative charges, which takes effect from Wednesday, February 10, 2021. 

Passport: Fresh Issue/Renewal. 50; Expedited issuance (Wait and get) 200; Lost Passport (Caution Fee) 400; Letter of Certification of Passport 70; Emergency Travel Certificate (E.T.C.): With expired Nig. Passport 50; (ii) Without Passport (Lost Passport with police report) 100; Authentication of Documents 30 (per document); Authentication of Corporate/Business documents 150; Letter to Police for Character Certificate (police report) 50; Repatriation/Shipment of Human Remains 50 (per document); Driver’s License letter 100; Change of Data (Passports) (i) by marriage (ii) others 100, 150. 

An appeal letter signed by the Chairman of the NCBN, King Wale Adesanya, on behalf of the group read: “On behalf of Nigerians living in Canada, we request a delay in implementing the new surcharge for the services listed above. We also seek an urgent meeting between the High Commission and various community organizations and stakeholders.”

Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/20...

Air force says King Air 350 crashed after reporting engine failure, killing everyone on board.

A Nigerian military aircraft has crashed near Abuja airport, killing all seven people on board, according to officials.

“First responders are at the scene. Sadly, all 7 personnel on board died in the crash,” Ibikunle Daramole, air force spokesman, said in a statement on Sunday.

The Beechcraft KingAir B350i aircraft crashed while returning to the Abuja airport after reporting engine failure en route to Minna, he said.

Minna is a city about 110km (69 miles) northwest of Nigeria’s capital, Abuja.

In scrubland just outside the airport perimeter, dozens of military and airport officials picked through the charred remnants of the aeroplane.

Fire engines and ambulances stood by. The smell of burning chemicals lingered in the air but no fire or smoke was visible, a witness told the Reuters news agency.

The air force said an investigation into the crash was under way.

Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation Hadi Sirika also confirmed the accident.

“We should remain calm & wait for the outcome of investigation by the military,” Hadi said in a Twitter post.

SOURCE : AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES

OTTAWA — The border between Canada and the United States will remain closed to non-essential travel for at least another month.

Public Safety Minister Bill Blair announced late Friday that the closure has been extended to March 21 — precisely one year after the world's longest undefended border was first shut down to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Since then, the closure has been extended month by month.

With more contagious variants of the coronavirus spreading across the continent, Friday's extension is unlikely to be the last.

Blair tweeted that the government will continue to base its decisions on the border "on the best public health advice to keep Canadians safe."

The border has remained open for essential travel throughout the pandemic in a bid to avoid disrupting the flow of food, medical supplies and other crucial goods between the two countries.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 19, 2021.

The Canadian Press