FEBRUARY 22, 2021

BY  Chinedu Eze 

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has threatened to ground the operations of Turkish Airlines and Caverton Helicopters over its members that were relieved of their appointment at both airlines.

The body also insisted that it would continue to oppose the plan to concession Nigeria’s airports, saying it was against the interest of the people and the country. These were contained in the communiqué issued at the weekend, after the National Executive Council (NEC) of the NLC held at Abuja.

The communiqué, which was jointly signed by the President and General Secretary, NLC, Comrades Ayuba Wabba and Emmanuel Ugboaja respectively, insisted that the sack of workers by Turkish Airlines and Cavrton Helicopters was against the dictates of the labour laws in the country.

“The case of sack of trade union executives by Turkish Airline and the anti-unionisation stance of Caverton Helicopters were discussed by NEC. “NEC deplored the industrial tyranny by Turkish Airlines and Caverton Helicopters.

“The NEC also decried continued violation of workers’ rights in the banking sector especially through imposition of outrageous targets and absence of formal machinery for collective bargaining,” the communiqué stated. NLC also noted that the move by the government to concession Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt Airports to private business was unnecessary.

It insisted that neither concession nor privatisation of public assets were in favour of government or members of the public, arguing that it would end up favouring individuals in the system.

“The NEC also discussed the current move by government to concession Nigeria’s major airports to private business. The NEC described the move as resonating with the appetite by successive Nigerian governments to privatise every public asset.

“The NEC warned that experience shows that neither concession nor privatisation of public enterprises and assets have been to the advantage of the Nigerian people and workers.” It maintained that efforts by successive government to concession the airport terminal facilities were driven by narrow interests, noting that they were at best self-serving.

FEBRUARY 23, 2021

By Segun James

Following the security challenges in Nigeria, the Government of Canada has warned its citizens against non-essential travel to the country.

It also cautioned its citizens resident in Nigeria to exercise high level vigilance so as not become victims of the insecurity in Nigeria.

In a travel advisory published on its official websites, the Canadian government urged citizens to “avoid non-essential travel to Nigeria due to the unpredictable security situation throughout the country and the significant risk of terrorism, crime, inter-communal clashes, armed attacks and kidnappings”.

The advisory further read, “Avoid all travel to the following regions due to the risk of terrorism, armed attacks, kidnapping, inter-communal and sectarian violence:

“The north-western states of Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara; the north-central state of Plateau;

“The north-eastern states of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa and Yobe; and

“The Niger Delta states of Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Delta, Imo and Rivers (with the exception of Rivers’ capital city, Port Harcourt, where we advise against non-essential travel).”

The Canadian government also urged its nationals in Nigeria to “exercise a high degree of caution in the cities of Abuja, Calabar and Lagos due to the incidence of crime”.

FEBRUARY 23, 2021

BY  Okechukwu Nnodim, Abuja

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority on Monday said Emirates and KLM airlines would compensate passengers for cancelling or delaying their flights at short notices.

NCAA’s Director-General, Musa Nuhu, who disclosed this at the briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, stated that senior government officials had had discussions with the airlines over the matter.

He said, “We have been having some issues with two airlines, namely Emirates and KLM, who have not been flying passengers out of Nigeria for two weeks. They have only been flying passengers into Nigeria.

“Shortly before this, they requested to conduct rapid test four hours before departure and at that point in time, we were not ready with the logistics for the request from the countries.

He added, “Shortly after that, they stopped and for a couple of days, some passengers really went through difficult times without notice of cancellation of their flight.

“The Minister of Aviation and NCAA had discussions with the airlines, state authorities concerning the unfavourable treatment of Nigerians and they are certainly going to compensate all passengers whose flight were cancelled or delayed with short notice.”

FEBRUARY 24, 2021

The FRSC says it will impound rickety vehicles and prosecute their owners or operators.

By Alfred Olufemi

The Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Boboye Oyeyemi, has directed officers of the agency across the country to seize rickety vehicles plying the roads.

According to a statement on Tuesday by FRSC’s spokesperson, Bisi Kazeem, this is to reduce road crashes in the country.

Mr Kazeem said zonal commanding officers and sector commanders have been directed to arrest and prosecute their owners and operators after impounding such vehicles.

“The Corps Marshal stated that the operation which will be conducted nationwide, forms part of the Corps’ commitment towards enhancing the tempo of its operational activities and create a safer motoring environment in the country, premised on the realisation of its 2021 strategic goals of reducing road traffic crashes by 15% and fatalities by 20%.

“While recalling the common sight of poorly maintained vehicles on the nation highways which often break down and result in obstructions of traffic flow, the Corps Marshal enjoined motorists to ensure regular maintenance of their vehicles in view of inherent traffic hazards associated with abandoned broken down vehicles especially at night,” the statement read.

The FRSC boss also highlighted health, safety and economic benefits of regular vehicle maintenance.

He said ”if drivers and vehicle owners carry out constant maintenance of their vehicles, road safety would be enhanced on the over 204,000 km road network in Nigeria”.

Mr Kazeem warned that owners of impounded vehicles would pay fines and undergo compulsory road safety education.

“The public is therefore called to assist the Corps by reporting any rickety vehicle sighted on the road to the spokesperson through the FRSC Toll Free numbers 122 or tune into the National Traffic Radio 107.1FM to report same or any other contravention seen on the road.

 

FEBRUARY 24, 2021

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Tuesday it was ordering immediate inspections of Boeing 777-200 planes with Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines before further flights after an engine failed on a United flight on Saturday.

Operators must conduct a thermal acoustic image inspection of the large titanium fan blades located at the front of each engine, the FAA said.

The National Transportation Safety Board said on Monday that a cracked fan blade from the United Flight 328 engine that caught fire was consistent with metal fatigue.

“Based on the initial results as we receive them, as well as other data gained from the ongoing investigation, the FAA may revise this directive to set a new interval for this inspection or subsequent ones,” the FAA said.

In March 2019, after a 2018 United engine failure attributed to fan blade fatigue, the FAA ordered inspections every 6,500 cycles. A cycle is one take-off and landing.

South Korea’s transport ministry said on Tuesday it had told its airlines to inspect the fan blades every 1,000 cycles following guidance from Pratt after the latest United incident.

An airline would typically accumulate 1,000 cycles about every 10 months on a 777, according to an industry source familiar with the matter.

The FAA said in 2019 that each inspection was expected to take 22 man-hours and cost $1,850. It did not provide updated estimates on Tuesday.

The engine that failed on the 26-year-old Boeing 777 and shed parts over a Denver suburb on Saturday was a PW4000. The engines are used on 128 planes, or less than 10% of the global fleet of more than 1,600 delivered 777 widebody jets.

Boeing said it supported the FAA’s latest inspection guidance and would work through the process with its customers.

It had earlier recommended that airlines suspend the use of the planes while the FAA identified an appropriate inspection protocol, and Japan imposed a temporary suspension on flights after the Saturday incident.

United, the only U.S. operator, had temporarily grounded its fleet before the FAA announcement.

United has warned of possible disruptions to its cargo flight schedule in March as it juggles its fleet after its decision to ground 24 Boeing 777-200 aircraft, according to a notice sent to cargo customers.

Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington and Jamie Freed in Sydney; additional reporting by Tracy Rucinski in Chicago Editing by Himani Sarkar and Gerry Doyle

FEBRUARY 24, 2021

BY  Jessy Bains

Rapidly rising home prices and stagnant wages mean Toronto and Vancouver have the dubious distinction of being among the top 5 least affordable housing markets in the world.

A new report from think tanks Urban Reform Institute and Frontier Centre for Public Policy used something called the median multiple — a measurement of income in relation to housing prices. The higher the number, the less affordable the market. It found Hong Kong was the least affordable for the 11th year with a score of 20.7.

Vancouver was second with a score of 13, which is worse than last year’s 11.9. Although minor, Hong Kong actually improved from 20.8.

Sydney (11.8) and Auckland (10.0) are third and fourth followed by Toronto at 9.9.

Montreal and Ottawa-Gatineau didn’t make the top 20 but each has deteriorated to being considered ”severely unaffordable".

The report’s authors say affordability has been deteriorating for decades, but the pandemic has exacerbated the situation.

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“In this year of the global pandemic and lockdowns, it is not surprising that housing affordability given the large influx of new buyers, particularly in suburban and outlying areas — has continued to deteriorate,” read the report.

“As a result many low-income and middle-income households who already have suffered the worst consequences from housing inflation will see their standards of living further decline.”

Even though prices have shot up in many of the country’s markets, Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem says he’ll get worried when he starts to see extrapolative expectations.

"When we see people starting to buy houses solely because they think that prices are going up, that is a warning sign to us,” he said at a virtual event hosted by the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce and the Calgary Chamber of Commerce Tuesday.

“We are starting to see early signs of excess exuberance but we’re a long way from where we were in 2016/2017 when things were really hot."

Only four markets are rated affordable (score of 3 or less) and all of them are in the U.S. — Pittsburgh, Rochester, Buffalo, and St. Louis.

Jessy Bains is a senior reporter at Yahoo Finance Canada. Follow him on Twitter @jessysbains.

FEBRUARY 24, 2021

After a year of pandemic, travelers are looking for open spaces, safety, and sunshine—and are ready to put down serious cash to get it.

By Nikki Ekstein

Early in the global pandemic, travel experts rushed to determine the shape of the recovery. Would it be L-shaped? More like a W? A year later, despite brief upticks and plenty of pent-up demand, the travel rebound has yet to arrive. 

Yet there are glimmers of optimism, both for the industry and for people itching to dust off their suitcases. Travelers are starting to book now for trips they hope to take months or more down the line. A smattering of markets, including Africa and Antarctica, are doing well, their highest-end inventory already selling out for stretches of their upcoming high seasons (in austral winter and summer, respectively). Some spots are even thriving right now.  

Take Miami. Of roughly 15 five-star hotels bookable on Expedia for President’s day week, all but four fully sold out. The ones with availability were limited to the priciest rooms only. At the St. Regis Bal Harbour, just a handful of $3,500-per-night suites went unbooked; the remaining inventory at the 1 Hotel South Beach was mostly restricted to the 4,500-square-foot presidential suite, which, at $50,617 per night, would cost nearly half a million dollars to book out for the entire February break.

Magic City is in demand for numerous reasons. International border closures have left travelers seeking domestic alternatives to far-flung escapes, and Florida’s weather can’t be beat. Mayor Francis Suarez has been luring tech executives to move their already-virtual operations to the tax-friendly state. And Florida's Covid-19 rules are lax, allowing visitors to eat and party almost anywhere they want.

Airlines, in turn, have responded to that demand by increasing flights. Even at the height of the second wave of infections, Miami was seeing up to 90,000 visitors arriving through its international airport on any given day—compared to the average of 105,000 to 115,000 in normal times.

The future of travel in the Covid-19 era

For American travelers, Miami represents the leading edge of a cautious return to tourism, according to an informal survey of more than a dozen travel providers, online booking sites, industry groups, analysts, and consultants. These people said that although sought-after destinations throughout Australia and much of Europe remain effectively locked down, eager travelers are identifying pockets of opportunity around the world. Those are largely dictated by open borders or a perceived sense of safety. But others, eager to get back to their favorite spots, are simply placing early bets, hoping that when the time comes, their destination will be ready to welcome them. 

Among the most popular picks are wide-open, remote places. There are also signs of emerging demand for destinations where vaccine uptake is high. According to research published by the American Hotel and Lodging Association in January, nearly half of consumers see vaccine distribution as key to travel. Of those, a majority say they would feel more at ease knowing that a large share of locals had been vaccinated than by simply having individual protection for themselves.

Read More: 24 Destinations to Travel Intentionally

That explains why Abercrombie & Kent is anticipating a rush of bookings to Israel, where more than 40% of the population has already received at least one vaccine dose. With rare exceptions, travelers can’t visit Israel yet; the country has yet to set a date for when its borders will reopen. Whenever that time comes, its vaccine campaign will have effectively doubled as tourism marketing, intentionally or not. 

The $1.7 trillion global travel industry continues to struggle overall, of course. Hotel occupancies in the U.S. hovered around 40% of throughout January, according to data from industry analyst STR. In the fourth quarter of 2020, both American Airlines and United recorded losses of roughly $2 billion each, contributing to an industry-wide hemorrhage of $118 billion over the course of the year.

As always, the forecast can change on a dime. But the following spots represent some light at the end of a long tunnel for the industry.

Looking for Sun

If American travelers were limited to domestic tourism in 2020, given the state of border closures, they now have their sights set further afield, on spots including the Caribbean and the Mediterranean.

Whereas searches through April are still largely domestic in nature, data from TripAdvisor suggests that the majority of hotel searches on its platform taking place from May onwards are for international destinations. Similarly, booking app Hopper says it has seen a significant uptick in international bookings, primarily to warm-weather vacation hot-spots close to the U.S. According to a company spokesperson they include Cancun, Cabo, and Puerta Vallarta in Mexico; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.

Everyone wants sunshine. “Since first week of January, we’ve been booking a lot of summer trips,” says Jack Ezon, co-founder of luxury travel consultancy Embark Beyond. “And I’m not talking small. People are making up for lost time—especially with trips to the Mediterranean, which they see as an annual rite that was taken away last year.”

Brooke Lavery, a partner at travel advisory firm Local Foreigner, has seen the same. “It’s amazing how many people don’t realize that Europe is still closed,” she says. Whereas she previously estimated that her clients would be able to hit the Med by May, she’s now unsure those trips will happen before the end of the summer, with stricter lockdowns sweeping across Europe.

Ezon agrees. “I’m not counting my money before I get it in my pocket,” he says, pointing at the real possibility that these early booking may get cancelled or deferred. 

The Caribbean is a safer bet, says Lavery. With local economies hard hit from years of extensive hurricane-related closures pre-Covid, the region has made a full-throated call to carefully reopen tourism. Of the 27 island nations tracked by Travel Weekly, only five remain closed to U.S. travelers. (These are largely French islands, following European guidelines.)

Resorts across the region have been quick to roll out initiatives for on-site, highly-accurate PCR tests to help American travelers navigate entry and re-entry requirements. Among the success stories so far is the Dominican Republic. Whereas international tourism there was down 90% at certain points last year, now it’s rebounded to just 36% down, year-over-year.

Open Spaces1

With Europe looking dicey for summer travel, Africa may be a bright spot. Go2Africa, a leading provider for tailor-made travel to the continent, says searches on its site had declined by 90% at the height of the pandemic’s first wave. But by January, they were down just 20% year-over-year. “The best lodges are all already full for the summer,” adds Ezon, who has seen similar upticks.

“This is Africa’s moment,” agrees Pamela Lassers, spokesperson for high-end operator Abercrombie & Kent. “Going on safari offers wide open spaces and privacy at the small boutique camps we recommend.” She said that interest extends to Egypt—what she considers “the world’s largest open-air museum.” 

Likewise Antarctica. Online travel aggregator TravelStride has seen a 25% increase in bookings to the southernmost continent compared to last year’s pre-pandemic numbers. On Google, Antarctica has charted the most significant growth in interest from American travelers. White Desert, the company best known for offering air-based trips (rather than cruises) to the continent, has already sold out two trips for late 2021, even with prices hovering around $100,000 per person.

The Maldives is trending upwards, too. The island nation registered more travel-related search queries on Google than any other country from November 2020 to January 2021, and some of its top resorts, like Soneva Fushi, saw revenues rise by as much as 50% in the last months of 2020 when compared to the same period in 2019. 

Seeing What Sticks

 

Peter Bates, president and founder of travel industry consultancy Strategic Vision, holds a cautious outlook on travel’s recovery. He says the latest research his company released was outdated upon its publication in January, having been based on a survey sent out in late November. At that point, travel advisors said Italy, France, Greece and Japan were among their top planned destinations for 2021. By the time their responses were printed, a new wave of lockdowns made those plans seem unlikely at best.

“Everything we looked at in the fourth quarter has changed again,” Bates says. And it’s possible that will repeat itself, imperiling the early success stories mentioned here. “The new word is ‘stickiness,’” he says. “Is it going to stick? Or are we going to have to move this booking?”

An issue for Africa, he says, will be fending off the fears of the potent South Africa variant. “People will take the idea that this is prevalent in South Africa, and expand that across the entire continent—they will generalize—and that has the potential to create problems there,” he says, adding: “Going on safari is a once in a lifetime holiday for a lot of people, so if you’re not completely comfortable, it’s not a good idea.”

That narrative could unfold anywhere. Another uncertainty is the long-term efficacy of vaccines, and what new policies may be in store from health authorities around the world. 

“It’s worrying that they’re thinking about even a booster shot, that everyone would have to go through a third injection,” says Bates. Questions about how long protection might last may jeopardize the reliability of immunity passports, he adds.

“There are so many questions that any traveler has these days,” Bates says. But in a weird way, he says, that might not be bad for the travel providers that are among his clients. “A travel advisor has to be a real advisor now—they will be more important than ever,” he says. “In fact they’re the ones who will do quite well as soon as people are actually able to travel again.”

FEBRUARY 24, 2021

BY  Joseph Olaoluwa

Emirates Airlines has operated its first flight with fully vaccinated frontline teams servicing customers at every touchpoint of the travel journey.

The EK215 was operated on Sunday. It departed Dubai at 8.30am for Los Angeles and was safely supported by check-in, security, pilots and cabin crew who made the choice to be fully vaccinated.

Also supporting the flight’s operations were special handling teams from dnata as well as SkyCargo teams working on the cargo and logistics requirements for EK215, according to the statement by the airline titled ‘Emirates’ first flight by fully vaccinated frontline teams’.

Chief Operating Officer, Emirates Airlines, Adel Al Redha, said, “Our operational workforce is at the aviation frontline, helping people get to where they need to be, and moving essential goods to global communities.

“Protecting our people with vaccinations is important – for them, for our community, for the smooth running of our operations, and also for our customers as it introduces an additional layer of protection when they travel with us.

“We have seen a very positive response with high demand and take-up of the COVID-19 vaccine from our colleagues at the operational frontline, and there is continued momentum in the rate of vaccinations across the business.

“We would like to thank the United Arab Emirates’ leadership for making three types of vaccines available in the country, and for their proactive commitment to championing an extensive National Vaccination Programme.”

According to the statement received on Tuesday, nearly 5,000 cabin and flight deck crew have opted to receive both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

It added that more Emirates Group employees in other roles have taken their COVID-19 vaccine through the company’s clinics and vaccination centres, while others have opted to take their vaccine at one of the many vaccination centres across the UAE.

The COO in the statement noted that more of the airline flights would be operating fully vaccinated frontline employees, combined with strong safety measures in place, as the carrier looked forward to the easing of border entry guidelines for many countries.

FEBRUARY 24, 2021

BY Simon Calder 

While the government has said it may open up international travel from 17 May, in the near term those going abroad for essential reasons will find their journeys even more complicated.

At present all holidays within and beyond the UK are illegal. But international flights, trains and ferry are still operating for those who are exempt from the ban – whether for professional or personal reasons.

Soon, though, any UK resident leaving the country will have to complete a form before being allowed to depart.

Buried deep in the roadmap set out by the government for unlocking travel from England is a line that sets out another hurdle: “From 8 March, outbound travellers will be legally obliged to provide their reason for travel on the Declaration to Travel form.”

This procedure was originally promised to Parliament by the home secretary, Priti Patel, on 27 January. It appears likely to be delivered 40 days later.

Transport operators will be told to check whether or not the traveller has a valid reason to travel. Airlines, train companies and ferry firms face fines if they allow a passenger to leave the country without proof of their entitlement.

The Independent has asked the government for more details of what the Declaration to Travel will involve, but has been told it is a “work in progress”.

Transport firms contacted have not been briefed on the new requirement, which comes into effect in less than two weeks.

At the time it was announced, the Home Office warned: “There will be an increased police presence at ports and airports, fining those in breach of the stay-at-home regulations.

“Anyone who does not have a valid reason for travel will be directed to return home and may face a fine.”

In addition to the Declaration to Travel, outbound passengers will need to meet the testing and quarantine requirements of their destination country – and to do the same when returning to the UK.

FEBRUARY 25, 2021

Worried by the increasing number of trafficked women and girls out of Nigeria, community leaders and residents of Alimosho and Igando-Ikotun local councils have tasked government on the need to create employment for youths to solve the problem of trafficking and forced migration in Nigeria.

They made the call during a town hall meeting and community awareness programme on trafficking of women and girls in Ikotun organised by CLEEN Foundation in partnership with the United Nations Women Nigeria and the Government of Italy, as part of efforts to seek community-based solutions to address the trend in the country.

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According to the chairman of Community Development Committee (CDC), Igando-Ikotun Local Council Development Area, Mr. Ademola Osibelowo, government should create jobs for the youths to stop the problem of human trafficking.

“When they initiate agricultural loans, it won’t get to the grassroots, it will hang up there. Nobody has been able to access the agricultural loan been created for farmers. All the empowerment they said they are doing, doling out N5,000 and N30,000 will not help the situation. I will also advise the youths not to look for white-collar jobs. I am a farmer by profession, I rear goats and turkey. There is a lot youths can do if supported by government.”

Responding to issues of girl-child trafficking in Alimosho, Progamme Manager, CLEEN Foundation, Ruth Olofin, revealed that the local council has been a source location for traffickers due to its large population and poor socio-economic status of residents.

“We have noticed that Alimosho, being the largest local government, has become a trafficking site. Recruitment is ongoing and it is a source location for traffickers in Nigeria. A lot of people are being trafficked out of Lagos from this area,” she said.

Meanwhile, the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Lagos Zonal Commander, Agaran Ganiu Alao, noted that traffickers risk minimum of five years and a maximum of 30 years in prison when convicted.