Travel News

BY  Okechukwu Nnodim, Abuja

 The Federal Government has reinforced the level of security at the Abuja, Lagos, Kano and other selected airports across the country.

Officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria confirmed on Wednesday that the reinforcement was part of measures deployed to tackle any form of attack by criminals.

On Monday the Federal Ministry of Aviation directed FAAN to increase security at airports after the FMA detected plans by criminals to attack some airports.

The ministry had outlined some of the airports that could be attacked to include the Abuja, Kaduna, Sokoto, Maiduguri, Lagos and Kano airports.

A memo dated April 9, 2021, signed by the Deputy General Manager, Administration and Logistics, FAAN, S.M. Mamman, and addressed to airport security chiefs, urged the recipients to deploy counter-measures for the protection of airports.

Following the ministry’s directive, additional security operatives from the military were seen at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on Wednesday, as our correspondent observed their presence at strategic locations in the facility.

There was increased presence of heavily armed military officers some few meters away from the tollgate entrance of the NAIA.

Before now the presence of armed security personnel used to be at the stated location, but the number increased on Wednesday.

The military men, who stationed some gun-carrying vehicles in suitable positions, also ensured thorough checks on selected vehicles before allowing them gain entry into the airport.

When told about the security reinforcement in Abuja airport and asked if similar situations were applicable in other airports, the General Manager, Corporate Affairs, FAAN, Henriatta Yakubu, replied in the affirmative.

“Yes all are being factored in,” she stated in a text message response to our correspondent.

In the April 9, 2021 memo, FAAN alerted all airports to operate at a heightened threat level.

It stated that airport security chiefs had been mandated to submit a list of existing and additional counter-measures to address the threat, along with their cost implications where applicable.

It called for urgent emergency meeting of airport security committees to review the status of airport security, jointly recommend appropriate measures and share responsibility for effective implementation.

Traveling abroad is getting less complicated for vaccinated travelers.  

A growing list of countries is reducing or eliminating quarantine and Covid-19 testing requirements for those who have been fully vaccinated, while keeping restrictions in place for those who haven’t.

Where vaccines are easing travel restrictions

Barbados announced this week that quarantine requirements for vaccinated travelers will be reduced to zero to two days, during which they can move around their hotels. Unvaccinated visitors, however, must stay in their hotel rooms until they pass a Covid test on the fifth day, and wait several more days for results.

The new protocols start May 8.

Children aren’t eligible to be vaccinated yet, a fact which is complicating family travel plans this year, but Barbados doesn’t leave them out. Kids under 18 years old who are traveling with vaccinated parents are subject to the same rules as vaccinated travelers, according to Barbados’ tourism marketing website.

Mixed groups of vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers aren’t quite as lucky. Vaccinated adults traveling with unvaccinated adult companions who “choose not to be separated” are subject to the more onerous requirements imposed on the uninoculated.

Barbados’ relaxed policy toward vaccinated travelers starts on May 8. Atlantide Phototravel | Corbis Documentary | Getty Images

With its new bifurcated restrictions, Barbados joins Estonia, Guatemala and Slovenia in creating different entrance requirements for vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers. Most require vaccinations to be completed within two weeks of arrival, and some accept only U.S.-made or Europe-made vaccines.

Here’s how several countries are approaching the divide:

·        Croatia: Vaccinated travelers only need to show vaccine certificates to enter, but unvaccinated travelers need to test negative for Covid-19 (or show proof of recovery) and possibly self-isolate while awaiting test results.

·        Iceland: Lets vaccinated (and previously infected) travelers, regardless of origin, enter if they test negative on arrival. Many unvaccinated European travelers — plus residents of Australia, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand — can enter by testing negative twice and quarantining for five to six days. All other unvaccinated travelers, including Americans and Canadians, are prohibited from entering.

·        Belize: Vaccinated travelers need no tests to enter, but unvaccinated travelers (including children 5 years and older) must test negative before or after landing. Those who test positive must quarantine for at least 14 days at the traveler’s expense.

·        Georgia: Vaccinated travelers from all countries can enter by air,  while unvaccinated travelers must hail from certain countries and test negative before and after arriving.

Will more places use vaccine-based policies?  

Yes, said Gloria Guevara, president of the London-based World Travel & Tourism Council.

“As the vaccine rollout continues to pick up pace, more and more countries will no doubt follow suit,” she said.

The U.S. state of Hawaii is currently working on letting vaccinated visitors bypass testing and quarantine requirements, according to local media. Lt. Gov. Josh Green indicated children will still need to test negative to enter, but kids of vaccinated parents may be exempt from testing if Hawaii reaches herd immunity, as reported by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

Complaints about fairness are, in my view, ridiculous. Harry Nelson FOUNDER OF NELSON HARDIMAN

Phuket, Thailand, and Greece have indicated less restrictive vaccine-based protocols are in the works.

Such policies make “perfect sense,” said Harry Nelson, the founder of Los Angeles-based health care law firm Nelson Hardiman.

“My anticipation is that this will eventually be the rule in the vast majority of countries and that, at some point in the future … we will see some countries shift to a vaccination requirement,” he said.

Are these policies fair?  

No, said Nelson, “but the complaints about fairness are, in my view, ridiculous.”

He cited long-standing precedents for countries imposing proof of vaccinations for visitor entry, particularly with yeIlow fever. He said that the ongoing threat of Covid-19 variants makes it “fully reasonable for countries to impose vaccination requirements.”

“Fair is a concept that is irrelevant when it comes to controlling a highly infectious virus that is transmitted around the world,” he said.

Regarding Hawaii’s vaccine-based plans, Lt. Gov. Green told Honolulu local television station KHON that “We don’t discriminate against anyone. If they are against being vaccinated and they want to travel, they can just get [a] test, no big deal.”

“Every country has the right to set its public health policy as it sees fit,” said health care attorney Harry Nelson. LEREXIS | Moment | Getty Images

Guevara said while the World Travel & Tourism Council is against requiring vaccines to travel, the organization supports the introduction of a short-term health pass such as the European Commission’s “digital green certificate” to further enable safe international travel.

“We should not discriminate against those who wish to travel, but have not been vaccinated,” she said. “We know it will take a significant amount of time to vaccinate the global population, particularly those in less advanced countries, or in different age groups.”

Travel security firm International SOS is working with the International Chamber of Commerce to establish standards for the digital AOKpass, said Dr. Robert Quigley, global medical director at International SOS.

He said digital vaccine passport apps “are not being developed to be discriminatory, but conversely to help the travel industry get back on track and to help ensure the health and safety of citizens and travelers.”

Nelson said “the politics” related to fairness arguments and opposition to vaccine passports is a hindrance.

“We need to acknowledge the practical reality we are living with in these times and deal with it,” he said.

BY  Julie Johnsson, Siddharth Philip and Mary Schlangenstein, Bloomberg News

A Boeing Co. 737 Max 7 jetliner flies during the flying display on the opening day of the Farnborough International Airshow (FIA) 2018 in Farnborough, U.K., Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg , Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) -- Boeing Co. has found potential electrical flaws in two additional areas of the 737 Max’s cockpit, a week after a similar manufacturing defect prompted a temporary flying halt for recently delivered jetliners, said people familiar with the matter.

The planemaker has been inspecting the Max’s flight deck for other electrical faults near the flaw revealed last week with the plane’s standby power-control unit, and is crafting plans for repairs. The maintenance isn’t expected to be time-consuming or complicated, requiring only basic hardware such as nuts and bolts, according to a Max customer briefed by Boeing.

Still, the discovery of new problems adds to the embarrassment for Boeing, which is trying to engineer a smooth return for the Max after a 20-month grounding forced by two deadly crashes. The electrical issue potentially affects about 450 Max jets manufactured since early 2019, including about 90 aircraft operated by airlines with the rest are in storage.

The work should take a few days for each airplane once Boeing and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration have an action plan, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified as the matter is confidential.

Boeing said it “is working with customers on service bulletins that will be submitted to the FAA for approval. The bulletins focus on ensuring a sufficient ground path in the flight deck of affected airplanes.”

The shares fell 1.2% to $248.18 at the close in New York.

The FAA hasn’t mandated any repairs yet while Boeing continues to assess the situation. “The FAA will thoroughly review any proposed fix that Boeing presents to us,” the agency said in an emailed statement.

Aviation Week reported earlier that the flaws were traced to a manufacturing change made in early 2019 that involves fasteners and a coating. In some instances, the coating may cover wiring, preventing a unit that controls back-up power for the aircraft from working properly.

The manufacturing change that led to the original problem was considered so minor that it didn’t require an FAA approval or a review by Boeing employees deputized as agency representatives, the regulator said.

By Layan Odeh

Qatar said it’s in talks with coronavirus vaccine makers to ensure all 2022 soccer World Cup visitors are vaccinated.

“Right now there are programs under development to provide vaccination to all the attendees of the World Cup,” Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said Friday during a virtual conference. “We will be able, hopefully, to host a Covid-free event.”

The Gulf state has seen a resurgence in Covid-19 cases despite pushing ahead with its inoculation program, forcing a lockdown to be reimposed. Qatar has administered 1.2 million jabs - enough for 21.6% of its people, according to Bloomberg’s vaccine tracker.

Qatar, one of the richest countries on the planet per capita, is spending hundreds of billions of dollars on infrastructure construction ahead of the FIFA event, fueling an oversupply in property.

BY  Chinedu Eze

New Nigerian Carrier, the United Nigeria Airlines has completed plan to build Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility in Enugu.

The aim is to slash the cost of maintenance by about 40 per cent. This was disclosed by the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the company, Obiora Okonkwo, when he led the management team of the airline to an interactive session with journalists in Lagos, on Wednesday.

When completed the facility would serve airlines in West and Central Africa and would save a projected $500 million for Nigerian airlines, which is the cost of ferrying aircraft overseas, payment for allowances for flight crew and rented space for aircraft, as maintenance schedule could delay aircraft due for checks for months.

Okonkwo said plans were already at an advanced stage, saying the airline was also in touch with some technical partners on the project, initially estimated to be completed in 24 months. He said what is holding the project from taking off is the finalisation of the allocation of land by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to the company.

While waiting to have its own maintenance facility, he said United Nigeria could conduct A and B checks on its own because it has a formidable and well-experienced in-house maintenance team. “On our maintenance, we have our own maintenance system, we have quite experienced engineers and all the necessary tools to maintain our aircraft from One-A to Three-A in-house, that is our starting point. But in a very short time, we have started a process of acquiring land space from FAAN to set up our MRO; we thought we should have gone far in that at our operational base in Enugu and we felt it is more appropriate to locate our MRO in our base.

“FAAN is currently having some issues with space identification and clearing with all the interested parties involved. We are still in touch with them and hoping that very soon, they will be able to allocate to us the necessary place we need to be able to start our own plan.

“But on a takeoff plan, we gave ourselves 24 months to be able to do our full C-check in our own facility and also offer that service to other stakeholders in the industry, with that we are already two months behind the schedule but we hope that very soon, FAAN will clear that road for us and we will be able to embark on that project. That is our medium and long-term maintenance plan. So, we think that when that is done, we will be able saving ourselves some foreign exchange and other operators in the sector. We are in touch with some technical partners and that is at advanced stage”, he said. He said the airline was planning to expand its operations in the long-run and would take delivery of more aircraft to serve more routes.

“We are going to increase our fleet, we have four aircraft already, we are negotiating and finalising with the next two Embraer, by then, we would have consolidated on certain routes, we would have consolidated on certain passenger loads and we have plan thereafter to probably consider a larger body aircraft. Granted ERJ-145 might have its advantages but it has its disadvantages in terms of luggage because a typical Nigerian will want to travel with a lot of things, so the challenges are there, we will want to do something that will accommodate that shortly, but so far, we are coming around those challenges and dealing with it,” he said.

He gave kudos to the NCAA, saying so far the agency is happy with what the airline is doing with its internal maintenance. “Like the COO has said, we are very strict and thorough in terms of observing our Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and also the rules and regulations as applied”, he added. The major problem Nigerian airlines have is having major MRO in Nigeria. Currently most aircraft are maintained overseas because Aero Contractors facility maintains Boeing 737 Classic and the facility is beset with many aircraft from Nigeria, Ghana, Congo that it is busy throughout the year.

The management of Air Peace says it will be launching scheduled commercial flights to Gombe from Abuja and resume its Yola flight services.

The Chief Operating Officer of the airline, Mrs Oluwatoyin Olajide disclosed this in a statement in Lagos on Sunday.

Olajide said that the decision to commence the Abuja-Gombe route was a reflection of Air Peace’s resolve to open up the northeast as the region was currently underserved.

“This is part of our strategic route expansion drive and the determination to provide key connections, addressing the air travel needs of Nigerians while fostering economic development and unity.

“We are set to kick off Gombe operations and resume our Yola flight services very soon,” she said.

According to Olajide, the airline has already set up the Gombe station and is calling on residents of the state to apply to the airline as there are roles to be filled in the station.

On aircraft maintenance, she said: “We have 17 aircraft undergoing varying levels of maintenance overseas and once they start returning, we shall launch more routes and resume others that we temporarily suspended.

She added that the two brand new 124-seat capacity E195-E2 jets(of the 13 ordered) recently received from Embraer would soon be deployed to boost domestic and regional flight connectivity.

•It’s a dream come true, says Governor Diri

BY  Chinedu Eze

After months of expectation, the Bayelsa State Government-owned airport finally received the nod of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on Saturday to commence commercial flight operations. NCAA Director-general, Dr. Nuhu Musa, presented the regulatory body’s approval letter to an elated Governor Douye Diri at Government House, Yenagoa, after a NCAA team had completed the mandatory inspection of the airport and its facilities.

Musa said the airport met all airspace standards and was one hundred per cent ready for daytime flight operations.

The governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, quoted the NCAA DG as saying the approval was sequel to the report of the agency’s inspection team, which prior to the visit had certified that out of 29 gaps, the airport was able to close 26. He noted that other requirements were non-safety related and work was already in progress to achieve night flight operations.

Musa said the agency had to limit flight operations to daytime, as the runway lights were still being installed, stating that once completed, full approval would be granted. He commended the state government for the quality of work done at the airport and the capable personnel from the state that facilitated the issuing of the licence.

Responding, Diri expressed appreciation to God for making the long-awaited day possible. He said issuing of the operational licence was a winding journey that began from the administration of his predecessor. The governor commended his predecessor, Seriake Dickson, for his foresight in ensuring that the state had its own airport. Diri reiterated that Dickson started the project, which had been on the drawing board of past administrations, and saw to its completion before handing over to current administration. He said his administration was determined to ensure the commencement of flight operations at the airport, which was why it set the machinery in motion for NCAA’s nod.

The governor stated, “This is a dream come true for our state and our people. I thank God Almighty because this journey had been a winding one, from my predecessor, and I have been in the saddle for over a year waiting for this licence. Today, God made it possible.

“I also thank my predecessor, Senator Henry Seriake Dickson. This airport had been on the drawing board but he took the bull by the horns by starting and virtually completed it. May I, on behalf of this government and the people of Bayelsa, appreciate him. As I came on board, having seen what he did, my administration had to cross the T’s and dot the I’s. Having been briefed on certain requirements, I wasted no time in approving what was necessary to ensure that the airport was ready for use. Today, we have the approval for the airport to commence commercial flight operations.”

Diri also expressed appreciation to the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, the NCAA DG, and officials for the approval and promised to do all within his powers to get full flight operations. He maintained that all the necessary facilities and equipment were in place and would be installed in no distant time, especially, the runway lighting system.

Emphasising the strategic importance of the airport, the governor stated, “Bayelsa State is a major contributor to the oil and gas business in Nigeria. Bayelsa is the centre not only of oil and gas but also other economic activities within the South-south and the South-east. “So, the Bayelsa airport is critical not only to Bayelsans but, indeed, the people of the South-south, South-east, and by extension, the nearby countries. We are at the border with the Gulf of Guinea.”

By Wole Oyebade

• Subtle discrimination awaits global travel, tourism in a ‘two-tier’ world

• Experts divided over policy, rally for improved vaccination locally
• FAAN, Air Peace vaccinate staffers, frontline workers

Despite vaccine hesitancy over issues of efficacy and side effects, as well as procurement challenges, more countries, airlines and destinations have endorsed the COVID-19 vaccine passport regime, especially as the promise of summer travel is becoming more real after the lull in last year’s summer travels due to pandemic lockdown and restrictions.  

The endorsement, currently pushed as a global agenda, is touted to impact air travel as it mounts fresh hurdles for the travelling public.

Globally, more than three million people have now died from the coronavirus. The number of lives lost, as compiled by Johns Hopkins University, is about equal to the population of Kyiv (Ukraine), Caracas (Venezuela) or Lisbon (Portugal).

The vaccination campaigns are speeding up but rising cases have forced new lockdowns and restrictions around the world. India yesterday recorded a new high of more than 261,000 daily coronavirus cases. Statistics by the Health Ministry revealed that 261,500 cases were registered in the past 24 hours, which pushed the total to 14.7 million. There were 1,500 deaths, taking the number of fatalities to 177,150.

 
The vaccine passport – in the form of certificates or digital cards testifying to the low-risk status of their holders – promises to reopen the world and perhaps return lives to normal. But its subtle implication of compulsory vaccination for all air travellers raises fundamental questions of a more divided and discriminatory world.

Some countries, most of them with economies dependent on tourism, are pushing ahead either with real vaccine passport plans or allowing vaccinated visitors to skip quarantine requirements for entry. The private sector, most notably cruise lines and airlines, is also eagerly climbing aboard. 

Proving you are vaccinated to travel abroad isn’t a new concept though. Some countries have required Yellow Fever vaccines for years, but doing so for COVID-19 would be on a far grander scale than ever before and would present immense logistical challenges.

Passport sceptics also predict they could result in discrimination and fraud, encourage risky behaviour in the face of new coronavirus variants.

Specifically, vaccine passport policy draws the line between those that have taken the jab and those that have not; between vaccinated-rich countries and poor ones like Nigeria that have barely kick-started vaccination, therefore, leading to disenfranchising the unvaccinated and poor countries from international travel and tourism.

More than 884 million vaccine doses have been administered worldwide, equal to 11 doses for every 100 people, across 155 countries, according to data collected by Bloomberg. The latest rate was roughly 17 million doses a day.   The vaccine uptake in many parts of the world is still very low, especially in the African continent. There is already a stark gap between vaccination programmes in different countries, with many yet to report a single dose with less than 2% of the vaccine doses administered in Africa, where most countries received vaccines only five weeks ago and in small quantities.

Nigeria for instance has vaccinated just over a million of its 200 million-plus population, while there is no date yet on when it will receive more batches of the vaccine for the second jab and the rest of the population not yet vaccinated.  

In reaction, aviation stakeholders are divided on the prospect of the “golden-green card” era. A section, not favourably disposed to the call, said a hurried or “rash” vaccine passport policy amid vaccine controversies and unequal access among countries would cut off potential customers and further hurt aviation businesses.
  
Others, more persuaded, argued that a world completely shocked and shattered by a coronavirus pandemic, killing over three million people and shutting economies in a yearlong battering, should warm up to any measure that promises salvation.
 
Indeed, the coronavirus pandemic has been devastating for the travel and tourism sector, among others globally. As the virus burns fiercely, the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) estimated that the sector lost $4.5 trillion in revenue in 2020.
 
Apparently eager for a safe restart to salvage businesses, a good number of tourism-dependent economies and major airlines are pressing for advanced options availed by the COVID-19 vaccines and herd immunity. But unaccounted for are the red flags and safety concerns trailing vaccine brands like AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson (J&J), with an attendant rise in vaccine hesitancy and scepticism. 

Many countries in the European Union (EU) are already having a go at the vaccine passport regime. Last month, the EU gave the go-ahead to its own vaccine passport, a “Digital Green Certificate,” though the Union was undecided on when the passport will become operational.
 
Greece is at the forefront of a bid to revive travel with the help of a vaccine passport. It said it would welcome back visitors starting on May 14, as long as they’ve had a vaccination, recovered from the novel coronavirus, or tested negative before flying out.
 
Denmark has begun using its digital “Coronapas” vaccine passport domestically from Easter, but it could also be used later as a tool for international travel.
 
Israel has vaccinated more than half of its population is issuing a “Green Pass” to those that have been fully vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19. They have to show the pass to access facilities such as hotels, gyms or theatres. Neither the pass nor vaccination is open to foreigners.

In the United States, President Joe Biden is facing pressure from travel interests, including Airlines for America, the industry lobby, to introduce federal standards for vaccine passports. 
 
The United Kingdom (UK) aims to permit international leisure trips starting from May 17 but also considering the controversial vaccine passport policy not just for travels, but nationally. More than 5.4 million people in the UK have been fully vaccinated, with a total of more than 31.6 million first doses given.
  
The UK government said certificates showing vaccination, test or immunity status could “provide reassurance”. But many parliamentarians have criticised the plan, describing it as a plan to create a “two-tier” Britain, discriminatory, and have more people in the disadvantaged group.
 
Lead Faculty at Lagos Aviation Academy, Rilwan Saaka, yesterday told The Guardian that the vaccine passport era was inevitable at this time, and the world would soon come to its endorsement.

Saaka explained that to re-open borders without quarantine and restart the aviation industry, governments need to be confident that they are effectively mitigating the risk of importing COVID-19.
 
“Countries can go ahead with the adoption of a vaccine passport as it enables travellers’ health status and details to be easily accessible online within a few minutes, which makes travel easier and puts an end to the compulsory quarantine that visiting travellers must observe.
 
“It is true that the vaccine is not 100 per cent safe yet, but a higher percentage of people have taken the vaccine in more developed nations. Those countries need to re-open, especially their businesses and other day-to-day activities. So, a better way to ensure safety is to introduce the Travel passport as also suggested by the International Air Transport Association (IATA),” Saaka said.
 
However, his worry was the standardisation of the policy across countries, without which international air connectivity is impossible.

“A lot of consideration should be given to the countries with less or without vaccination as it is yet to go round. It’s the responsibility of the government of countries with less or without vaccination to ensure that their citizens have access to vaccination and are vaccinated,” Saaka said.
 
At the weekend, the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) began vaccination of airlines and airport workers.
 
Spokesperson of Air Peace airline, Stanley Olisa, said their pilots, cabin crew and other frontline personnel had started receiving the COVID-19 vaccine to help curtail the spread of the virus and give passengers more confidence to fly with the airline.
 
Estimates revealed that just two per cent of global vaccines have gone to about 36 African countries. Besides the short supply, vaccine hesitancy is still very high for reasons not unconnected with general doubts on coronavirus, distrust on vaccine efficacy and religious claims linking the campaign to the “mark of the beast” as forewarned by the Bible.   

Unbothered by those to be left behind in the new travel regime, Emirates Airlines last week flew its first flight carrying all-vaccinated crew and passengers. The United Arab Emirates’ national carrier ferried 400 passengers on EK2021 flight around the UAE in a pilot phase that also had all vaccinated ground support staff. The country has used over nine million vaccines.  
 
IATA, which represents 290 global airlines, is on its part developing an app called “Travel Pass” in which users will upload documentation to prove vaccination status, and also access health entry requirements before travels.
 
Having lost $95 billion in 2021 already, following a record revenue plunge in 2020, global airlines are rallying behind the IATA Travel Pass. About 23 airlines, among them Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Etihad, Emirates, Virgin Atlantic and British Airways, already test running the vaccine passport app.
 
But Behavioural scientist, Prof. Stephen Reicher, criticised the “mixed message” embedded in the vaccine passport advocacy, saying it would further mount vaccine resistance than drive people to it.

“To talk about vaccine passports, even to talk about the possibility that participating in everyday social life, you will have to get vaccinated is counterproductive at this stage where we would need to convert and convince those who have doubts,” Reicher said.
 
Apparently, in agreement, an aviation consultant and Chief Executive Officer of Belujane Konzult, Chris Aligbe, described the vaccine passport policy as not properly thought out.
 
Aligbe said the airline's industry cannot survive the present difficulty insisting on vaccine-compliant passengers only.
 
“No matter what IATA is doing, the policy will still hurt the airlines because many countries will still be backward in the vaccination programme. Many that want to travel will want to get vaccinated, but in a country where you don’t have enough vaccines like Nigeria, how many will have a vaccine passport?

“For me, IATA should be very careful in accepting vaccine passports as the standard, except they come to a point of setting a timeline of two years for all travellers to get a vaccine passport. More so, there is no guarantee yet on vaccine efficacy, or which of the brands is actually better. This is policy and I think IATA and others should sit down and think it through carefully,” Aligbe said.
 
Not giving anything to chances, he added that the country should also begin to move fast in availing vaccines for the citizens.
 
“The truth is that people are yet to key into vaccination. Apart from politicians, those rushing to get the jab are mostly intending travellers. People in the villages cannot be bothered. So, vaccination remains an urban and elitists’ thing. But we should not be laid-back. The government should as much as possible get more vaccines into this country for people willing to get it.”

BY  WOLE SHADARE

Chairman, United Nigeria Airline, Chief Obiora Okonkwo, says its operations, route expansion and additional aircraft acquisition will be done in phases to avoid biting more than they can chew. 

This is coming as the airline also assured of employing more Nigerians with the gradual increase of their operations within and outside the country in line with their big dreams. Speaking at the weekend in Lagos, Okonkwo said their medium term plan was to consolidate on their domestic op- erations while eyeing the actualisation of flying into the West African region.

He said, the responses the airline had been getting from the market was heartwarming, adding that in the next couple of months, it would add another aircraft to its fleet. Okonkwo said: “We are hoping that we should increase our air fleet very soon.

We are looking at the next couple of months. A lot of plans are already in the way, we have been happy so far with the responses we have been getting from the market.” He emphasised that the strong vision of the airline was to fly to unite, which means safety in all their operations. ”We are glad today, it is operational, it is offering services to thousands of people in Nigeria,” he said. 

On the choice of the aircraft type, ERJ145, the United Nigeria Airline boss said it was the  best for them and convenient to build routes and give passengers the quality service they deserve. He said: “We had a thorough due diligence before we embarked on that.

The fuel saving capacity is an advantage, the passenger load, which is 50, is an advantage, we thought as a new airline, it might take us a while to fill up the aircraft, so, we felt that with an efficient fuel utiliseation with not too huge passenger load, we might be able to manage our good and bad days.” He stated that the airline had assembled some of the best brains with the requisite experiences in the industry to run the airline, stressing that he was proud of the team with the successes so far recorded in the past eight weeks of operations. “We are very proud of our team. 

For us, team work is very important in what we are doing, staff welfare is important, family spirit is important and we are bringing all our experiences we have in all our areas of endeavours into this aviation business. “I seek your support to help us be where we need to be for the service to mankind to the glory of God,” he noted. 

In the area of employment, Okonkwo said employment opportunities had been created in different areas of operations, adding that with the commencement of flight, they have engaged a whole lot of people with some of them up to 50 per cent to 60 per cent having their first experience in aviation after undergoing the required mandatory trainings. 

”You know, it is very strict, there must be training, there must be indoctrination, there must be standard they have to meet, for us, this number of people are those who have benefited in the opportunities we have created. “More people are in the pipeline as we expand our routes, open our operational base and that will go on and on, the more aircraft we have, the more people that will be employed,” he added.

Giving a breakdown of their passenger traffic in the two months of operations, the Chief Operating Officer (COO), Osita Okonkwo, said during the period, they carried 25,000 passengers and that the passenger load was currently 3,200 per week. He reechoed that they would not be in a hurry in increasing their capacity to do things, but rather, it would be gradually, organic and systematic. 

“We have four aircraft, we could have started all the four aircraft the same day, but we are an organisation that is very, very deep rooted in learning and in knowing our limitations and growing into our experiences. So, step by step, we are creating the necessary systems, processes institutions and organs that will help us achieve the target we have set for ourselves,” he added.

The pilots, cabin crew and other personnel that interface with customers of Air Peace have started receiving the COVID-19 vaccine to help curtail the spread of the virus and give passengers more confidence to fly with the airline.

This was disclosed by the airline’s spokesman, Stanley Olisa, who stated that the vaccine was being administered by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

Olisa, who commended the federal government for making the vaccine available, stressed that Air Peace prioritises the well-being and safety of its staff and customers, adding that all frontline personnel had been directed to receive the vaccine.

“We directed that our staff, especially those on frontline duties, get vaccinated to protect them and make the flying public feel more confident and reassured whenever they fly Air Peace,” Olisa said. He added that Air Peace was committed to providing best-in-class flight services and observing strict standards of safety.

Air Peace happens to be the first airline to announce the vaccination of its personnel, a move that accentuates its position as an industry leader in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic and in protecting its staff and passengers.