Travel News

By Mary O'Connor & Becky Morton

Portugal has questioned the UK's decision to remove it from the travel green list from Tuesday.

The move to the amber list means UK tourists should not visit the country and returnees must isolate for 10 days.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps cited rising cases and a Covid mutation found in Portugal. But the travel firm Tui said 50% of passengers due to travel there in June are still planning to go.

But Portugal said it could not understand the "logic" of the move.

Cristovao Norte, Portuguese MP for the Algarve, said he was "perplexed" by the government's decision to remove the country from the green list.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that Portugal was "not expecting the decision", as beyond a spike in the capital, Lisbon, its transmission rate was "more or less" that of the UK's.

"We wear masks, we obey the rules, we maintain social distancing, vaccination is growing steadily. So I'm a little bit perplexed," he said.

In the first review of England's traffic light list for international travel, no new destinations were added to the green list, where travellers must be tested but do not have to quarantine on their return.

Seven countries - Afghanistan, Bahrain, Costa Rica, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Sudan, and Trinidad and Tobago - are being added to the red list.

Holidaymakers should not travel to amber or red list countries, according to government guidance.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have confirmed they will adopt the same changes, which come into effect at 04:00 BST on 8 June.

The green list will reviewed again on 28 June.

The travel industry has criticised the change, saying it will threaten jobs and consumer confidence - with the boss of Heathrow Airport warning the sector faces "another lost summer".

The UK government said the decision to move Portugal, including Madeira and the Azores, to the amber list followed increased concern about a mutation of the Delta variant, which was first identified in India.

The Department for Transport said 68 cases of the Delta variant had been identified in Portugal, including cases with an additional, potentially detrimental mutation, being referred to as the Nepal mutation.

Public Health England (PHE) told the BBC the mutation of the variant was present in multiple countries, including a small number of cases in the UK.

It is investigating the mutation to better understand whether it could be more transmissible and less effectively tackled by vaccines.

The number of positive Covid cases in Portugal has also nearly doubled since the last review, the department said, adding the situation "has required swift action to protect the gains made with the [UK] vaccine rollout".

On 2 June, Portugal had 5.4 new cases per 100,000 people per day, which was only a little higher than the UK at 5.1 - but differences in the amount of testing being done make direct comparisons difficult.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said the government had chosen to adopt a "cautious approach" to protect the "progress" made against the virus in the UK.

He told BBC Breakfast on Friday that while he appreciated it was "difficult" for people, the UK had "made so much progress as a country" as the result of the vaccine rollout, that ministers needed "to adopt a cautious approach to protect the UK from infection from new variants".

He added that it was "right to be careful" while scientists investigated whether the new variant was more transmissible and how effective current vaccines were against it.

At end of April, the transport secretary told Parliament the government was looking at producing a "green watch list" where it could indicate "a couple of weeks in advance" when it was studying a variant which could become a variant of concern - in order to give people time to return to the UK before rule changes.

Mr Jenrick told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the "watchlist system remains, if it's possible" and that if ministers saw case and positivity rates increasing then "one may be able to use that... to give people and the industry that forward guidance".

But he said the government might need to "act more swiftly" as new variants and mutations emerged.

Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary said the decision to move Portugal to the amber list "isn't based on any science or public health" and accused the government of making up policy "as they go along".

"What we don't understand is why the UK, which has been so successful with vaccines, is expecting its vaccinated citizens travelling to Portugal coming back to quarantine," he told BBC Breakfast.

Mr O'Leary said the decision was "more mismanagement of the Covid recovery" and had created "unnecessary disruption and stress for hundreds of thousands of British families"

Tui said that while half of its passengers booked to go to Portugal in June were still planning to travel, the remaining 50% had amended their dates. The operator is not currently offering cancellations for trips while the Foreign Office is not advising against travel to Portugal.

Tui said it had around 8,000 UK passengers in Portugal at the moment, but that this would reduce to 2,000 after Sunday as many returned at the end of half term.

It said it was not planning to lay on additional flights to get passengers back before the new rules kicked in, but would upgrade the size of its planes.

The change to Portugal's status means holidaymakers face a scramble for flights home before the new rules come into force.

Simon Smith, from Stamford, in Lincolnshire, is currently on holiday in Portugal and trying to get back to the UK. He is worried he may not be able to get coronavirus tests in time to board his return flight on Saturday.

He told the Today programme: "It's been a bit of a scramble. We're trying to get some testing organised but the government released the information yesterday and it was a bank holiday in Portugal, which didn't help.

"We're being told by local doctors that it can be up to three or four days' waiting for tests so that we can fly… so it's a bit of a nightmare."

On the decision to amend the green list, Mr Shapps said the government "simply don't want to take the risk as we come up to June 21 and the review of the fourth stage of the unlock".

On that date, all legal restrictions on social contact in England are due to be lifted - but some scientists have said this should be delayed due to rising cases.

A final decision will be made on whether to proceed with the easing of restrictions by 14 June.

On Thursday, the UK reported 5,274 new cases - the highest figure since 26 March - and another 18 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.

PHE believes the Delta variant is now dominant in the UK and that it may be linked to a higher risk of hospital admission.

Prof Neil Ferguson, an expert on the spread of infectious diseases who sits on the government's New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), said the current "best estimate" was that the Delta variant could be "60% more transmissible" than the previously dominant Kent variant known as Alpha.

Asked about whether the ending of restrictions on 21 June needed to be delayed, he told the Today programme the data was "pointing this week in a more negative direction than it was last week", so it pointed "towards the direction of being cautious".

Travel expert Simon Calder said people should not be under the "misapprehension" that just because a country was on the green list that travel would be as easy as simply showing your passport, and getting into the country.

Speaking from Gibraltar, one of a small number of countries on the green list, he told BBC Breakfast that he has had to fill in forms and book Covid tests before he can board a return flight, making the process already "formidably difficult".

Meanwhile, Tim Alderslade, chief executive of Airlines UK, told the BBC's World Tonight programme that there could be a return to the travel situation of last summer, "with people just not wanting to book because of the risk", and that the "feeling within the sector is we are being potentially sacrificed in order to protect the domestic reopening on 21 June".

The Airline Operators Association said the industry would require substantial government support to protect jobs if there was to be "another disastrous summer as a result of a continued overly-cautious approach".

And Labour said downgrading Portugal was "not the answer", calling for the amber list to be scrapped altogether and citing reports that more than 50,000 people were travelling to the UK every day.

'This holiday was everything for us'

Kerry, a photographer from the Wirral, says her family - like many others - have had "the year from hell".

Her partner has been shielding for over a year due to an auto-immune disease, Kerry has had to nurse her mother through Covid-19 and a stroke, and her 18-month old son has hardly known a world without a pandemic.

She was just about to book a trip to Portugal when the rules changed. "This holiday was everything for us - our first with our baby who has had no experiences in his first 18 months on this planet," she says.

But others say they are likely to make the trip despite the list change.

One man told the BBC: "Unless they say, you must not go, you will be fined if you go, we might well still go and just have to bear the additional costs of an extra PCR test and the fact that we have to quarantine."

A group of Nigerian golfers at the Falcon Golf and Country Club, Rwanda. PHOTO: TAARIFA.RW

It’s a new dawn in the tourism sector in Rwanda as tourists begin to explore a new form of spending good time in the country and enjoying what it has to offer.

Recently, 23 Golfers from Ikoyi club, Nigeria, visited Rwanda for a 10-day holiday to play golf and experience other tourism attractions around the country.

Out of the 10 days, they decided to spend five of them playing golf at the exquisite Falcon Golf and Country Club, a home to golf in Rwanda since 2019 when the only second golf club in Rwanda, the Kigali Golf Club, was closed for reconstruction. Falcon Golf Club is located at the shores of Lake Muhazi, at Gati peninsula, Rwamagana district.

The Nigerian group leader and a former Captain of Ikoyi Golf club with membership of 10,000 players and 2,800 golf sections, Tayo Babalakin, talked to Taarifa on this memorable visit. “We had a good time indeed,” he said, adding that, “this is our fourth time coming to Rwanda, but we said, let’s play golf this time around.”

On the team was also Jacob Erhabor, former Managing Director of Sonarwa, who was glad to come back to Rwanda.

Golf is a non contact sport, however, like any other sports conducted globally during the existing threat of COVID-19 pandemic, Falcon Golf Club turns into an isolated bubble where no one can access the facility without being tested for COVID-19, and with the help of district medical clinics.

Different institutions, such as the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), Sports Ministry, and Rwanda Convention Bureau (RCB) were consulted and provided guidance on how the tourists should enjoy their stay and in a safe environment.

Falcon Golf Club management told Taarifa that RBC provided one staff to assist throughout their stay and that local authorities provided support in terms of security to ensure the Covid bubble is maintained.

Our reporter, Adrien Kubwayo, visited the course to witness this new fond touristic experience. He says visitors when presented with a menu for their lunch after their game, they all went for a delicious Tilapia from Lake Muhazi.

He, however, noted that, more hotels are needed in Rwamagana district because these tourists had to commute daily from Kigali to Falcon Golf club, a situation he said would have made it more comfortable were the tourists able to stay near the golf club.

The Managing Director of Falcon Golf Club, Michael Bayingana, who said COVID-19 affected all sectors in the country, but more so sports and entertainment businesses that required many people converging to one place.

On Saturday May 29, 2021, golfers in Rwanda who were cleared after COVID-19 testing, had the opportunity to play a round of golf with the Nigerian visitors, to conclude their trip.

The proprietor of the facility, Innocent Rutamu, who is also a golfer, told Taarifa that Golf Tourism has great potential for Rwanda, if the basics are put in place.

“One of the major conditions is to have a minimum of three golf courses as golf tourists on average spend 10 to 12 days in a country if they have a variety of courses to play,” he said, adding that, “Rwanda has good weather all year round for golf. Other factors such as safety and security are already in place, so we are at an advantage.”

Observers say institutions responsible for tourism should learn a thing or two about golf if they have to give the same support given to cycling or basketball.

Different institutions, such as the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), Sports Ministry, and Rwanda Convention Bureau (RCB) were consulted and provided guidance on how the tourists should enjoy their stay and in a safe environment.

Falcon Golf Club management told Taarifa that RBC provided one staff to assist throughout their stay and that local authorities provided support in terms of security to ensure the Covid bubble is maintained.

Our reporter, Adrien Kubwayo, visited the course to witness this new fond touristic experience. He says visitors when presented with a menu for their lunch after their game, they all went for a delicious Tilapia from Lake Muhazi.

He, however, noted that, more hotels are needed in Rwamagana district because these tourists had to commute daily from Kigali to Falcon Golf club, a situation he said would have made it more comfortable were the tourists able to stay near the golf club.

The Managing Director of Falcon Golf Club, Michael Bayingana, who said COVID-19 affected all sectors in the country, but more so sports and entertainment businesses that required many people converging to one place.

On Saturday May 29, 2021, golfers in Rwanda who were cleared after COVID-19 testing, had the opportunity to play a round of golf with the Nigerian visitors, to conclude their trip.

The proprietor of the facility, Innocent Rutamu, who is also a golfer, told Taarifa that Golf Tourism has great potential for Rwanda, if the basics are put in place.

“One of the major conditions is to have a minimum of three golf courses as golf tourists on average spend 10 to 12 days in a country if they have a variety of courses to play,” he said, adding that, “Rwanda has good weather all year round for golf. Other factors such as safety and security are already in place, so we are at an advantage.”

Observers say institutions responsible for tourism should learn a thing or two about golf if they have to give the same support given to cycling or basketball.

Indeed, last week RDB’s CEO, Clare Akamanzi, spoke to The New Times and BBC that Rwanda is keen on replicating experiences such as the just concluded Basketball African League (BAL) to increase and diversify tourism activities.

“The first objective as a country is to become a sports tourism destination…looking at resumption of tourism in our country, and the fact that many tourists have postponed their visits, and some have cancelled their visits, many of the events had to be postponed such as the Commonwealth Forum, many meetings are held online, we have to think about the years ahead, and of the ways we are looking at is to increase the number of sports events,” Akamanzi told BBC mid May 2021.

Meanwhile, Taarifa is privy to information that The Sunshine Tour, the biggest golf tour in Africa, has been trying to put Rwanda on their circuit but received minimal encouragement to do so.

Once the Sun Shine Tour has a country in its circuit, the country receives about 400 highend tourists annually, who come for the event. Kenya and Mauritius, and a few Southern Africa countries are enjoying this benefit, currently.

Another country eying golf tourism is Kenya, and the country seems to be at advanced stage.

In 2018, Kenya recorded two million tourist arrivals, and the country is now laying focus on tapping into the huge potential that exists in golf tourism, Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife, Mr Najib Balala told golfers in February 2019.

Speaking at the prestigious Professional Golfers Association (PGA) Vipingo Ridge Baobab Course, Kilifi County in February 2019, Balala promised to promote Kenya as a wonderful golf tourism destination. “Rwanda wouldn’t want to miss this boat,” Rutamu told Taarifa in 2020 when Falcon Golf Course hosted the Rwanda Summer Golf tournament for the domestic market.

According to a report published by Technavio.com, Global Golf Tourism Market 2017 – 2021, the global golf tourism market in 2016 totalled a huge US$22.92 billion and from their research this market will total $44.6 billion by end of 2021.

The industry thrives when visitors meet local players. For golf to develop in Rwanda, training should start from primary school using football pitches for short range play and then have access to available facilities such as Falcon golf Club or Kigali Golf Course, unfortunately this sport is still treated with stereotypes that it is a sport for the rich and the lazy.

Those who know its potential usually talk not about it. Meet them on the course and at the clubhouse, that’s when the conversations light up, otherwise, they usually keep it to themselves. It is an intimate relationship.

Meanwhile, the Nigerians discovered a gem, and they are planning to return soon for more.

• Culled from taarifa.rw

By Wole Oyebade

For so long they have operated in silos, with rivalry and unhealthy competition that ruined all. Now, the ‘strange bedfellows’ are learning strategic collaborations to share burden and cut avoidable losses. WOLE OYEBADE writes on enormous gains that lie in the offing.

Competition causes business to thrive. In Nigerian aviation industry, competition, ego and other environmental challenges kill businesses.

Unhealthy rivalry actually thrives in the sector. Operators rarely cooperate. They neither do business together nor find good reasons for one. To some, “it cheapens my brand”. To others, “what does Mr. B know about the aviation business?” “I will show them that I am the biggest”. Soon, ego snowballs into trade war. Predatory or underpricing, de-marketing and route rat-race become the skill-set in the local sector.

A scenario in the sector comes to mind, when on one afternoon at one of the airports, six airplanes, different carriers, all adorned the apron, revving up the engine for the same destination. Only a hundred passengers funneled into the terminal – not even enough to fill one aircraft. But half-a-dozen are waiting.

In the spirit of “competition”, they jostled for patronage. An airline had 38. Another flew with 12. One almost had the misfortune of nothing to fill 120 available seats. Yet, it departed. They all lost on account of poor capacity utilisation and sheer operational wastage.

That picture is typical of most afternoon belts and off-peak periods. Over a week, month or year, estimated loss is colossal. And when mandatory maintenance like C-check is due in 18 months’ time, airlines begin to feel the pinch as it coughs out an average of $2 million per aircraft.

Dealing in bad hands Since the aviation sector got liberalised in the 80s, the industry has opened up to free entry and free exit of willing operators. The Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig. CARs) also empower airlines to initiate ticket prices for sustainability.

Though a dollarised industry and highly susceptible to vagaries of foreign exchange, local airlines have consistently underpriced the sector given an undercurrent price war.

In 2016 when naira-to-dollar rate spiked by 100 per cent, the cost of aviation fuel, aircraft maintenance, and spare parts all doubled, but not air fares.

A Lagos-Abuja flight, for instance, retained the average price of N25, 000 at N360/$1 – the same price it sold when exchange was N160/$1 in 2015.

Currently, at N485/$1, an airline recently offered ticket fare at N16, 500. “It sounds good and inviting from customers’ perspective, but not for aviation business,” a Chief Executive Officer said.

The CEO, who would not want his name mentioned, observed that even at N30, 000 for a one-hour flight, the airline runs at a loss. At an average cost of N30, 000 per economy class ticket, multiplied by 120 passengers on a B737 aircraft, it gives aboutN3.6 million per flight. At least N1 million of the sum goes to fuel and another N1 million plus goes to sundry charges and taxes. So, the airline is left with about N1 million to cater for maintenance and personnel among other obligations.

“By that estimate even if you have a full capacity, which has become rare lately, there is nothing left for profit. So, I don’t understand how that airline will claim to be in business offering such a ridiculous rate. But that is what we have been seeing in this industry; a subtle attempt to de-market others, run them out of the route, and inflate the price,” he said.

A new thinking in Dana-Ibom Alliance Perhaps two airlines that will not have to “de-market” or try to outpace one another are Dana Airline and Ibom Air, owned and operated by the Akwa Ibom State government.

The Dana-Ibom Air Alliance is the first time indigenous carriers have heeded aviation experts’ advice for competing airlines to codeshare, make the most of available customers, and cut operational wastage.

The significant milestone affords Dana and Ibom a business arrangement whereby both airlines jointly offer flights to common destinations, while operating services to destinations that are not within each airline’s regular routes. By doing so, both airlines expand their market presence and competitive footprint in the interest of the flying public.

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Dana Air, Obi Mbanuzuo said the discussion started about a year ago. “This is the first of its kind for domestic airlines in Nigeria and a huge step in the right direction for both Dana Air and Ibom Air,” he said.

COO of Ibom Air, George Uriesi, noted that the alliance would offer increased frequencies into common destinations as well as codeshare flights into destinations each airline does not operate into, providing more options for passengers and business retention for both airlines.

“With the initiation of this business alliance, both airlines have embraced a key global best practice. At Ibom Air, our business model and unwavering commitment remains schedule reliability, on-time departures and excellent service. Hence, we are constantly on the lookout for better and more effective ways to serve our customers,”Uriesi stated.

Aero Contractors, Aero AMO and Cally Air Another landmark that is slowly, though steadily changing the narrative in the local sector, is the Aero Contractor’s metamorphosis and partnership with itself.

Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed (left); Managing Director of Aero Contractors, Capt. Abdullahi Mahmood; Capt. Akinwale Awojebe, and former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, at the maiden flight of Aero Contractors airline to Tafawa Balewa International Airport, Bauchi, on Wednesday.

How? The oldest indigenous commercial airline had a near-fatal disaster in 2016. The Federal Government through the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) took over the airline. Under receivership, the airline divested into Aircraft Maintenance Organisation (AMO) and got approval to maintain Boeing 737 Classics locally – a major win for local aviation.

The AMO began C-checks on Aero Contractor’s grounded airplanes, almost halved the huge capital flight that would have gone with overseas maintenance, and helped stabilise the air travel business arm of the company.

Managing Director of the airline, Capt. Abdullahi Mahmood, on Monday said the AMO, a separate entity, has been instrumental to Aero Contractors’ route expansion, availing fleet capacity to launch Bauchi operations with a B737-400 airplane.

Head of the AMO, James Ominiyi, said besides meeting the critical need of its parent company with five C-checks already done locally, the facility has completed seven checks for Air Peace, three for Max Air, one for Dana Air, and two ongoing for Air Peace airline.

He added that the Aero AMO has lately got the approval rating of DR Congo, Ghana Civil Aviation, with new partnerships with Tunisia, Malta and Mongolia in the offing.

“We are widening our operations to ensure that local airlines do not have to go overseas and spend heavily doing C-checks. Doing it here saves at least $50,000 that would have been spent on fueling, flight charges and crew allowances.

“We are expanding our hangar to accommodate more aircraft at a time. We have reached an agreement to set up a hangar in Abuja. We already have 45 engineers training on E145 and Q400 air planes. We will have to buy equipment and also get approvals from the NCAA. But the journey has begun,” Ominiyi said.

The Guardian learnt that Aero Contractors is also partnering with Cross Rivers’ state government to run its new airline, Cally Air. With two B737 aircraft on ground, Cally Air will benefit from Aero’s technical expertise and avoid pitfalls of startups in a sector that abhor errors.

More alliances, please! It is really not by chance that major global carriers form alliances. No modern airline, no matter how big, survives alone. Through major alliances like Oneworld, Star Alliance and SkyTeam, even the legacy carriers pool bloc resources to compete with other airlines and offer competitive bargains to customers.

President of Sabre Network in Nigeria and West African region, Gbenga Olowo, advised local operators on the need to flow with the current; form alliances or merger to emerge stronger and competitive.

Olowo said as much as the challenges of operating in the Nigerian business environment are huge, the airlines could not continue to run one-man, small but weak airlines against one another and hope to survive one day.

According to him, it makes a better business strategy to have one or two strong airlines than lots that cannot compete with other African carriers.

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is not in the position to force alliances between A and B airlines, but benefits of cooperation among airlines that have common values are sufficient motivation. And as local aviation grows in the number of operators, more will survive with win-win partnerships than in mutually destructive rivalry.

BY  Mercy Ayodele

Its first flight is days away yet Green Africa, the Lagos-based startup budget airline, is edging closer to disrupting the Nigerian airspace forever. It has announced its entrance with cheaper airfares for seven routes including Lagos to Abuja, a strategy that looks well suited to a large country where average incomes are low and rising insecurity is increasingly discouraging road travel.

Green Africa’s strategy is not new, at least not on the global scene. It has a similar playbook to the world’s largest low-cost carrier, Southwest Airlines. Southwest, despite being a low-cost carrier has been able to stay profitable through many decades. It even has an economic term named after it popularly called “the Southwest effect”.

Southwest started out with an idea to make air travel accessible for all. While most carriers in the U.S. focused on wealthy travelers, it set out to disrupt the market by giving more people the opportunity to travel by air at a low cost.

Southwest Airlines focused on four main things: a low-cost structure that stayed low due to fast growth, happy employees who liked their jobs and translated that to customers, being future-minded, and differentiated.

Green Africa, just like Southwest, is coming into the Nigerian aviation sector with a low-cost structure with fares between N16,500 and N23,000, which is about a 50 to 70 percent slash in average fares charged by other airlines. Although, there have been questions as to whether the prices will remain low.

Read Also: Green Africa completes acceptance of 3 ATR 72-600s in preparation for deployment

“I would not say the price they have started with will be permanent, it is an introductory offer but you can be sure that of you pick the first three airline in the country with the lowest fare in two or three months, Green Africa would be one of them” Olumide Ohunayo, a member of the Aviation Safety Roundtable Initiative (ASRTI) said.

“They have started with a very low-cost aircraft, they are taking a smaller market that fits the Nigerian market and if they build on that and get good maintenance organisations, continue with the same fleet, get better deals with the manufacturer of such aircraft, the maintenance and cost of operation would go lower, their fare will definitely not increase.” Ohunayo said.

Despite the similarity in low fares, differences such as fleet and routes make Green Africa different from Southwest.

Green Africa will use ATR72-600S jetliners, a turboprop, while Southwest operates Boeing 737 jet planes. Turboprops are generally more fuel-efficient than jets whose fuel usage is higher.

A BusinessDay analysis shows that for a one-way trip, a jet aircraft’s flight from Lagos to Abuja consumes nothing less than 8,000 litres and at N220/litre, airlines pay about N1.76 million for fuel alone.

A turboprop consumes about 58-100 gallons of fuel per hour compared to a jet aircraft which consumes about 77-239 gallons of fuel every hour, according to SherapReport. This means on average, turboprop’s fuel consumption is about 155 percent lesser than jet aircraft, which helps Green Africa save costs.

Eight years ago, Southwest expanded its routes to 14 countries outside the US after it gained more domestic passengers than any US airline. For now, Green Africa will fly to seven domestic destinations from Lagos, including Akure, Ilorin, Abuja, Owerri, Port Harcourt and Enugu.

Unlike full-service carriers, Southwest has all its activities tailored towards low-cost delivery. No meals are served, no seats assigned, or any premium class service.

The Nigerian market is dominated by full-service carriers; low-cost airlines like Southwest are uncommon. It is this niche Green Africa wants to fill.

“We are crafting a network plan that will afford customers the opportunity to pursue their economic interest or simply spend more time with family and friends,” Babawande Afolabi, the CEO of Green Africa said during the announcement that the airline was commencing operations.

Unsafe roads make Nigerians take to the air

Green Africa is offering cheap airfares at a time when Nigerians are afraid to travel by road given the rise in the number of kidnap cases on road trips.

Rising insecurity on Nigerian roads showed up in data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) which reported a decline of 23.75 percent in Road Transport GDP in the first quarter of 2021 from the previous quarter.

PR24 Nigeria Limited, a private security agency released a recent travel advisory report to highlight areas that are currently unsafe and no state in Nigeria was classified as safe.

Of the 36 states, 14 were classified as high-risk regions; 3 (Adamawa, Borno and Yobe) were classified as dangerous while 19 were in the medium-risk group.

Owerri and Enugu, two of the routes Green Africa plans to ply, were classified as high-risk regions which means only essential travel should be made to these states. For regions classified as medium risk travel security is advised when traveling to those areas.

Friendly prices for infrequent flyers

Nigerians travel a lot; after food, Nigerians spend the most on transportation.

According to the 2019 consumption expenditure by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the total household expenditure on food and non-food items was N40 trillion.

More than half of this was spent on food while 43.3 percent was spent on non-food items. In the non-food category, 6.4 percent was spent on transportation, followed by health, education and services with 6.1 percent, 6 percent and 5.5 percent respectively.

With the insecurity, air transport has become the preferred travel option for Nigerians, for those who can afford it.

Data from the NBS also show that on average, bus journeys within cities have increased 72 percent to N3,861 in April 2021 compared to N2,237 recorded in April 2020.

Airfare cost also averaged N36,409 in April 2021, this is an 18.43 percent increase compared to N30,743 recorded in the same period last year, according to data from the NBS.

Transportation costs are increasing at a time when 40 percent of the population is classified as poor. This means an average of four out of 10 individuals in Nigeria live below $1.90 (N780) per day.

Nigeria has the second-highest unemployment rate in the world after Namibia at 33.3 percent. With inflation at 18.12 percent and food inflation is also at 22.7 percent, Nigerians are having a hard time affording food and other basic necessities.

Although Green Africa only covers seven domestic destinations for now its promise to charge airfare as low as 16,500, makes air travel attractive for more Nigerians.

BY  Juliana Ajayi

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria says it has unveiled bird equipment, also known as wildlife management equipment, at its headquarters annex.

FAAN said it inaugurated the equipment in its Lagos officer in a bid to improve safety flight operations and manage bird hazards at the nation’s airports.

According to a statement issued by the authority on Monday, the bird equipment will help regulate the occurrences of bird strikes at various airports.

The Managing Director, FAAN, Captain Rabiu Yadudu, represented by the Director of Commercial and Business Development, Alhaji Sadiku Rafindadai, described the equipment provided by the agency as some of the best around.

He said the equipment were procured based on the recommendation by the International Civil Aviation Organization.

According to him, the deployment of these equipment will usher in an era of safe flight operations, as incidents relating to bird strikes will now be a thing of the past.

The Director of Airport Operations, Captain Muktar Muye, said, “What is being commissioned is not just the equipment but a complete package that also includes the recommended storage facility, patrol vehicle and trained personnel in line with ICAOs Standards and Recommended Practices.”

According to the statement, some of the equipment inaugurated include three different models of bird scaring gas canons, day boxes for carrying pyrotechnics during operations for safety, 15,000 rounds of 12G (heavy caliber bird scaring pyrotechnics), and Hi-tech bird laser.

Others include personal protective equipment for staff dealing with wildlife, purpose-built TYPE IV explosive storage magazine, and a brand-new Hilux jeep for Runway wildlife patrol.

From Joseph Inokotong, Abuja

The Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (CGI), Muhammad Babandede, has announced the reopening of the passport application and payment portal effective from 12 midnight of June 8 to allow eligible passport applicants to apply and make payments for the various categories of passports of their choices.

The passport portal was closed following the directives of the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, on May 17 to afford the Service the opportunity to clear all backlogs of applications that have piled up across Issuing Centres in the past few months.

The reopening of the portal means that a new passport application and payment regime has commenced.

Under the new passport regime, applications and payments for passport services shall be made through the Service website: www.immigration.gov.ng and applicants are expected to visit the portal to apply and upload their support documents for vetting and processing.

A chat room facility to guide applicants through the application and payment process has been provided on the portal, and upon successful applications, applicants shall make their online booking interview/enrollment appointment on any day, time and location they consider convenient.

In a statement issued Tuesday, Amos Okpu, Assistant Comptroller of Immigration, Service Public Relations Officer, said:

‘The new timeline for passport production and issuance after a successful enrollment at the selected Issuing Centre shall be six weeks for Fresh applications and three weeks for Re-issue (Renewal applications); that no applicant who is yet to make online application and payment shall be allowed into any of the Passport Issuing Centres for passport processing; applicants will be contacted through email and phone number they provided during application when their passports are ready; a helpline with number 08021819988 has been provided for feedback mechanism on any challenges.’

The Comptroller General, Muhammad Babandede, called on Nigerians and indeed passport applicants to avoid patronizing touts as the entire process has been made seamless for effective and efficient service delivery.

He warned passport racketeers to desist from acts capable of undermining the reform efforts to avoid very strict sanctions.

by  Abdullateef Aliyu

The Nigerian Consulate in South Africa has reacted to allegations of arbitrary fees charged for replacement of lost passports by Nigerians living in the country.

Nigeria’s Consul General in Johannesburg, South Africa, Hon Malik Abdul, stated that he had “been blackmailed as wicked” and tagged “an extortionist by elements within the community.”

Daily Trust reports that there was a protest recently by some Nigerians living in Johannesburg querying the fees charged for loss of passport.

They also demanded the removal of R10,000 (N300,000) demanded by the agents as deposit fee, and another R120, which translates to N3,600, imposed on Nigerian citizens for lost passport processing and passport capturing respectively.

However, the consul general, in a speech delivered to chronicle his activities from November, 2020, when he assumed duty, said, “It must be emphasised that the administration fees and the lost passport fees are paid to the government’s designated account and not to any individual account.

“As head of mission, I have a responsibility not to succumb to the blackmail and intimidation tactics of a few disgruntled elements among our community.”

BY  Eniola Akinkuotu

THE United Kingdom has ruled out a blanket ban on members of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra who apply for asylum. Rather, the UK says all applications will be considered on their individual merit.

The Head of Communications, British High Commission in Nigeria, Mr. Dean Hurlock, made the clarification during a chat with The PUNCH.

The UK Visas and Immigration had last month released new guidelines to its decision makers on how to consider and grant asylum applications by members of Biafran secessionist groups.

However, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, said the move was disrespectful to Nigeria because IPOB had been proscribed by the Federal Government.

The UK subsequently took down the guidelines and promised to update it soon.

In a chat with The PUNCH on whether IPOB still qualified, Hurlock said applications by all Nigerian nationals would be treated on their individual merit.

He said, “This latest guidance is currently under review and has no longer been made available on our UK Government GOV.UK website.

“All asylum and human rights claims from Nigeria nationals, as is the case with all foreign nationals, are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations.

“We publish reports in this way so it is clearer and fairer for all involved (applicants, their lawyers, judges, stakeholders such as the UNHCR). All UK asylum decisions can be appealed in the immigration courts, which are public.”

When asked if IPOB members would be given asylum if they qualify, he responded, “Every case is assessed on its own merit. If that guidance had never existed, we should still expect to consider a well meaning application fairly and follow due process.”

Attempts to get from the Federal Government proved abortive as the telephone line of the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ferdinand Nwoye, indicated that it was switched off while the Minister of Informational, Lai Mohammed, did not respond to an inquiry on Sunday.

BY  Stephanie Bodoni and Siddharth Philip, Bloomberg News

A British Airways Plc sign stands in front of travelers queuing at check-in counters at Athens International Airport, in Athens, Greece, on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020. The U.K. government imposed a 14-day quarantine for travelers arriving from seven Greek islands, starting from Sept. 7, in a shift to its coronavirus strategy, as domestic cases of the disease continued to rise. Photographer: Yorgos Karahalis/Bloomberg , Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) -- British Airways and Ryanair Holdings Plc face an investigation into whether they broke U.K. consumer rules by failing to offer refunds to customers for flights they couldn’t take.

The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority said it has opened enforcement cases against both airlines on Wednesday. The watchdog last year opened a probe into the airline sector, following concerns that during the Covid-19 pandemic, customers were denied refunds while unable to fly and instead were offered vouchers or the option to rebook flights.

The refund issue caused a backlash last year when flights were grounded and customers were forced to cancel trips that they were no longer legally allowed to take. It proved contentious from the start of the pandemic when cash-starved airlines steered passengers toward rebooking or accepting credits for future flights.

U.K. Probes Airlines for Refusing Refunds During Pandemic

“While we understand that airlines have had a tough time during the pandemic, people should not be left unfairly out of pocket for following the law,” Andrea Coscelli, chief executive officer at the CMA, said in a statement. “Customers booked these flights in good faith and were legally unable to take them due to circumstances entirely outside of their control.”

The airline companies will now have the opportunity to respond to the regulator’s concerns. British Airways said that it had issued well over 3 million refunds during the coronavirus crisis. “It is incredible that the government is seeking to punish further an industry that is on its knees,” the carrier said in a statement.

Ryanair “approached such refund requests on a case by case basis and has paid refunds in justified cases” and that since June 2020 customers have been able to rebook flights at no extra cost, the airline said in response to the probe.

(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. has taken the lead in the global aviation recovery from China, where a Covid-19 outbreak in Guangdong province has undone months of steady growth in air traffic.

Airlines in the U.S. are taking advantage of a vaccine rollout that’s reached 52% of the population. Looser restrictions have made domestic air travel an almost-routine experience, save for the facemasks, with capacity for flights within the country at about 84% of 2019 levels, based on data from flight-tracking firm OAG.

Until recently, China set the standard, with domestic travel powering a comeback that’s stood above 2019 levels for most of this year. After bringing the virus under control in the first half of 2020, the world’s most populous country was able to quickly restart its economy and went on to displace the U.S. as the world’s largest air-travel market.

That progress has reversed with the arrival of the Delta variant of the coronavirus first identified in India. Officials in southern China’s Guangdong instituted a lockdown late last month, requiring people to show a negative Covid-19 test before leaving the capital Guangzhou, a major hub for transportation, manufacturing and shipping. 

“Asia finds itself in a difficult position, with some short spikes occurring and also the vaccine rollout in many markets behind the rest of the developed world,” said John Grant, chief analyst at OAG.

The curbs have dragged down airline activity, with Guangzhou-based China Southern Airlines Co. feeling the brunt of the drop-off. Just last year, Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport knocked Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International off its perch as the world’s busiest hub. 

What’s Happening in Air Travel This Week

Global aviation capacity showed little sign of movement in the most recent week, and stands at 60% of 2019 levels, according to Bloomberg’s weekly flight tracker, which uses OAG data to monitor the pulse of the comeback. 

The U.S. has pulled up the average, with airlines adding seats, raising prices and ordering more planes to keep up with the robust rebound ahead of the peak summer travel season. 

Despite China’s drop, airline capacity there is still off less than 1% compared with pre-pandemic levels, leaving it well ahead of all major aviation markets by that measure. China domestic capacity stands at 15.6 million, compared with 13.9 million this time two years ago. While the U.S. gap is shrinking, activity there remains 20% below 2019 levels. Europe has awakened from near dormancy as countries like France start to loosen border controls, though it is still down 59%.

Vaccines Vs “Covid-Free”

The two leading aviation markets have taken a diverging approach to controlling the outbreak and getting their economies back on track. The U.S. has focused on rapid vaccine deployment, while China instituted strict lockdowns to quickly quell the disease in early 2020.

China has since then had periodic flareups that led to targeted lockdowns and restrictions on movement. Air traffic suffered a hit this February during the peak travel period of Lunar New Year, when the government encouraged people to stay at home as it tried to stamp out an outbreak in the northeast.

In the European Union, the reliance on inoculations will be put to the test in coming weeks, as governments begin to ease restrictions on movement within the bloc and individual countries reopen trans-Atlantic links. Government officials in the U.K., where the Delta variant has become dominant, have already backtracked on a loosening of border rules, drawing the ire of airline executives.

The issue will become more pressing now for the U.S., where airlines have thrived on international trade and tourism, said OAG’s Grant.

While the U.S. eased travel advisories this week, and Americans can go wherever they'll be welcomed, the Biden administration hasn’t yet lifted restrictions set in place since last March that bar entry for the vast majority of Europeans. The U.S. is also off-limits to most people from a host of other places, including China, Brazil, South Africa and India. 

Given more than half its population now has at least one shot, and the U.S. isn’t prepared to re-open, the message this sends to other countries is this, according to Grant: “Don’t open your doors until you have higher levels of vaccination.”