Travel News

BY  Juliana Ajayi

Stakeholders in the aviation industry have said that competitions among airlines will be beneficial to passengers.

Among the new airlines that emerged this year in the aviation industry with over 20 airlines on the waiting list; the United Nigeria Airlines received its Air Operators Certificate on 1st February, 2021, while Green Africa Airways announced on the 3rd of June the arrival of its third aircraft.

In a time where airlines were still trying to recover from the outbreak of COVID-19, Green Africa Airways said it had special packages reserved for its prospective customers.

Aside from having three ATR 72-600s, the airline offered 10 per cent off first bookings with pre-sales code.

Aero Contractors Company of Nigeria Limited recently extended its network routes to Bauchi and Maiduguri, using Boeing 737-400 aircraft released from C-Check.

Other airlines that joined the race of attracting customers are Air Peace Limited and Azman Air Services Limited.

Air Peace Limited in April offered some gifts to its customers.

Azman Air Services Limited recently upgraded its customers’ economy tickets to business class.

Dana Airlines and Ibom Airlines came together on the 21st of May to sign a code share agreement which would enable both airlines to increase profitability in the industry.

The General Manager, Public Relations Department, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, in an interview with our correspondent said, “Competition in the aviation industry is a welcome development. It shows the industry is growing. NCAA is there to ensure the right thing is done by all parties, and violations are viewed seriously.”

Adurogboye also noted that air passengers were to benefit most amidst the competitions in the aviation industry, as this would offer them better services and grant returns on their investments.

“Passengers would be the best to benefit as there would be options available to them,” he said.

Reacting to the competition among the airlines in Nigeria, Spokesperson, Air Peace Limited, Stanley Olisa, explained to our correspondent that, “Air Peace is focused on easing the air travel burden of Nigerians. We are committed to this and continually review our operational practices to ensure consistent excellent service delivery.

“We strategically expanded our fleet and commenced new routes. We launched direct nonstop incredibly affordable flights to Johannesburg. Flights to Ilorin are starting June 17, 2021. We have ordered 13 brand new Embraer 195-E2 aircraft. Two have been delivered while the third comes in later in June.”

He noted that the airline was committed to the safety of passengers and employment to teeming Nigerians and other Nationals.

Travel Expert and consultant, Olubiyi Oluwajoba, said the competition among airlines in Nigeria was a healthy one.

He said, “It is a healthy competition. More people will be interested in air travel because of the affordability, more routes will now be accessible – some of the airlines will love to attract new customers by flying new routes.

“Importantly, airlines will keep to schedule, unlike before when they misbehaved and changed schedules. They can easily lose clientele when they do that.”

By Chidimma C. Okeke, and, Chris Agabi

Nigerian students who were recently sent on scholarship programme under the federal government's Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) to Romania have cried out over the failure of the Nigerian government to send them their allowances since their departure from the country.

The students who left over nine months ago said they were suffering and unable to meet up with the provision of their needs following the high cost of living in Romania and failure of the federal government to pay their entitlements.

Daily Trust gathered that the BEA scholarship offers supplementation allowance of $500 per month for upkeep and books; postgraduate research grant of $1,000 per annum and warm clothing allowance of $250 per annum.

Others are take-off grant of N100,000 and one-way ticket to the country of study.

The students said only the take-off grant and one-way ticket were given to them and that not even a kobo from the other entitlements had been paid to them since they arrived Romania.

One of the parents who does not want to be mentioned told Daily Trust that the students left Nigeria during the partial lockdown and that up till now they had not received any money as promised.

The parent who suspects that there is likely to be a foul play in the whole process, said the students' offer letters were only given to them when they were boarding the aircraft.

She explained that, "When they were boarding, someone from the scholarship board went to the terminal as they were about to check-in to give them the offer letters. This was something they should have had two weeks before the trip."

The parent also noted that they were to be given a certain amount of money which was supposed to be in dollars but that they were given in naira and thus suspected that the money given to the students was not up to the approved amount.

Another parent said they gathered that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) gave the money in dollars while the scholarship board officials changed the money to naira, adding that it was not up to the said amount.

The parent said, "Our children collected the money because they were not aware of what was due to them.

"After the children got their offers, they were supposed to be getting a $500 stipend every month through the BEA, but since the students left for over nine months, not one penny has been given to them, and life over there is very expensive," adding that, "Nobody prepared the mind of the parents that the government will not pay."

While lamenting that the parents were finding it difficult to meet up with the demands of their children, he appealed to the government to meet its responsibility to the students to help ease their condition.

He added that, "The latest information from Romania is that Nigerian students wishing to stay on campus during the three-month vacation will have to pay. From where do they get the money to pay for the accommodation when the Nigerian government has refused to pay their entitlements? The burden is becoming unbearable on us parents."

He, however, said they had been in touch with the scholarship board which said it had written to CBN through the Ministry of Education and that it was yet to get the money to disburse to the students.

While noting that the scholarship board's letter to the CBN was written since December through the Minister of Education, he said the scholarship was on merit for students who had first class, but that no matter how intelligent a student was, when there was no money to feed, it would affect their performance.

"The students are really suffering as they cannot get help from anywhere; they said bottled water is about 3,000 when converted to naira. This is very embarrassing to the nation."

When our reporter contacted CBN, a source who spoke under anonymity, said it was unlikely the CBN had not disbursed the funds if the ministry indeed applied for it.

He explained that, "If indeed the ministry applied, CBN can't deny them the funds. If the CBN can ask banks to sell Basic Travel Allowances (BTA) and Personal Travel Allowances (PTA) to those travelling, it can't hold back school fees and allowances of students abroad."

He said if the students were being owed, then the ministry had to check its status very well as CBN did not usually delay on those requests, but that in this extant case, he noted that he was not in that department to be able to confirm.

When contacted, the Director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Education, Ben Bem Goong, said the delay was not from the ministry as there were processes from other relevant ministries.

Goong said, "Yes, we understand that we have to be sending this money to the students as at when due, but the process does not start and end with us; it is a process that goes through the system, and we are institutions that have processes.

"We are very conscious of the fact that they are in a foreign land without their parents, but they should have communicated to us; and the process is not just the Ministry of Education. For us, we have appropriated, and if there is an omission in the appropriation, then the office of the Accountant General and Ministry of Finance must also do their processes and release money to us to send to the students."

The director frowned at the students for going to the media, saying, "What the students have done is the height of ingratitude; it is extremely irritating. The students we are paying their fees have not communicated to us to even know their problems and they took us to the media; it is uncalled for."

President Muhammadu Buhari has officially inaugurated the 157km double track Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge.

The inauguration ceremony took place on Thursday morning.

Some top officers including three ministers, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, were present at the occasion.

Some royal fathers, led by representatives from the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu; the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Gbadebo, witnessed the occasion.

President Buhari, who had an interview with a leading national television on Thursday morning, arrived at the ornately decorated venue, which was the Mobolaji Johnson Railway Station, Ebute-Metta, at exactly 10.25am.

While addressing Nigerians, Buhari expressed happiness that the project was inaugurated during his tenure.

He expressed commitment to the ongoing massive infrastructural development across the country.

Speaking during an exclusive interview broadcast on Arise TV, Buhari said the government’s decision to connect Niger with Nigeria by rail through Kano was to allow his Nigerien relatives easily have access to Nigeria.

President Muhammadu Buhari has justified the decision of his government to construct a rail line linking Nigeria with the Niger Republic despite criticisms that trailed the announcement of the plan.

Speaking during an exclusive interview broadcast on Arise TV, Buhari said the government’s decision to connect Niger with Nigeria by rail through Kano was to allow his Nigerien relatives easily have access to Nigeria.

“I have cousins, family members, etc., in Niger Republic. I shouldn’t just cut them off,” Buhari said.

He also cited transportation of oil from the neighbouring country to Nigeria and job creation as other reasons for constructing the rail line.

The Nigerian government had in January 2021 signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Mota- Engil Group, a multinational engineering and construction company, for the construction of the $1.959 billion Kano to Maradi (Niger Republic) rail line project.

Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Transportation, signed the agreement on behalf of Nigeria while Antonio Gvoea, managing director of Mota- Engil Group, signed on behalf of the firm in Abuja.

The rail line is expected to run through Kano, Jigawa and Katsina states and terminate in Niger Republic territory. 

“The 283.750 kilometre rail line, besides developing freight and passenger transport as it will be integrated with road transport, will make a great contribution to the local economy as well as an important development in the social sector,” Amaechi had said.

(Bloomberg) --

Abu Dhabi will restrict entry to public venues including malls and beaches to people who have a “green pass” as coronavirus cases start to inch higher in the United Arab Emirates.

The green pass, which can be accessed via the government’s health app, will use a color-coded system to indicate vaccination status and PCR test validity, according to state-run WAM news agency.

The new rules in oil-rich Abu Dhabi will be effective June 15 for venues including malls and large supermarkets, gyms, hotels, public parks and beaches, as well as restaurants and cafes. Last month, neighboring Dubai began trialling the resumption of entertainment and sporting events for people who have been vaccinated.

The UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms including Dubai and Abu Dhabi, has one of the highest inoculation rates globally. Still, cases have risen over the past month as the economy fully reopens and amid higher tourist arrivals.

Read More: UAE Weighs Curbs on Unvaccinated People, Sparking Criticism

(Bloomberg) -- Angelina Rascouet is Bloomberg’s European luxury reporter, based in Paris.

When Parisians woke up on May 19, they found a city reborn. Overnight, the curfew had been pushed back to 11 p.m. from 9 p.m. The streets surrounding Opera Garnier went from pin-drop silent to bustling, with locals eager for the first “cafés en terrasse’’ since October. Not too far away, in the lively Pigalle district, the excitement was such that bistro owners served their first pints before 10 a.m.

It was the first sign that Paris was gradually waking up from months of stringent restrictions.

That process has been slow, and it’s still ongoing. Some landmarks, such as the Eiffel Tower, remain shut—its reopening is slated for July 16. But the seven-day average of new daily cases has declined by 83% since the end of March, and as of June 8, 55% of France’s adult population has received a first vaccine dose. That’s allowed most shops, museums, theaters, and terraces to return to a mostly normal rhythm, albeit with 50% occupancy restrictions through the end of June.

International tourists have been notably absent thus far, but those, too, are coming soon. 

As of June 9, visitors from a “green” region, including the EU, Israel, Japan, Singapore, and Australia, can come to France without a Covid-19 test so long as they’re fully vaccinated. Tourists from “orange” countries such as the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. will still need to show a negative PCR or antigen test, even if they’ve been inoculated. If you’re coming from a red-zone country, like Brazil, India, or South Africa, a minimum seven-day quarantine remains in place. 

Travelers seem eager to work within the confines. “We’re seeing initial signs that American customers are coming back this month and next,’’ says Isabelle Bouvier, hotel director of the Left Bank’s most luxurious hotel, Le Lutetia. But she says it’s too early to know whether the tourism season will be saved. These days, Palace hotels such as hers have just 8% to 15% of their rooms full—compared to 70% in a normal summer—according to UMIH Prestige hotel industry group.

If Paris received around 10 million tourists during summer 2019, the Tourism Office expects half as many visitors this year. But that’s just one reason that Paris may look and feel a little different than you remembered. 

The Dining Scene

The pandemic shook Paris’s dining scene to its core. For more than half a year, restaurants were fully unable to serve guests on their premises. With state aid continuing, it’s hard to gauge how many venues have shut down permanently. Many dining rooms went dark temporarily; fearing they might dilute their brand with delivery services, they opted not to do business at all until brighter days arrive. 

That time is now. With balmy temperatures, luxuriously late sunsets, and a curfew that’s been newly reset at 11 p.m., Parisians have taken back their dining habits with gusto. In some streets with narrow sidewalks, it’s hard to move around without bumping into a chair or a wooden deck. 

For those seeking ample outdoor space as well as refined cuisine, Loulou makes a great bet. It’s located next to the Louvre and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs and serves Italian and Mediterranean cuisine from a green outdoor space on the Tuileries gardens. “We’re lucky we’re in a garden that’s very much protected from the city’s tumult—a little haven of peace in a metropolis,’’ says Loulou co-founder Gilles Malafosse.

Also claiming excellent outdoor spaces right now are Bistrot Paul Bert, Chez l’Ami Jean, and Le Comptoir du Relais—all of them classic Parisian bistros and beloved fixtures of the city’s dining scene.

Culture Makes a Comeback

Plenty of new cultural and shopping destinations have opened just in time for tourism’s big restart. Here are a few ideas for how to spend your days, depending on whether you’re still Covid-cautious or ready to party like it’s 2019.

If you’re Covid-wary: Paris and its surroundings offer multiple green escapades, whether it’s the Jardin des Plantes and its zoo, Claude Monet’s Giverny residence, or the gardens of the Château de Versailles. If riding the commuter rail defeats the purpose, there’s always something happening in the Luxembourg Gardens, which now, more than ever, serve as a nucleus of Parisian life.

If you need a gentle reentry:  Francois Pinault’s long-awaited temple to contemporary art, the Bourse de Commerce, opened on May 22 just a few blocks north of the Louvre. Its current exhibition showcases works by Cindy Sherman, David Hammons, and Urs Fischer—whose nine monumental wax sculptures are like supersized candles that are slowly melting under an enormous glass dome.

Pair it with a visit to the Musée Carnavalet in the Marais, which traces the city’s history from prehistoric to current times. It’s Paris’s oldest museum but also it’s newest, having reopened a week after the Bourse following a four-year renovation. Among the highlights: a room of objects belonging to the literary giant Marcel Proust.

If you want to pretend the pandemic never happened:  Although all restrictions will lift on June 30, the government has yet to greenlight nightclubs. And while fashion shows are returning to a physical format—menswear fashion week will start on June 22, followed by Haute Couture week on July 5; the after-parties are still very much TBD.

Instead, the summer-long carnival known as Wonderland is coming to eastern Paris, allowing up to 1,000 people to simultaneously enjoy dance and yoga lessons, a skate ramp, a basketball court, and a petanque strip, as well as stand-up comedy shows and outdoor concerts.

How to Get Around

Biking is the new walking in Paris, thanks to a decision by the Mairie de Paris (city hall) to ban private car traffic on some major roads.

The Right Bank’s Rue de Rivoli, which connects the Place de la Concorde to the Bastille, is now essentially a cycling lane (nicknamed the “corona lane”). Tourists are able to rent bikes with the Velib app and get on one of the ubiquitous gray-and-green bicycles docked all across town.

“Paris will look at lot more different if you haven’t come since March 2020, thanks to the bike lanes and the terraces,’’ says Frederic Hocquard, who oversees tourism at the Mairie. “We’ve reorganized public space to make it more friendly and welcoming.’’

Parisians are also still commuting by bus, metro, tramway, and commuter trains. At rush hour, physical distancing isn’t really possible, but strict mask wearing is de rigueur; those who don’t comply face a €135 ($165) fine. Most drivers of taxis and ride-hailing service vehicles offer plexiglass barriers in their cars.

The Lingering Covid Etiquette

When shopping, it’s still very common to see customers queuing up outside stores and waiting for a nod from a sales assistant to get in.

Masks are still mandatory, indoors and outdoors, except when eating, drinking, working out, or smoking. That said, Parisians are increasingly  relaxed about lowering their face coverings when walking around town, especially as temperatures rise. Those who don’t respect the 11 p.m. curfew risk a €135 fine.

And while the French were reknowned for their two kisses on the cheeks—aka “la bise”—that habit has all but disappeared. For now, at least, they’re opting for elbow or fist bumps.

(Bloomberg) -- Airlines hit hard by Covid sought swifter moves to loosen restrictions on travel following pledges from the U.S. and the U.K. to reopen lucrative trans-Atlantic links.

Carriers welcomed an agreement by President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Boris Johnson to create a joint task force to explore options for resuming travel, but are pushing for their administrations to go further than the tentative gesture.

Vaccinated people ought to be able to travel, Luis Gallego, chief executive officer of British Airways parent IAG SA, said in a Bloomberg TV interview. Given progress with rolling out inoculations in both countries, “we don’t see why they have to have restrictions between the U.S. and the U.K.”

The North Atlantic corridor joining the U.S. with Europe is the single most profitable corner of the global aviation market, filled with premium travelers paying extra for first-class and business-class seats. The business pumps billions of dollars into the British and American economies and supports hundreds of thousands of jobs, according to Drew Crawley, chief commercial officer of American Express Global Business Travel.

“The continued closure of these vital routes for more than 400 days has been detrimental to economic recovery in both countries, contributing to lost job hours and hindering innovation and solutions to our shared challenges,” Crawley said.

Throughout the pandemic, carriers on both sides of the Atlantic have lobbied forcefully for a relaxation of travel curbs, a call they renewed this week, just ahead of the G7 summit meeting in Cornwall. Along with their British counterparts, the participants included Delta Air Lines Inc., United Airlines Holdings Inc. and American Airlines Group Inc. and discounter JetBlue Airways Corp., which intends to start services to London later this year.

But setbacks with the virus have repeatedly frustrated those efforts. Most recently, the Delta variant first identified in India has quickly driven up infection rates in the U.K.

Vaccinated Europeans Book Holidays While Brits Decry U-Turn

That’s forced U.K. officials into retreat on travel at the start of the usually busy summer season, when airlines were hoping for an acceleration.

The lack of a clear time frame for the U.S.-U.K. task force “again falls short of providing airlines, businesses and consumers with much-needed certainty,” said Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. CEO Shai Weiss.

MONTREAL — Air Canada says it will recall more than 2,600 employees as it prepares for an increase in demand for flights.

The airline says the employees being recalled will include various roles, including flight attendants, and will be brought back in stages in June and July.

Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick says the airline moved to recall the workers because it is seeing vaccinations increase, COVID-19 cases decline and governments ease restrictions.

He says the recall is part of its efforts to rebuild the airline's network and meet the expected demand for travel.

Air Canada laid off tens of thousands of workers as the pandemic swept Canada, including 16,500 last March, when the crisis began.

In April, the airline reached an agreement with Ottawa for a $5.9-billion aid package.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2021.

Companies in this story: (TSX:AC)

The Canadian Press

BY  Alicja Siekierska

The federal government says it will soon loosen quarantine restrictions for Canadian travellers returning to the country, but only if they have been fully vaccinated. 

The government announced on Wednesday that Canadian citizens, permanent residents and essential workers who have been fully vaccinated at least 14-days before departure will be able to enter the country without having to quarantine in a government-authorized hotel for up to three days. Travellers will still have to produce a negative PCR test result before departure, and will also be tested upon arrival. They will also have to have a "suitable quarantine plan" as they wait for their airport test results. Only those who received COVID-19 vaccines approved by Health Canada – meaning AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna and Pfizer – will be considered fully vaccinated. 

The government said it is expecting the changes to go into effect "at the beginning of July."

Health Minister Patty Hajdu called the rule change "the first step" in the government's plan to reopening its borders. 

"We'll take a phased approach towards adjusting current border measures with the health and safety of Canadians being our first priority," Hajdu said at a press conference Wednesday. 

"The difference is that fully vaccinated travellers with a right of entry to Canada will be able to forgo staying in a government-approved or government-authorized hotel until such time that they receive their negative Day 1 test. That's the big change." 

Canadian airlines have been pushing the federal government to eliminate its quarantine restrictions, rules that Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau previously called "ineffective."

In a statement, the National Airlines Council of Canada (NACC) says the move to ease quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated travellers "falls far short" of recommendations that the group hoped would be implemented. In late May, the Health Canada Advisory Panel released a report on border measures, recommending that hotel quarantine measures be discontinued entirely and quarantine rules for partially vaccinated or unvaccinated travellers be reduced alongside the use of testing. 

"Today's announcement by federal Ministers did not address any of those measures nor provide a timeframe in which the government will move forward on the recommendations." 

NACC president and chief executive officer Mike McNaney is calling on the government to introduce a clear restart plan for international travel. 

"As vaccination programs increase rapidly and jurisdictions around the world provide consumers and industry with a clear path forward, we must do the same," McNaney said. 

"Countries that successfully implement a science and data-based testing and quarantine policy will not only protect public health, they will also drive their overall domestic recovery and take jobs and investment from countries that do not. We must get moving now." 

The federal government introduced a mandatory hotel quarantine for travellers coming to Canada by air in February. Under the plan, non-essential travellers are required to take a COVID-19 test when they arrive, before leaving the airport. They are then required to go to a quarantine hotel, at their own expense, until their test is returned, for up to three days. 

Alicja Siekiersk

New data for the global air cargo market has shown a general increase in demand for African airlines among the top gainers.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) cargo market report for April 2021, released yesterday, showed that demand continued to outperform pre-COVID levels (April 2019) with demand up 12 per cent.

Global demand was up 12 per cent compared to April 2019 and 7.8 per cent compared to March 2021. Seasonally adjusted demand is now five per cent higher than the pre-crisis August 2018 peak.

North American carriers contributing 7.5 percentage points to the 12 per cent growth rate in April led the strong performance. Airlines in all other regions except for Latin America also supported the growth.

African airlines’ cargo demand in April increased 30.6 per cent compared to the same month in 2019, the strongest of all regions and the fourth consecutive month of growth at or above 25 per cent compared to 2019. Robust expansion on the Asia-Africa trade lanes contributed to the strong growth. April international capacity increased by 0.6 per cent compared to April 2019.

Global capacity remains 9.7 per cent below pre-COVID-19 levels (April 2019) due to the ongoing grounding of passenger aircraft. Airlines continue to use dedicated freighters to plug the lack of available belly capacity. International capacity from dedicated freighters rose 26.2 per cent in April 2021 compared to the same month in 2019, while belly-cargo capacity dropped by 38.5 per cent.

Competitiveness against sea shipping has improved. Air cargo rates have stabilised since reaching a peak in April 2020, while shipping container rates have remained relatively high in comparison.

Meanwhile, longer supplier delivery times as economic activity ramps up make the speed of air cargo an advantage by recovering some of the time lost in the production process.

IATA’s Director General, Willie Walsh, said Air cargo continues to be the good news story for the air transport sector.

“Demand is up 12 per cent on pre-crisis levels and yields are solid. Some regions are outperforming the global trend, most notably carriers in North America, the Middle East and Africa. Strong air cargo performance, however, is not universal. The recovery for carriers in the Latin American region, for example, is stalled.”

Asia-Pacific airlines saw demand for international air cargo increase 9.2 per cent in April 2021 compared to the same month in 2019. This was a significant improvement in performance compared to the previous month. International capacity remained constrained in the region, down 18.7 per cent versus April 2019. As was also the case in March, the region’s airlines reported the highest international load factor at 77.5 per cent.

North American carriers posted a 25.6 per cent increase in international demand in April 2021 compared to April 2019. This strong performance reflects the appetite of US consumers for products manufactured in Asia. North American carriers have also been able to grow their market share, notably on routes between North and South America, owing to the large freighter fleets they have available. International capacity grew by 5.5 per cent compared with April 2019.

European carriers posted an 11.4 per cent increase in demand in April 2021 compared to the same month in 2019. This was a significant improvement compared to the previous month. Improved operating conditions and recovering export orders contributed to the positive performance. International capacity decreased by 17.5 per cent in April 2021 versus April 2019, remaining unchanged from the previous month.

Latin American carriers reported a decline of 32.7 per cent in international cargo volumes in April compared to the 2019 period. This was the worst performance of all regions and a decline in performance compared to the previous month. Drivers of air cargo demand in Latin America remain relatively less supportive than in the other regions, and airlines in the region have lost market share to other carriers due to financial restructuring. Despite this, volumes on several routes in the region (such as Europe and Central America, and North and South America) performed well. International capacity decreased 52.5 per cent compared with April 2019.