Travel News

(Bloomberg) -- Canada extended restrictions on direct flights from India to Sept. 21. In the U.S., new coronavirus cases surged to the highest weekly level since early February, fueled by the highly transmissible delta variant. Deaths rose by 49%, the biggest weekly increase since December.

Hospitalizations in the state of Arkansas climbed to a record. The Pentagon will require members of the U.S. military to get vaccinated by Sept. 15. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention raised the travel advisory for France and Israel to the highest level.

Israel is considering lowering the minimum age for a third dose of the Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE shot to 40 or 50 from 60. Meanwhile, BioNTech raised its 2021 vaccine sales forecast by 28%. 

Key Developments:

• Global Tracker: Cases top 203.2 million; deaths pass 4.3 million
• Vaccine Tracker: More than 4.48 billion doses administered
• China’s Covid-zero strategy risks leaving it isolated for years
• U.S. city with 2.4 million people has just six ICU beds left
• Fully inoculated Malaysians to get travel and dine-in perks
• Restaurants are back on the vaccine culture war’s front lines

Canada Extends Curbs on Flights From India  (5:30 a.m. HK)

Canada is extending its restrictions on direct commercial and private passenger flights from India to Sept. 21 because of Covid-19. The government will also extend testing requirements for passengers arriving from India via an indirect flight.

Arkansas Sets Hospitalization Record (4:40 p.m. NY)

The number of people hospitalized because of Covid-19 in Arkansas rose to a record 1,376, topping January’s peak of 1,371, according to the Associated Press. The state added 103 virus patients in hospitals, the biggest one-day increase. 

Perella Weinberg to Delay Return to Office (4:30 p.m. NY)

Perella Weinberg Partners told staff primarily in New York and London that return-to-office plans will be delayed as the Covid-19 variants spread.

The investment bank may seek to bring more workers back in October, depending on the trajectory of the virus, a person familiar with the matter said, asking not to be identified discussing internal decisions. It had previously sought a September return.

U.S. Prepares to Send Vaccines to Mexico (3:25 p.m. NY)

The U.S. is preparing to send Mexico vaccines from Moderna Inc. and AstraZeneca Plc in coming days to bolster its southern neighbor’s fight against Covid-19, according to people familiar with the discussions.

Vaccines are set to be discussed on a Monday afternoon phone call between Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris.

Lopez Obrador said at his morning press briefing two weeks ago that Mexico had a new offer for more vaccines from the U.S. after he had requested 5 million vaccines in April. AstraZeneca shipments were delayed due to problems at manufacturer Emergent BioSolutions Inc. in Baltimore.

CDC Raises Advisory for Israel, France (3 p.m. NY)

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention raised the travel advisory for France and Israel to the highest level. The agency lowered the advisory for Canada to level 2, or moderate.

Pentagon to Require Shots for Troops, AP Says (1 p.m. NY)

The Pentagon will require members of the U.S. military to get vaccinated by Sept. 15, the Associated Press reported, citing a memo it said it obtained. That deadline could be pushed up if the vaccine receives final Food and Drug Administration approval or infection rates continue to rise, the wire service repoted.

Israel Considers Lowering Booster Age (11:12 a.m. NY)

Israel is considering lowering the minimum age for a third dose of Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine to 40 or 50 from the current 60, a health ministry official said. Officials are also considering expanding the booster drive to health-care workers, said Nachman Ash, director general of the health ministry.

U.S. Cases Surge to February Levels (10:30 a.m. NY)

Fueled by the highly transmissible delta variant, new coronavirus cases in the U.S. rose to 761,216 in the week ended Sunday, the highest total since early February, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg.

The death toll climbed 49% to 3,486 for same period. It was the biggest weekly increase since December. Overall, more than 616,800 Americans have been killed by the virus.

On Sunday, Anthony Fauci, the U.S.’s top infectious-disease doctor, said he’s “strongly in favor” of speeding booster shots to people with weakened immune systems, a further sign of how the delta variant is shifting the strategies for curbing the pandemic.

Indonesia Lays Out Plans to Live With Covid (8:30 a.m. NY)

Indonesia will gradually ease restrictions in several cities, including the capital Jakarta, as it sets out a roadmap for life with the coronavirus for the next few years.

Those who are vaccinated can go to shopping centers and places of worship in Jakarta and other major cities, with the capacity set at maximum 25%, said Luhut Panjaitan, the government minister overseeing the pandemic response. Bali’s situation remains concerning, he added.

The restrictions for Java and Bali are in place until Aug. 16, while curbs for other islands apply until Aug. 23.

India Finds Benefits in Dose-Mixing (7:18 a.m. NY)

Inadvertently mixing a first dose of AstraZeneca Plc’s Covishield vaccine with a second dose of Covaxin -- a vaccine made by an Indian drugmaker -- led to a higher antibody response in 18 people in a north Indian state against the alpha, beta and delta variants, according to a recent study by the Indian Council of Medical Research.

India, which has fully inoculated only 8.2% its population, recorded 35,499 Covid-19 cases Monday, taking the total tally to almost 32 million. Deaths rose by 447 in a day to 428,309, according to health ministry data.

BioNTech Raises Vaccine Sales Forecast (7 a.m. NY)

BioNTech SE raised its forecast for this year’s Covid-19 vaccine sales to 15.9 billion euros and said it is pushing forward plans to test its messenger RNA technology in cancer drugs.

BioNTech and partner Pfizer Inc. signed contracts to deliver some 2.2 billion doses of the two-shot vaccine this year and more than 1 billion doses in 2022 and beyond, the Mainz, Germany-based company said Monday. BioNTech had previously predicted 12.4 billion euros in 2021 revenue from its only marketed product.

The Covid vaccine is on track to be one of the best-selling drugs of all time, with Pfizer saying last month it may generate $33.5 billion in sales this year.

Switzerland confirmed Monday that a Swiss national and his driver have been kidnapped in Nigeria, after authorities in the west African country said gunmen had opened fire on his police escort.

The Swiss foreign ministry said in a statement that it was working with the Nigerian authorities, but could not provide further details on who the person was, or the circumstances surrounding the incident, which took place on Saturday.

“The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs confirms the kidnapping of a Swiss citizen and his driver over the weekend in Nigeria,” a spokesman said, in a statement sent to AFP.

“The FDFA and the Swiss embassy in Abuja are in contact with the local authorities. The FDFA is coordinating activities with the various departments of the federal administration relevant to this type of case.

“For reasons of personal and data protection, the FDFA cannot provide further information.”

The Swiss national and another person were seized as they were coming from a farm on the Ibese-Itori road in Ogun state, Ogun police spokesman Abimbola Oyeyemi told AFP on Sunday.

“They were intercepted… Two of the bandits were killed, but they succeeded in abducting two, a Swiss national and another person,” he said.

“The police are on the trail of these people.”

Kidnappings occur mostly in the northwest and central states of Nigeria where heavily-armed criminal gangs operate. Foreign workers are occasionally targeted for abduction for ransom.

Kidnap gangs are just one of the challenges facing President Muhammadu Buhari’s security forces who are also battling a 12-year jihadist insurgency in the northeast of Africa’s most populous nation.

Gangs this year have targeted schools and colleges to snatch dozens of students at a time. Around 1,000 students have been abducted in a string of mass kidnappings since December, though most have been freed after negotiations with their captors.

The foreign ministry’s spokesman added: “The FDFA’s travel advice for Nigeria draws attention to the risk of politically or criminally motivated kidnappings across the country.”

The ministry’s website says that at the end of 2019, there were 222 Swiss nationals living in Nigeria.

More than 50 Swiss companies have operations in Nigeria, mainly in the south. These companies have made direct investments amounting to approximately $550 million and employ more than 7,000 people, the ministry says.

BY  Chinedu Eze

After several months of high expectation, the upcoming domestic carrier, Green Africa Airways has announced that it has received Air Operator Certificate (AOC).

The Lagos-based airline said it received the required AOC from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on Monday and plans to commence “soft launch of flight schedule immediately and first official commercial flight to take off on Thursday, August 12, 2021.”

“Following the successful completion of all five phases of the AOC application process, Green Africa was today (Monday) presented its Air Operator’s Certificate by Kayode Ajiboye on behalf of Capt. Musa Nuhu, Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, at the NCAA headquarters in Abuja. With this certificate, Green Africa is able to commence operations in accordance with its initial route network unveiled earlier in June,” the airline said in a statement.

Speaking on the issuance of the AOC to Green Africa, Director General of NCAA, Capt. Nuhu said, “We at the NCAA are impressed with Green Africa’s effort and commitment to safely connect many more people across the country and we look forward to the positive contribution that the new airline will bring to the Nigerian aviation industry.”

Commenting on the major milestone for Green Africa, the airline’s founder Babawande Afolabi noted, “This is a watershed moment in our journey to use the power of air travel to create a better future. Thanks to the NCAA, the gTeam, our investors and other stakeholders, Green Africa is now set to start serving custom.

The Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has demanded that all officers and men of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) acquaint themselves with their expected roles and responsibilities and be guided by the expected principles and standards of behaviours in the discharge of their duties.

The Minister said this at the launch of the NIS Code of Conduct and Ethics Document and unveiling of Electronic Data Management Systems (EDMS) at the Service Headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday, 10 August, 2021.

WASHINGTON — Fully vaccinated U.S. citizens and permanent residents can now enter Canada for non-essential purposes for the first time since March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the two countries to severely curtail travel.

Still, there are stringent requirements and rules in place that need to be followed to ensure crossing into Canada goes smoothly. Here are five key questions to consider before making a run for the (northern) border:

1. What constitutes being "fully vaccinated," as far as the Canada Border Services Agency is concerned?

Several things. First, eligible travellers must have completed a full course of one of the four COVID-19 vaccines approved by Health Canada: Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Oxford-AstraZeneca (also known as Covishield) or the single-dose Johnson & Johnson shot. No other vaccines are allowed. Secondly, and this is critical: 14 full days must have elapsed since the last dose, otherwise a person is not considered fully vaccinated.

2. Can I just show my vaccination card to the border agent?

No. Vaccination details must be uploaded to the agency by way of ArriveCAN, an online system that can be accessed either through the iPhone or Android app or via computer at the following web address: www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/coronavirus-disease-covid-19/arrivecan.html. Access to the system is not available until 72 hours before a traveller is scheduled to cross the border. When using the app, be sure to update it first; a new version is made available every time the regulations change. And don't even try to fake your way in; a pair of travellers who uploaded phoney vaccination cards and lied about their test results last month were each hit with nearly $20,000 in fines.

3. What else do I need?

Proof that you are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident who lives full-time in the States, as well as a negative result from a molecular test for COVID-19, administered no more than 72 hours prior to reaching a border crossing point. So-called "antigen" tests are not permitted. Visitors are also required to keep the proof of their test results for a full 14 days upon entering Canada. Test documents, be they paper or electronic, must show:

— The traveller's name and date of birth;

— The name and address of the facility that administered the test;

— The date the test was conducted, the type of test and, of course, the test result.

Incidentally, fully vaccinated Canadian citizens and permanent residents are also eligible to enter Canada without having to quarantine, provided they meet all the same conditions and requirements.

4. Anything else I should know?

Yes. Canadian border agents are randomly selecting otherwise eligible travellers for spot pre-entry COVID-19 testing, so be prepared to submit to a test before being allowed in. You should also have a quarantine plan ready and available to show the agent in the event that you develop symptoms of COVID-19, test positive at the border or otherwise don't fully qualify for the exemption. Also, expect to wait awhile: the additional screening measures are slowing things down a lot at certain entry points (a full seven hours Monday at the Fort Frances bridge between Minnesota and northern Ontario). If you're driving, check out CBSA's wait-times website at www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/bwt-taf/me... to see if there's a better route to take.

5. I'm otherwise eligible to enter Canada, but I've already had COVID-19 and I'm still testing positive. What can I do?

Provided you are currently symptom-free, you can show proof of a positive COVID-19 molecular test that was conducted between 14 and 90 days prior to trying to enter Canada. However, you will still need to show the results of a molecular test that's less than 72 hours old, even if the result is positive.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 9, 2021.

James McCarten, The Canadian Press

BY  Juliana Ajayi

 Airline operators have lamented the hike in aviation fuel price, saying the price instability is taking a toll on their operations.

The increase in the price of aviaton fuel, also known as Jet A-1, has been an issue of concern in the industry in recent months.

Our correspondent gathered that the price of Jet A-1 has risen to N315 per litre from N250-270 per litre between January and June. It increased to over N300 per litre towards the end of July.

Crude oil and jet fuel prices have continued to trend upwards in recent times. In the first half of July, the average price of Brent crude was $75.3 per barrel, while that of jet fuel hovered around $80 per barrel globally.

The Chief Operating Officer of Ibom Airlines Limited, George Uriesi, in an interview with our correspondent, said logistics was an issue to consider in addressing the challenges surrounding the increase in aviation fuel.

He said, “Since January, the price of aviation fuel has gone up every month until now. It has doubled from January till now, which means we are paying twices what we were paying for fuel in January. This is like doubling the fuel cost of the airline.

“Part of the problem is the difficulty of logistics; carting fuel around the country has become very harsh; the roads are so bad. The trucks are taking longer to get where they are going; they are also breaking down regularly.”

He said, “If there were proper infrastructure for good roads and security, the price would be cheaper.

“We have to fly, so we have as much as possible tried to take as much fuel as we can out of Lagos which is the cheapest fuel. But you still have to refuel everywhere you go. Every two or three days, they announce a new price to us, and on the average, we are paying double.”

Highlighting the impact of the aviation fuel price hike on airlines, he explained that increasing ticket fares did not necessarily mean that airlines would efficiently run its operations as there were limits to increasing airfares.

He said “When you are paying twice the amount of what you were paying before for fuel, which is your agent cost, you then have to try to be efficient in all your other expenses .You have to look for a way to add a little to the ticket price.

“There is a price at which your ticket would be sold, and the flight would go empty. You have to increase it to the point where the elasticity of demand of the passenger does not slack.”

“Some people might be forced out of business when it becomes unsustainable.”

The General Manager, Total Energies Nigeria, Mr Rabiu Abdulmutalib, at a conference held recently in Lagos, urged the Federal Government to intervene in making foreign exchange accessible to aviation fuel importers.

An airline official who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity said what Nigerian airlines were urging the government to do was to encourage local crude oil refining.

“For us, we would continue to advocate local refining, which will reduce cost for airlines because Jet A1 remains one of the major cost issues for airlines and it keeps fluctuating with variation because the industry is deregulated.”

He explained that with local refining, airlines would pay less for aviation fuel and that would also play a key role in reducing the burden on passengers.

•Nigerian in diaspora relives ordeal

Dr Ayokunle Akanbi 

When renowned author Alan Paton wrote the award winning novel cry my beloved country; it was against the background of the unjust apartheid South African regime. My experience of the last few days made me cry for my beloved country: Nigeria.

As it’s common for most diasporans to have two homes; there’s always a raging thought in my mind as to when the push factors in my native country will be resolved. I have always been an advocate for diasporans to meaningfully contribute to the socioeconomic development of their native countries.

I remembered a speech I made at my 50th birthday celebration in Pretoria on the need for us in the diaspora to play a greater developmental role towards our native country, Nigeria. I was invited in 2019 by the Nigeria Doctors’ Forum ( South Africa) to give a lecture which was titled: The role of Diaspora Organizations in the Development Of The Nigerian Healthcare Industry. In attendance was the Nigeria consul general to SA amongst other dignitaries.

By Kelvin Osa Okunbor

Air Peace is set to begin commercial flights from Lagos and Port Harcourt to Douala, the capital of Cameroon from August 19, this year.

Ebere Nwoji writes on the risky nature of air transport, enormity of claims by air passengers and behavior of both airline and insurance operators in accident cases and calls for the need to sensitise passengers on their rights and the limit of their claims when crash occurs.

In the past seven months of this year, 2021, precisely the months of February, May and July, Nigeria’s air space has witnessed three major air mishaps involving military aircraft that claimed eminent people’s lives including the former Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Ibrahim Attahiru who died at age 54 in a fatal plane crash which occurred on May 21,2021,four months after his appointment. Attahiru, died in the crash along 10 others including top military officers, aids and crew.

On February 22, Nigerian military plane, King Air350, took off from Abuja Airport but reported engine failure, according to media reports, while trying to return back to the airport on account of the failure, it exploded killing all seven people on board.

The two fatal crashes, if not that they involved military aircraft, would have required huge compensations in form of claims from insurance companies because of the status of the victims and the fact that aviation insurance is such a compulsory requirement that regulators hardly wink at in the discharge of their duties.

But military aircraft are not handled by insurance companies; rather, government takes care of the dependents of the deceased.

But this has not and cannot immune insurance operators from huge claims that emanate when commercial aircraft is involved in a crash.

For the commercial aircraft, claims from air crash is so enormous and often very controversial that it rakes up emotions and endangers the goodwill of the insurance companies involved if the compensation for the relatives of the victims of the accident is not well managed.

The claims are so huge that if the business is not adequately spread by the lead insurer among other insurers, the claim is capable of bringing down the insurance company, not withstanding its financial strength.

Where the victims are not adequately compensated, the criticism from the public is also capable of sending the airline operator out of business.

Expectations from Victims

Indeed, aviation insurance is one class of insurance business that has so much exposed the insurance sector and its operators to public criticism erroneously or constructively.

This is because aviation risk, when it occurred, attracts much public concern and sympathy. The public could be curious and anxious to know the outcome. The empathy it attracts is overwhelming. It appeals to people’s emotion who would want to know if the relatives of the victims of the crash are well compensated for the loss of the lives of their loved ones. In the case of fatal accidents, the relatives of deceased often inundate the airline operator and its insurers with huge claim filings.

Both the airline operator and the accident victims’ expectations on insurance company concerned are always very high. In the past, there has not been accident claim in Nigeria that was amicably settled. The settlements were usually dogged by controversy because of the high expectation of the relatives of the victims of the crash. But there are standard compensation enshrined in the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) regulations. But sometimes some relatives of the crash victims sue to kick against the claim, considered to be less than what could compensate for the death of their loved ones.

Regulation on Claims and Travellers Ignorance

Experts in aviation business said as emotional as any air mishap is, there are both local and international regulations that guide aviation insurance contract just like every other contract and these regulations cannot be violated in demanding for or paying for damages incurred during the course of air trip.

They noted that contrary to this, most times, when there is air crash, the passengers are ignorant of limit of their claims and quantum of claims, which the premium they paid can give to them.

Similarly, industry observers said in most cases, the insurance companies, take advantage of the ignorance of the passengers on their claims right to underpay them perhaps having charged very low premium from the airline operator in order to grab the business from other insurers racing for the same business.

According to the observers, the problem stems from the fact that air passengers, neglect reading these aviation insurance rules and regulations written at the back of their passenger tickets and the result is that when the unforeseen happens, argument follows either because the victims or their relatives in case of death are making wrong claims or some mischievous airline operators and their insurers want to take advantage of ignorance of the victims to short pay their claims.

Insurers’ Perspective

Insurance experts said aviation insurance is one of the technical classes of insurance business.

According to them, it is so technical that insurance managers themselves regard it as not for all comers in the business and that requires well experienced, highly technical and thorough breed professionals who specialise in the business to handle it.

According to them, insurance claims and compensation is part of aviation business, which is mainly international in nature. Aviation insurance is effected in the international market more than any other branch of insurance.

“This is why knowledge of laws governing air transport and aviation insurance in various countries both locally (Nigeria) and internationally is important to keep abreast of changes in this class of business.

“People fly both locally and internationally and therefore the question now is in the event of loss or death of a passenger, which law will be applicable for purposes of jurisdiction,” one of the insurance experts who spoke to THISDAY asked.

They noted that since after the First World War, there was very rapid advancement in aeronautical engineering. According to them, today, the size and type of aircraft in operation is unimaginable.

They are of the view that the recent advances in aircraft manufactured today in terms of number of passengers, load carried and distances covered when compared to some 20 years ago is also unbelievable. This means that these aircraft are highly valued and therefore value at risk is when accident occurs is quite high.

The experts said there is therefore need for an insurer with a lot of financial strength to play in this class of business adding that even locally, strict regulations by the insurance regulator is in place for any operator that wants to participate in aviation business.

Enforcement

Here in Nigeria, among all the classes of insurance that are made compulsory for the protection of the third party’s interest, enforcement of aviation third party liability insurance is much more serious than any other of its sort.

The regulators are alive to their duties in this regard while government is much more interested in seeing the law obeyed to the last letter. This is because of risky nature of air transport and high premium associated with air travel, which is considered the safest means of moving from one place to another.

Industry observers noted that in Nigeria, after the tragic accidents involving two major passenger bound aircraft in 2005 and 2006, aviation industry regulators became much more critical in assessing insurance status of every aircraft that flies out of Nigerian airports.

They said the situation became tougher since January 1, 2013, when the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) began enforcement of ‘no premium no cover’ policy among insurance underwriters.

Airline Operators’ Effort

These have put airline operators in tight corner insurance in terms of obtaining insurance cover for their equipment.

Recent observations show that currently due to huge premium involved in aviation insurance and refusal by underwriters to grant cover on credit, airline operators buy their insurance cover monthly instead of annually. This has exposed them to risk of being grounded by their regulators once there is little mistake or omission in their aviation insurance.

Industry observers noted that this risk was almost suffered by Arik Air few years back when on account of a public holiday that delayed renewal of its insurances by one day after expiration, the airline was stopped from flying and the passengers discharged by the officials of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) until NAICOM confirmed that it has put its insurance package in order.

According to the observers, these strict regulations by both NCAA and NAICOM are put in place for security, safety and interest of the passengers,

Air crash Damages

A study of a number of air crashes that have occurred in recent past shows that often when it occurs it claims lives of all the passengers on board, including the cabin crew and at the same time causes damages to the ground where it crashes.

Insurance experts said insurance by its nature is there as a risk bearing mechanism that indemnifies victims of such huge losses as losses from plane crash is usually so huge that no airline can bear it alone.

According to the experts, even among the insurers who bear the risk, no insurance firm singly carries any aviation risk.

They said the risks are undertaken by the lead insurer who shares it among some other insurers tagged co-insurers, each taking according to its retention capacity while the excess is insured abroad.

According to them, both the lead insurer and the co-insurers also reinsure the risk with indigenous and foreign reinsurers. These are done to ensure that in the event of risk occurrence, claims are contributed by all who participated in the business to ensure that victims are adequately indemnified.

According to the observers, most times, claims from air crash is of two fold as the insurance companies involved are not only paying for damages incurred by the passengers but also those of ground victims where the accident occurred. Findings

THISDAY observed that in the past, and even at present, where airlines fail to get their insurances right, they often play on the ignorance of the passengers on their rights to adequate compensation and they underpay the relatives of the victims of the accident because even the victims themselves, if they were alive, were often ignorant of their insurance rights let alone their relatives.

This being the case, airline operators and their insurance companies often take advantage of ignorance of the passengers on their legal insurance rights to shirk the claims or what to pay, eventually the passengers’ relatives are poorly compensated.

Findings by THISDAY also showed that in most of the plane crashes that occurred in Nigeria in recent past, only few of the airline operators and their insurance companies can today, lift up their faces to say that the victims received adequate compensation as in each case, you still hear relatives of the victims grumbling after receiving claims from the insurance companies. Some of these complaints were right some were wrong.

For instance, findings by THISDAY revealed that relatives of 96 victims of Sosoliso Airlines flight 1145 flying from Abuja to Port Harcourt in 2005 which crashed 15 minutes to landing were poorly compensated by the insurance companies concerned.

According to the insurance experts, whereas legally, passengers on board a crashed aircraft is entitled to minimum of $100,000 claims payable to relatives of dead victims, the 96 passengers on board the Sosoliso crashed plane were all together paid N100 million claims. The legally stipulated figure due to each victim, if converted to Naira at the prevailing exchange rate of Naira to dollar then is far above the N100 million paid to the relatives of the 96 passengers on board the crashed plane.

Commenting on this, aviation insurance expert, Sunny Adeda, who was also former president of Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN) blamed this on the failure by the airline to adequately insure the aircraft.

He also blamed it on the regulator, which failed to ensure that the airline’s insurance certificate was up to standard then.

Present Situation

He however said today, the situation has improved with the passage of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Act 2006 into law, which now empowers airline passengers to boldly ask the operator about their insurance status.

He further said the enforcement of no premium no cover insurance law by NAICOM has to a reasonable extent helped to compel airline operators to get their insurances right.

On its part, the NCAA, after the enactment of the 2006 Act, which obviously was facilitated by the uproar among aviation stake holders against federal government on account of the two plane crashes recorded by the country within two months in 2005, has girded itself to ensure that no aircraft lifts passengers from Nigerian airports without adequate insurance cover.

Given this effort, records have shown that since then no passenger bound plane crash involving such crowd of people has been recorded except the military helicopter associated airline helicopter and Bristow helicopters that crashed few years back.

As the regulators and airline operators try to put their houses in order regarding adequate regulations and insurances to ensure that passengers are adequately covered, the importance of passengers on board aircraft to get adequate information on their rights before embarking on any trip cannot be overemphasised. Insurance Information and Passenger Behaviour

Airline ticket attendants said every information on passengers’ rights, conditions for travel including insurance cover and the insurance legislation under which the airline insured the aircraft is written at the back of the tickets including passengers cargoes and insurance liabilities.

They however regretted that passengers hardly take time to read these.

According to them, the result is that in the event of air mishap, or even misplacement of luggage, some of the claims made by the passengers especially in case of misplaced or delayed luggage arrival are not covered by the contract stated at the back of passengers ticket and when the claims are not paid as demanded, the passengers involved begin to grumble.

They cited the case of the crashed plane, saying that often relatives of passengers on board the plane assemble for compensation and when the airline operator concentrate on settling only the passengers in the manifest while ignoring any other person who may have entered the flight either by exchanging his tickets, the relatives will begin to grumble because of lack of adequate information. But such incident doesn’t occur anymore because no passenger can board a flight in Nigeria without his name appearing in the manifest.

Defenses by Air Passenger Carriers

Enquiries by THISDAY showed that there are defenses available to the airline when air accident happens. There is no liability if the carrier proves his servant or agent took all necessary measures to avoid the damage or that it was impossible for him or them to take such measures. Carrier proves contributory negligence on the part of the injured person. Time barred, that is no right of action lies two years after the date of arrival at the destination or date of accident. If the airline proves that the loss or damage did not occur on the aircraft or in the course of the operations of embarking or disembarking. However, the carrier is still liable at common law if he is shown to have been negligent.

Findings also show that some deviant airline operators vehemently insure their aircraft abroad despite the local content law. Reasons given by such airline operators is that aviation insurance premium in Nigeria is highest in the world. But Managing Director, Consolidated Hallmark Insurance and former Managing Director Nigeria Insurers Association, Mr. Eddie Efekoha, faulted this claim saying such airline operators failed to put into consideration the level of insecurity in Nigeria airports, including the roughness of the runways which are capable of causing frequent air crashes.

He said the security of Nigerian airports when compared to those other countries the airline operators run to obtain their insurances is nothing to write home about. However, insurers say premium is determined by the operating environment of the aircraft.

He said considering the level of insecurity in Nigerian airports, Nigerian insurers are charging less. He said aviation passengers in Nigeria should be patience and careful enough to find out insurance status of aircraft they board before embarking on any trip.

The findings also revealed that what such airline operators who obtain their insurance abroad do when accident occurs is to underpay the victims. It was also discovered that often they go free because NAICOM has no power to compel the foreign insurer to pay adequate claims to the victims’ relatives. This was exactly what happened when one of the aircraft of Associated Aviation Limited crashed.

Efforts by THISDAY to ascertain how the victims were compensated did not yield result, as the airline was not ready to open up on its insurance status and claims payment and when NAICOM was approached, the commission said the airline was insured abroad therefore it lacked powers to compel the foreign insurer to pay claims.

Air Passengers’ Rights and Basic Covers

Against this backdrop, it has become necessary for aviation passengers to know their rights while boarding any aircraft as well as various insurance covers the airline operators supposed to put in place before leaving the shores of any country they are operating in.

According to aviation experts, the passengers have the right to reject any airline that ignored the local content law and decides to insure abroad knowing well that in the event of any thing, Nigerian regulators have no power over the foreign insurers.

Unfortunately, passengers are such in hurry that they hardly care until the unforeseen happens.

Aviation sector watchers said the basic covers in aviation insurance which every airline operator suppose to put in place for its passengers are: Passenger and Passenger baggage Legal Liability Insurance This type of cover is effected by an airline to protect itself against any sum or sums, which it would be liable to pay in respect of any accidental bodily injury/Death/Loss of baggage to any person being a passenger and holding a ticket.

These liabilities, apply when the person is entering into, is being carried in or is alighting from the aircraft. The insurer indemnifies the insured against all sums he is legally liable to pay whether according to international law or local legislation.

Subject to a maximum limit of liability agreed at inception of the policy. They said standard exclusions include the crew, which are normally covered under a separate policy.

Third Party Legal Liability

This is effected by an aircraft operator to indemnify himself against all sums the insured would become legally liable to pay in respect of accidental injury/death or accidental property damage to third parties or to the public caused directly by the aircraft or falling of objects there from.

The limit of liability is usually agreed at inception of the policy.

Various countries have set minimum limit for aircraft that would overfly their air space. This type of insurance is sometimes referred to as public legal liability insurance.

Aviation Cargo

This insurance normally indemnifies an operator for loss or damage (including delays) to goods shipped by the company.

The document under which the goods are transported is called the Airway Bill (AWB). Acceptance of cargo with a poorly executed airway bill or incomplete can impose unlimited liability on the carrier.

These liabilities were established at various global conventions instituted by international aviation committees for international trip but have been adopted by various countries for their domestic operations some of the liabilities regimes were adopted from agreements at conventions such as Warsaw Convention 1929,the Hague Protocol 1955,Montreal Agreement 1966,Montreal Protocols 1,2,4 1975, IATA Inter Carrier Agreement, Montreal Convention 1999, European Legislation, National Law e.g. NCAA.

Aviation experts said the purpose of the regime/Convention is for the unification of certain rules of international carriage by airline operators.

Aviation manager in Nigeria told THISDAY that regulators mainly adopt the Montreal convention 1999 regime for international flights while currently, the NCAA Act 2006, is used as legislation regulating local flights. According to them, under this, the minimum combined single liability insurance (CSL) for domestic operations are clearly stated by the insurers and their airline clients.

For instance, NCAA act prescribes for loss of baggage claim at $20 per kilo. The total weight multiply by $20 gives the maximum liability for unchecked luggage it is limited to 10kg maximum liability.

The managers said usually, items of value e.g. cameras, telecoms equipment and others are valued separately and All Risk Insurance is taken to cover loss or damages.

They also said claims for temporary loss of baggage necessitating purchase of essential clothes; toilet articles others for use until the mislaid baggage is recovered are usually accepted by insurers.

They however said the carrier has unlimited liability if it is established that the carrier failed to issue a properly completed baggage check or there has been willful misconduct on the part of the carrier or his employees. Conclusion

Apparently, knowledge and awareness of these will equip an average traveller from Nigeria on his insurance rights and enable him or her get his claims rights in the event of the unforeseen.

It will as well equip every Nigeria with the right knowledge to make claims when the unforeseen that took the life of his relative happens.

But since this has not been the case because of passengers’ continued neglect of information at the back of their tickets, industry watchers said insurers and their aviation clients should take up the responsibility of educating the public on their insurance rights especially on the need to read the rules on insurance written at the back of their air passenger tickets.

The passengers have been advised not to see the information at the back of their ticket as mere fulfillment of righteousness but to see it as readable document that will keep them abreast of their rights as aircraft passenger. The Passengers are even advised to share this information with their family members for knowledge sake to equip them with knowledge of their rights when the unforeseen happens.

LONDON, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Britain's Heathrow Airport said that passenger numbers surged in July as the government eased travel restrictions and a recovery was underway, but warned that overall numbers were still down 80% on pre-pandemic levels as many barriers remain.

Heathrow said that in July over 1.5 million travellers passed through the airport, making it the busiest month since March 2020, just before COVID-19 lockdowns began in Europe and travel was essentially stopped.

The airport, the busiest in Britain, and before COVID-19 the busiest in Europe, said that the government needed to do more to help travel return to even close to 2019 levels.

Heathrow and airlines like British Airways (ICAG.L) have criticised Britain for not easing travel restrictions quickly enough despite its fast vaccine roll-out, and for complicated rules which continue to include expensive coronavirus tests.

They want to see the cost of testing reduced and more countries added to the government's list of low risk countries. Heathrow also called on Britain and the United States to reach an agreement to allow Britons to travel to the U.S.

Last month, the government allowed fully vaccinated Britons to travel to medium risk countries without needing to quarantine on return, boosting passenger numbers by 74% compared to July last year.

Britain has since early August opened its borders to fully-vaccinated people from the U.S. and European Union.

Heathrow added that U.S. carrier JetBlue was due to start flying between London and New York later this week, in a sign of growing confidence in travel.

Reporting by Sarah Young; editing by Guy Faulconbridge