Travel News

BY Robert Greenall

BBC News

A Boeing 737-300 aircraft has skidded off a runway in Senegal, injuring at least 10 people, four of them seriously.

The incident occurred as Air Senegal flight HC 301 was taking off for the Malian capital Bamako in the early hours of Thursday, Dakar's Blaise Diagne airport said in a statement.

The pilot was slightly injured, but most of the 78 passengers on board were not hurt in the incident.

Operations were halted at the airport for a few hours but have now resumed.

Emergency services at the airport were mobilised to evacuate passengers, the airport's statement said.

An inquiry is under way to determine the causes of the incident, which took place at around 0100 GMT.

Boeing has not commented on the incident, nor has Transair, the private company from which Air Senegal chartered the plane.

Though it is not yet known what caused the crash, it comes as the manufacturer faces a deepening crisis over its safety record.

An unused door blew out of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max in January shortly after take-off in the US.

The company is facing a criminal investigation into that incident.

The Senegal crash comes as a former quality inspector at Boeing's largest supplier told the BBC that plane bodies regularly left the factory with serious defects.

The company, Spirit AeroSystems, said it "strongly disagreed" with the allegations.

Despite ongoing discussions about financial migration, New York City continues to hold the title of the wealthiest city globally. The collective resident assets of this city are over $3 trillion, according to a new study by Henley & Partners, a consultancy specializing in global wealth mobility.

The city boasts nearly 350,000 millionaires, the highest number worldwide, marking a 48% increase from 10 years ago. This wealth concentration means roughly one in every 24 New Yorkers possesses a net worth of at least one million dollars, compared to one in 36 a decade ago.

The city’s allure for the ultrarich continues unabated by the ongoing debates on financial migration. Nearly 350,000 millionaires are calling it home, which is a 48% increase from a decade ago. This concentration of wealth signifies that about one in every 24 residents has a net worth of at least one million dollars, compared to one in 36 in 2013.

According to Juerg Steffen, CEO of Henley & Partners, this wealth accumulation is primarily driven by the recent boom in global financial markets. "The S&P 500's 24% gain last year, along with the Nasdaq's 43% surge and Bitcoin's staggering 155% rally, has buoyed the fortunes of wealthy investors," he explained.

New York's ultrarich population includes 60 billionaires and 744 individuals with investable assets exceeding $100 million. The city not only retains a significant portion of the world’s ultrarich but also continues to draw high-net-worth individuals despite its high living costs.

These figures showcase New York’s financial clout at a time when there’s apprehension about a potential wealth shift to Florida, where the finance sector is nurturing a "Wall Street South." Miami did rise to the 33rd spot in millionaire rankings, up 78% over the past decade, but remains far behind New York.

Meanwhile, the city faces a contrasting migration trend. Nearly 200,000 New Yorkers with incomes below $172,000 have relocated from the city between 2017 and 2022, driven by soaring living expenses. The average rent for a two-bedroom apartment now stands at $4,950, up 26% since last year, according to Zumper.

Child care has also become prohibitively expensive, with families needing to earn around $300,000 annually to afford these costs — far above the city’s median family income of about $75,000. This economic disparity highlights the challenges faced by lower-income residents, making New York a city of extreme financial dichotomies.

Globally, wealth dynamics are shifting. The Bay Area ranks second with 305,700 millionaires, while Tokyo, previously a top contender, holds the third spot with 298,300 millionaires, experiencing a slight decline.

Emerging wealth centers like Shenzhen have seen a 140% increase in their millionaire populations over the past decade. Cities like London and Hong Kong have witnessed declines, influenced by significant political and economic events like Brexit and stringent pandemic-era policies in China.

As wealth continues to concentrate in cities like New York, the global distribution of wealth remains dynamic. The traditional financial hubs are maintaining their lead while newer destinations increasingly attract the globe’s richest.

By Princess Etuk

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has called upon a French airline, Air France-KLM, to make its lower-priced ticket fares available to Nigerian travellers, emphasising the importance of fairness in ticketing.

This was disclosed in a press statement signed by the Special Assistant on Media and Communications to Keyamo, Tunde Moshood on Monday.

PUNCH recalls that more than two years ago, foreign airlines, including Air France-KLM, suspended their low-priced tickets for Nigerian routes due to ticket revenue, amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars, being inaccessible in Nigeria.

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However, In March, the airlines started to restore their low-priced fares after the Central Bank of Nigeria finalised the payment of approximately $7bn backlog, encompassing over $700m in unremitted ticket revenue.

By Juliet Umeh

To become one of the top trading economies of the world, the government of Taiwan yesterday, charged the federal government to make effort to bring back home all its talented people around the globe.

The Chief of Mission of Taiwan government in Nigeria, Mr. Andy Liu, who gave the advice at Taiwan Business Forum 2024 in Lagos yesterday, said that such a policy was what helped his country.

Liu, who noted that Nigerian people were highly talented in all spheres of life but scattered all over the world, said:  “I think Nigerian people should be very proud of yourself because you are one of the most creative, the most practical, and the most dynamic people in the world.

”Not just your knowledge in the movie, music industry, but your talent of becoming world-recognized, of so many medical, scientifically talented people around the world.”

Speaking on how Taiwan became one of the top trading models in the world, Liu said his country placed emphasis on education and had attracted all their talents back home.

He said: “One of the important things is for your society, for your people to attract your talents back home from abroad.

“We in Taiwan did that so seriously in the 1990s and early 2000s. We attracted people from abroad back to Taiwan to set up companies, to set up factories and set up the assembly line.

“So, the Taiwan Semiconductor Corporation was set up in the late 1980s and it became the top leader in the world of semiconductors and microchips. The founder was a 55 years oldretired scientist and also entrepreneur in the US.

“Our government invited him to come back to Taiwan at the age of 55 and established a company that ran for 30 years and became the most successful company in the world in science and semiconductors.”

“So, please brace yourselves up by bringing your talented people back.  And Taiwan has been regarded by Madam Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the World Trade Organization Director General, as one of the top trading models in the world. We are the top 20 trading economies in the world and we are the 15th richest country in the world.”

By Tosin Oyediran

The Migration Advisory Committee has proposed that the United Kingdom’s Graduate route visa’s two-year- validity should be maintained.

It, however, proposed an extension for PhD holders – recommending three years.

The committee insisted that it found no significant abuse of the Graduate route but raised concerns about recruitment agents misleading international students.

A Graduate visa permits applicants to stay in the UK for at least two years after successfully completing a course.

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Also, one must be in the UK during the application, PUNCH Online reports.

HSBC and Deloitte have reportedly withdrawn job offers to foreign graduates of UK universities, according to reports, as the impact of new visa rules continues to disrupt recruitment across the economy.

The retractions have been driven by a significant uptick in the salary that a “skilled worker” needs to be paid – from £26,200 to £38,700 for those under 26 years of age- in order for them to stay in the country.

KPMG pulled a similar move last month.

The changes have forced employers to reconsider job offers for those below the salary threshold, particularly affecting those just joining the workforce.

Whilst this is disappointing for both the candidates involved and for HSBC we are required to follow the regulations of every market we operate in.
HSBC spokesperson

The Financial Times first reported the story.

HSBC hires around 700 graduates every year.

The FT reported that HSBC’s decisions affected those in the “digital innovation” division based in the Sheffield office. Deloitte are reported to have withdrawn offers from around 35 foreign students.

Earlier this week business groups sounded the alarm on the new rules, saying uncertainty over whether or not graduates could stay in the UK risked undermining the higher education sector.

Karim Fatehi, chief executive of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), said: “In London alone, international students bring £9.59bn of net economic gain each year and we are greatly encouraged by the recommendation that the route should remain as it is.”

He added: “At a time when skills gaps are crippling the workforce, the government must do everything in its power to alleviate this pressure on businesses.

“This includes enriching the UK’s academic environment so there are workers to fill these shortages post-graduation.”

HSBC told the FT that “due to changes in the rules covering those seeking sponsored visas to work in the UK we are unable to take forward a small number of offers to candidates as part of our graduate scheme this year. Whilst this is disappointing for both the candidates involved and for HSBC we are required to follow the regulations of every market we operate in. We are currently in discussions with those impacted.” Deloitte declined to comment.

Air cargo volumes across airports in Nigeria dwindled in 2023 after inflation accelerated

Rising production costs, dwindling purchasing power, elevated exchange rates have significantly affected air cargo volumes processed across Nigerian airports.

In 2023, the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) recorded a six percent decline in its total tonnage to 61.09 million kg from 65.65 million kg in 2022. The decline was as a result of a dip across all its services such as import, export and courier.

Total import for NAHCO decreased by 6.7 percent to 43.88 million kg in 2023 from 47.08 million kg in 2022. The company also witnessed a reduction in export in 2023 to 14.14 million from 13.44 million kg.

Similarly, Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO)’s total tonnage decreased in 2023 to 63.56 million kg from 68.23 million kg in 2022.

In this case it is driven by a decline in its total import as SAHCO witnessed an increase in its total export.

SAHCO saw its export grow to 17.34 million kg in 2023 from 16.34 million kg the previous year, while its total import decreased to 46.22 million kg in 2023 from 51.89 million kg.

Seyi Adewale, the chief executive officer of Mainstream Cargo Limited, told BusinessDay that the dwindle in cargo volumes being processed across airports in Nigeria as a result of cost of production which largely increased because it is not easily passed over to the consumer due to eroding purchasing power.

“These higher costs include diesel, supply chain cost due airfreight, fuel surcharges, higher exchange rates affected by CBN on Customs Currency Exchange Platform,” Adewale said.

He mentioned other factors to include higher local transport and distribution costs, exiting or temporary closure of production / manufacturing companies such as Smithkline Beecham, amongst others.

“Some FG’s restrictions or policies trying to either force or compel companies operating in Nigeria to source raw materials locally is also a factor that affected cargo volumes. Eg, the milk producing companies and card production by telecoms companies,” he said.

Ikechi Uko, the organiser of Aviation and Cargo Conference (CHINET) told BusinessDay that the economy was shrinking because even imports reduced, which shows a response to the economy and the economic situation.

Uko said in the last four to five years, only few freighters fly into Nigeria on selected days.

“The daily group of freighters that fly in lot of goods no longer come in. So we now have a belly hold for most of the goods that go out of Nigeria and come into Nigeria. There have also been a need to export perishables and do a lot of export.

“This explains why we have had increase in export. With the falling of the naira, everyone wants to earn dollars. There is an increase energy and activities to do more export. The falling tonnage is a good mirror to see how our economy has performed and it is obvious that we have not performed well,” he explained.

BusinessDay last year reported that big cargo planes specifically designed to carry cargo stopped flying into Nigeria as a result of the foreign exchange scarcity and trapped funds experienced by carriers.

Before the airlines’ trapped funds issue started in Nigeria, cargo aircraft flew into Nigeria three to four times weekly. However, findings by BusinessDay show that currently, most cargo planes have stopped operations in Nigeria.

Cargolux, Saudi Cargo and Emirates Cargo airlines which operated cargo flights into Nigeria have all stopped flights into the country. Only Turkish Airlines cargo planes still carry out skeletal operations in Nigeria and sometimes, the airline is unable to operate even one flight to the country in one week.

Airlines now use the belly compartment in passenger aircraft to accommodate cargo. However, importers or exporters with large cargo have had to charter cargo planes to bring in their cargo products into Nigeria at very exorbitant rates.

“Currently, no freighter cargo airline is coming into Nigeria. We used to have freighter cargo carriers like Cargolux and others that fly into Nigeria between three to four times weekly, but all of them have stopped. We don’t have any single freighter cargo airline coming into Nigeria,” Kingsley Nwokeoma, president, Association of Foreign Airlines and Representatives in Nigeria, (AFARN) told BusinessDay.

“So what happens to cargo now is that the bellies of passenger aircraft such as the 777, and the big Airbus aircraft are used to take some reasonable amount of cargo.”

Nwokeoma explained that for operators to export or import very big cargoes that cannot enter the belly of passenger flights, it means they have to pay for a charter plane to bring in those cargoes.

“For instance, telecommunications operators have to charter planes to bring in their masts. The marine sector is taking advantage of this gap and more people who are willing to wait for one to three months for the arrival of their goods now export and import via sea,” the AFARN president said.

BY  Eric Johnson, Bloomberg News

(Bloomberg) -- Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin LLC is slated to resume space tourist flights on May 19 after it halted crewed operations following a 2022 midflight mishap, the company said on Tuesday.   

Blue Origin returned its small New Shepard booster to space late last year without a crew, confirming a Bloomberg News report on the timing of the mission. The company, seen as a future key strategic rival to Elon Musk’s SpaceX, is also building a massive orbital class rocket and aims to send humans to the moon later this decade.

Blue Origin’s flight is its seventh human flight from its West Texas facilities, the company said. Its last crewed fight was in August 2022.

--With assistance from Loren Grush.

• Airline to resume daily operations to Lagos offering unrivalled connectivity for Nigerian travellers

Dubai, UAE, 16 May, 2024 – Emirates will resume services to Nigeria from 1 October 2024, operating a daily service between Lagos and Dubai, and offering customers more choice and connectivity from Nigeria’s largest city to, and through, Dubai.

The service will be operated using a Boeing 777-300ER. EK783 will depart Dubai at 0945hrs, arriving in Lagos at 1520hrs; the return flight EK784 will leave Lagos at 1730hrs and arrives in Dubai at 0510hrs the next day. Tickets can be booked now on emirates.com or via travel agents.

Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer said, “We are excited to resume our services to Nigeria. The Lagos-Dubai service has traditionally been popular with customers in Nigeria and we hope to reconnect leisure and business travellers to Dubai and onwards to our network of over 140 destinations.  We thank the Nigerian government for their partnership and support in re-establishing this route and we look forward to welcoming passengers back onboard.”

With the resumption of operations to Nigeria, Emirates operates to 19 gateways in Africa with 157 flights per week from Dubai, with further reach to an additional 130 regional points in Africa through its codeshare and interline partnerships with South African Airways, Airlink, Royal Air Maroc, Tunis Air, among others.

As a major economic hub in Africa, Nigeria and the UAE have built strong bilateral trade relations over the years, headlined by Lagos as the nation’s commercial centre. With the resumption of daily passenger flights, the airline’s cargo arm, Emirates SkyCargo, will further bolster the trade relationship by offering more than 300 tonnes of bellyhold cargo capacity, in and out of Lagos every week.

Emirates SkyCargo will support Nigerian businesses by exporting their goods via its state-of-the-art hub in Dubai, into key markets such as the UAE, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Bahrain, among others with key anticipated commodities such as Kola Nuts, food and beverages, and urgent courier material. Emirates SkyCargo will also import vital goods such as pharmaceuticals and electronics as well as general cargo from key markets such as the UAE, India and Hong Kong. Keeping trade flowing seamlessly, these goods will be transported quickly, efficiently, and reliably via the airline’s multi-vertical specialized product portfolio. 

The Emirates Boeing 777-300ER serving Lagos will operate with 8 First Class suites, 42 Business Class seats, and 304 seats in Economy Class. Offering the best experience in the sky, passengers can dine on regionally inspired multi-course menus developed by a team of award-winning chefs complemented by a wide selection of premium beverages. Customers can tune in to over 6,500 channels of global entertainment, including 23 Nigerian movies, in addition to series and other content on ice, Emirates’ award-winning inflight entertainment system.

By Daniel Sandford

BBC News home affairs correspondent

A retired 74-year-old Ghanaian man who has lived in the UK for nearly 50 years must wait a decade before the Home Office will let him stay permanently.

Nelson Shardey, from Wallasey in Wirral, had for many years assumed he was officially seen as British.

He only discovered otherwise in 2019 and, despite paying taxes all his adult life, now faces paying thousands of pounds to stay and use the NHS.

The Home Office declined to comment on the ongoing legal case.

'Never queried'

Retired newsagent Mr Shardey first came to the UK in 1977 to study accountancy, on a student visa that also allowed him to work.

After a coup in his native Ghana his family could no longer send him money for the fees.

He took on a series of jobs, making Mother's Pride bread and Kipling's Cakes near Southampton, and Bendick's Chocolate in Winchester, and said no-one ever queried his right to live or work in the UK.

He married a British woman and moved to Wallasey to run his own business, a newsagent called Nelson's News.

When that marriage ended, he married another British woman and they had two sons Jacob and Aaron.

"I tried my utmost to educate them the best way I could, so that neither of them would depend on social or anything," Mr Shardey said.

He told his sons to "learn hard, get a good job, and work for themselves", and both went on to university and then careers as a research scientist and a public relations executive.

Mr Shardey said he had never left the UK, as he saw no need to and regarded it as his home.

"Nobody questioned me. I bought all my things on credit, even the house.

"I got a mortgage. And nobody questioned me about anything," he said.

Mr Shardey has performed jury service, and in 2007 was given a police award for bravery after tackling a robber who was attacking a delivery man with a baseball bat.

But in 2019, when he applied for a passport so he could go back to Ghana following the death of his mother, he was told he was not British.

The Home Office said he had no right to be in the UK.

'I can't afford to pay'

Officials told him to apply for the 10-year route to settlement.

Over the 10 years it costs about £7,000, with a further £10,500 over the same period to access the NHS.

"I cannot afford to pay any part of the money they are asking," said Mr Shardey, who is recovering from prostate cancer.

"Telling me to go through that route is a punishment, and it's not fair in any way."

"I don't understand why this fuss at all, because I put my life, my whole self into this country. "

When he tried to extend his right to stay in the UK online two years ago, he filled out the wrong form.

That meant the 10-year process had to begin again in 2023.

As a result, Mr Shardey will not be allowed to stay in the UK permanently until he is 84.

"I just thought it was a joke. It's just ridiculous," said his son Jacob, who does research in cardiovascular physiology.

"Why would he need to go and start this 10-year route when he's been here since 1977?

"He's been here longer than the people who are working in the Home Office on his case have been alive."

'Exceptional facts'

With the help of Nicola Burgess, a lawyer at Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU), Mr Shardey is now taking the Home Office to court.

His case - which his sons are trying to pay for through crowdfunding - is that the Home Office should have treated him as an exception because of the length of time he has been in the UK, and because of his bravery award and service to the community.

"We know that at least one caseworker has looked at his file and suggested that he should be granted indefinite leave to remain because there are exceptional facts," Ms Burgess said.

"And when you look at it on a personal level, if Nelson was your friend or your neighbour, you would absolutely agree that he should be given the immediate right to settle."

A Home Office spokesman said: "It would be inappropriate to comment on active legal proceedings."