Aviation
Imperatives Of Discovery Air’s Licence Suspension
Discovery Air, one of
the nation’s new airlines that commenced operation last year had its licence suspended for infraction by the regulatory authority, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
The authority suspended the airline’s Air Operator Certificate (AOC) for infractions, which included its failure to refund and compensate passengers it failed to airlift at a scheduled date and the subsequent delay in the payment of the salaries of its workers.
But the management of Discovery Air has picked holes in the entire scenario and described the actin as high handedness of NCAA for suspending its Air Operator Certificate for a situation the management of the airline tackled properly.
Chairman of Discovery Air, Mr Babatunde Babalola speaking on the issue explained that the shortcoming which prompted the NCAA to suspend its licence was like using a sledge hammer to kill a house fly.
Babatola, said the airline met three conditions given to it before the licence would be restored. He noted that the airline has refunded the passengers it failed to airlift from Abuja to Lagos on Christmas Day last year and has also compensated them.
According to him, workers had received arrears of their salaries and what remained of their salaries was paid to them through post-dated cheque that would mature on April 30, 2015 and this was confirmed by a senior official of the airline, Mr Isaac Ebi Siawe.
Stakeholders and Industry watchers including some officials of NCAA had argued that the punitive measure suitable to these infraction was the suspension of the airline’s operation and not the licence as the regulatory authority had done.
They maintained that suspending operation would have been ideal for the infraction committed by the airline, adding that suspending operator certificate was heavier than the offence and urged the authorities of NCAA to take a second look at the action with a view to lifting it, especially considering the level of compliance by the airline to the directive.
The chairman of the airline said “we were suspended by NCAA and one of the reasons, was that the airline did not pay the workers. So the management decided to pay all outstanding salaries.
A staff corroborated the concern of the chairman when he said “they have paid us January salary and asked us to proceed on an indefinite leave as no work is going on until after the suspension and we have also received cheques for outstanding salary arrears.
Babalola, however said the case of Discovery Air is with the Department of Air Transport Regulation (DATR), Airworthiness Standards and Consumer Protection Directorate to determine the next line of action as the airline patiently awaits their action.
He remarked that the Consumer Protection has issued it with a clean bill of health and the airline is now waiting for DATR and Airworthiness and Standards to certify the airline.
Another industry stakeholder, Chief Festus Onukwufor blamed the relevant authorities for the problem in Discovery Air. He opined that if the agencies performed their duties in line with due process the situation would not have arisen.
According to Chief Onukwufor, the airline started operation in 2014 and in the same year its operator licence was suspended shows that something went wrong from the onset.
He also observed that infractions alone could not have warranted the suspension of certificate of the airline rather only suspension of operation but an attempt to cover the initial lapses caused by some persons in the sector was responsible.
In the interest of the workers and the growth of the industry in general the authorities and its agencies should review the issues and re-certify the airline to operate, particularly if it has complied with the directive of NCAA.
Discovery Air said while waiting, the airline has already lost an estimated N1 billion since January 8, 2015, it stopped operation and its over 145 workers have been out of work and it is at the verge of losing about N4 billion foreign investment; unless it regained its Air Operator Certificate.
“There was no meeting between Discovery Air and NCAA before our licence was suspended. We have foreign investors who want to inject N4 billion into the airline but these investors cannot do this while the operating licence of the airline is still suspended.
“We do not have technical issues. We were suspended because we had bridging loan arrangement than became problematic and that affected our finances”, Babalola stated.
According to the airline’s chairman, we have learnt our lessons, we are therefore restructuring our finances and our operations. We have been off the sky since January 8, 2015. I believe that as a regulatory body, NCAA is out to engage the airline and guide it to actualise the given objectives so that it will start operation again.
NCAA on its part had argued that its action in suspending the airline’s licence was done in accordance with its mandate as a regulatory body for the failure to airlift passengers on scheduled flight from Abuja to Lagos on Christmas Day and the non payment of workers salary including pilots, adding that the sanction was commensurate with the offence and therefore issued directives to Discovery Air that must be complied with before the suspension order would be lifted.
The agency denied cases of sentiment, discriminatory measure and over bearing on Discovery Air but to protect the workers and reassure air travelers that their interest would be protected at all times, emphasising that non-payment of pilots’ salaries could affect their level of concentration in enhancing safety.
Felix Okogbule
President Goodluck Jonathan (left), with President John Mahama of Ghana at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja recently. Photo: NAN
The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), established via the Act of Parliament, has the mandate to provide safe, efficient, effective and economic air navigation services to airspace users, through deployment of new technologies and dedicated workforce.
The vision is for NAMA to be one of the leading Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSP) in the w
NAMA’s Acting Managing Director,orld.
Mr Mathew Pwajok, said the agency had initiated relevant projects to enable it live up to expectation.
He spoke recently when he featured at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja.
Pwajok said the government was ready to install Category 3 Instrument Landing System (ISL) in three international airports in the country.
He listed the airports as: Malam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, Port Harcourt International Airport and the Katsina Airport, bringing airports with Category 3 ILS to five.
According to him, ILS is a navigational equipment that provides lateral guidance for an aircraft, sky guidance for the aircraft and the longitudinal guidance for the aircraft when landing.
“Navigational facility is one of the very critical requirements for access into an airport safely, efficiently and economically. We place very high premium on the procurement and installation of navigational equipment.
“Over the past five years, we have deployed significantly a large number of navigational equipment. I can go through some of them by justifying my statement.
“Currently, we have installed what we call Category 3 Instrument Landing System (ILS) at Lagos and Abuja airports.
“We are also planning to install addition ones in Kano, Port Harcourt and Katsina.”
The NAMA chief, who explained that Category 3 landing system was the highest category for landing anywhere in the world, said that government was set to invest heavily to ensure that all the nation’s international airports had the facility.
Pwajok said that lighting system would complement Category 3.
He said that Category 3 approach system was also required to guide pilots, using the instrument landing system.
“Currently, we have installed instrument landing system of Category 2 that requires what we call low visibility operations.
“In operations, where the visibility is below 800m and not lower than 300m, we use what we call a Category 2 instrument landing system.
“For a Category 1 instrument landing system, which are few, you need 800m visibility or more.
“That is to say, visibility must be about 1km (1,000m) for you to be able to do a Catigory1 landing system, the lowest of the three categories.
“For Category 3, when the aircraft and the flight crew are adequately certified for it, with the visual lighting system available, you can basically land in zero visibility, “he said.
Pwajok said that Category 2 ILS was installed in Sokoto, Kano, Minna, Kaduna, Maiduguri, Yola, Jos, Enugu and Benin airports.
He said that Category 2 ILS was currently being installed in Ilorin, Ibadan and Akure airports, noting that some state airports such as Gombe, Kebbi, Bayelsa and Anambra had already installed Category 2 ILS facilities.
The NAMA boss explained that the airport at Lafia in Nasarawa State, which also had Category 2 ILS had not been opened to services because it had not yet been inaugurated.
Pwajok said that Categroy1 facilities were still being used in few airports, pointing out that government had planned to replace them with Category 2 ILS.
“We have other equipment that can guide airplanes to airports and we call them Very High Frequency Omni-Directional Range (VOR), a ground-based electronic system that provides information for high and low altitude routes and airport approaches.
“The VOR is like a broadcast station. It transmits information. Unlike radio station where you tune and hear music, for this navigational facility, when you tune, it gives you directional guidance.
“It directs you for example, if you are going to Lagos, it shows you where the direction to Lagos is. So you fly on that flight path.
“It will also give you the distance to where you are going as well as distance from where you are coming from,” Pwajok said.
The NAMA boss further said the agency was currently upgrading control towers in four international airports to enhance air traffic management.
Pwajok said that the control towers, installed over 10 years ago, were obsolete and as such needed to be upgraded.
“On our project, we currently have a safe tower project. In 2005/2006, we have some air craft crashes.
“In 2007, the Obasanjo government implemented what we called the safe tower, which simply refers to automated air travel management system at the control towers of Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt airports.
“Now, these systems after over 10 years are due for upgrade and currently that is what we are doing to upgrade the control tower at the four international airports- Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt.
“ This is to bring them in line with the right capacity, the right functionality and capability for enhanced air traffic management at these airports,’’ he said.
Pwajok explained that a total raider coverage, that was inaugurated over 10 years ago by then President Goodluck Jonathan also needed an upgrade.
He said the Federal Government approved N28 billion for the upgrade of the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON).
“They are in nine locations – Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt, Ilorin, Obubra in Cross Rivers, Maiduguri, Talata-Mafara in Kebbi and Numan in Adamawa.
“These equipment provide a complete coverage of Nigeria on raider, so aircraft flight within the country are seen and controlled by air traffic controllers in the radar.
“So, the equipment are being upgraded to be in line with global standards and also in line with the expectations of increased traffic volume and requirement for safety and efficiency of flight.
“So this project is currently ongoing and we are doing a survey movement raider and ground control at Lagos and Abuja that will provide surface guidance for aircraft,” he said.
He said once they were upgraded, there would then be a surveillance control from departure gate to arrival gate that would be fully automated.
He added that there would be an automated system that would sequence aircraft on departure, stressing that this would completely reduce delays.
“At the moment what we do is that the air traffic controller uses his judgment to determine which aircraft comes first.
“But automated system will detect the speed of an aircraft, the performance and the direction the aircraft is coming from and will now have an air traffic controller to sequence them on arrival.
“We are implementing that in Lagos and Abuja, and hopefully by this year, this project will be completed as it is one of our key projects,’’ he added.
Pwajok said the country currently has 13 modernised and automated control tower projects to enhance air traffic control at the airports, adding that similar projects had been completed in Zaria and Kastina states.
He said that the control towers had been integrated with metrological data, where regular weather reports would be brought into the system.
On navigation, he said the agency had deployed a very High Frequency Omni-directional radio-range (VOR) Doppler that would guide aircraft, either over flying on airspace or flying from one airport to the other.
He said that this equipment had replaced initial landing system instrument, adding that the satellite navigation system that gives precision on aeronautical management had been deployed.
According to him, Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) have been installed in 26 locations – 24 in airports, one in NAMA and one in NEMA headquarters to facilitate search and rescue.
According to him, this VSAT will provide digital exchange of information at a very high speed and voice exchange of information using ground radius and air ground communication between air traffic controllers and pilots.
He said if fully completed, it would enhance air ground communication, ground to ground communication and electronic management of information of flight movement.
The NAMA boss assured that the agency would do all within its powers to boost air safety in Nigeria.
By: Gabriel Agbeja
Agbeja writes for News Agency of Nigeria NAN
At least 300 staff of Arik Air have been relieved of their appointments by the airline’s management.
This was announced in a statement by the airline on Friday.
It blamed the sacking on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic.
The press statement was titled, “Arik Air management declares 300 staff redundant”.
The company explained that a redundancy package would be provided for the affected workers with the help of the aviation unions.
The statement read in part, “Arising from the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to the constrained ability of the airline to complete heavy maintenance activities and return its planes to operations, stunted revenues against increasing operational costs, the management of Arik Air (In Receivership) has declared 300 staff members redundant to its current level of operations.
“The leadership of the impacted unions has been contacted to negotiate a redundancy package for the affected staff.”
The airline added that over 50 per cent of its workforce of over 1,600 staff have been on furlough in the past six months.
In a separate statement also forwarded to our correspondent by its Public Relations and Communications Manager, Banji Ola, the airline apologised to passengers whose travel plans were disrupted by the protest carried out by the National Union of Air Transport Employees on December 3, 2020.
The picketing disrupted operations in Lagos and prevented the airline from processing passengers at the Murtala Muhammed Airport Domestic Terminal 1 and 2.
South-East leaders on Saturday, lauded the Federal Government on the matured and responsive manner it handled all issues relating to the EndSARS protest and agitation.
The leaders of the zone, which included Governors, Senators, House of Representatives members as well as traditional, religious and youth leaders, gave the commendation in a communiqué issued after their meeting with a Presidential delegation in Enugu.
The presidential delegation was led by Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, who is the Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari.
“We thank President Buhari for the speed and restraint with which he handled the EndSARS protest, which has engendered peace throughout the country, especially the South-East.
“We, therefore, request the President to look into demands of various groups and youths with a view to resolving them,’’ the statement, which was read by the Chairman of South-East Governors’ Forum, Governor Dave Umehi, said.
It also called for joint operation by security agencies and local vigilant groups into all forests in the zone to flush out criminals and killer herdsmen with AK47 rifles.
“But we pledge our commitment to continuous coexistence with peaceful herdsmen who have been living peacefully with us.
“We stand for an indivisible and united Nigeria, built on love, fairness, equity and justice. We believe that under this platform – NIGERIA; we are bigger and stronger,’’ it said.
It also called on the Federal Government to continue its support and diplomatic push for the former Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to be elected as the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
The statement thanked the Federal Government for the timely interventions in Akanu Ibiam International Airport rehabilitation as well as intervention in road infrastructures in the zone.
“We are grateful for the attention given to the second Niger Bridge and completion and inauguration of the Zik’s mausoleum.
“However, we urge the Federal Government to give attention to the completion of the current road projects within the zone,’’ it said.
The statement said that the states in the zone will provide money for the compensation for those affected by the EndSARS protest, help to rebuild police stations and their logistics; while engaging the youths constantly to forestall any violent development in the zone.
“We have plans to set up various empowerment programmes to gainfully engage the youths. The governors also plan to mainstream the youths in their governance to give them a sense of belonging.
