PERISHABLE CARGO, AEROTROPOLIS, THE FUTURE OF NIGERIAN AVIATION - ODUAH *As Sen. Henshaw hails transformation in aviation sector.

Aviation Minister, Princess Stella Adaeze Oduah has declared that the perishable cargo and aerotropolis initiative hold the key to the true development of the Nigerian Aviation sector. Oduah was speaking in Calabar weekend during an inspection tour of the newly-remodeled Chief Margaret Ekpo International Airport, Calabar.

Aviation, the Minister contended, has the brightest potential, through the aerotropolis and perishable cargo programmes, to bring about a bottom-up growth and development of the Nigerian society. She said the perishable cargo terminal at the Calabar airport will provide a platform for farmers in the state and the neighbouring communities to live a good life beyond mere survival or existence. 

''Cross River state is known for her agricultural produce ranging from pineapples, bananas, plantain, cocoa, yam, cassava, etc. Today, much of what the farmers produce here is either grossly under-priced or rots away as a result of lack of local capacity to absorb the huge harvest. But with the perishable cargo taking off here in a matter of months, farmers will begin to secure real value for their hard work as their farm produce will find their way to the biggest cities and supermarkets not only in Nigeria but also in Europe and America'', Oduah declared, adding:

''The value chain that will result from this is also very immense. Just imagine the industries that will spring up to service this terminal like the packaging companies, transportation hubs, as well as the grocery stores that will feed off this facility. Thousands of jobs will be created and the entire landscape of this wonderful city will be greatly enhanced; the possibilities are indeed endless'', the Minister stated, and expressed satisfaction with the progress of work at the airport.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Senator Bassey Ewa-Henshaw has hailed the on-going reconstruction and remodeling of the nation's airports, and expressed happiness that the Calabar airport is one of many in the country that has been totally transformed. Henshaw was speaking with Reporters who caught up with him at the airport during the inspection tour by the Minister.

The NDDC Chairman commended President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan for giving the Minister all necessary support to carry out the reforms in the sector, adding that the people of the state and other Nigerians who pass through the new edifice will eternally remain indebted to his administration. He particularly commended the perishable cargo initiative, stressing that the day farmers in the state had been waiting for for decades to have full value for their crops has finally arrived.

 ''This singular initiative is bound to change the lives of our people in many more ways than anyone can imagine'', Henshaw stated, and alluded to the laudable pineapple produce initiative started by former state governor, Donald Duke which could not fully take off the ground due to lack of local and international markets for their produce. Today, I can assure you that pineapple farming will be fully resuscitated with the siting of the perishable cargo facility in this airport'', the former lawmaker concluded.

Joe Obi

SA (Media) to Aviation Minister

EMIRATES AIRLINE COMMENCES OPERATIONS INTO ABUJA, KANO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORTS

Flowing from the approval granted to Emirates Airline by the Federal Ministry of Aviation, the international Carrier has said it is set to enhance its operations to Nigeria by launching scheduled daily passenger flights to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja and the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano. August 2014 has been set as the commencement date.

In a letter to the Aviation Minister, Princess Stella Adaeze Oduah dated February 03, 2014 and signed by Salem Obaidalla, Senior Vice President, Aeropolitical and Industry Affairs, Emirates Airlines, the Carrier expressed gratitude to the federal government for the continued support and assistance extended to it throughout the period it has been operating in Nigeria.

 

The Senior Vice President disclosed that the flights will be operated ''in accordance with the existing UAE-Nigeria agreement on air services, with four weekly flights routed Dubai-Abuja-Kano-Dubai and three weekly flights routed Dubai-Kano-Abuja-Dubai, without carriage of domestic traffic (cabotage) between Abuja and Kano''.

 

Obaidalla further assured that Emirates Airline ''remains fully committed to the Nigerian market and to provide Nigerian travellers the best possible service''.

 

Commenting on the development, Oduah expressed joy that passengers from Abuja, Kano and other parts of the North who patronise Emirates would have the airline's services brought to their doorsteps, and pledged to continue to partner Emirates and other airlines to deliver the best possible service to air travellers in the country. ''I am particularly delighted with this development'', the Minister enthused.

 

Joe Obi

SA (Media) to Aviation Minister

NCAA Deploys 52 CPO Officers To Airports

Over 52 Consumer Protection Officers have been deployed across 10 major airports in Nigeria by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

The officers were posted to these airports after successfully completing their On the Job Training called O
JT. They were deployed to join the plethora of officers already on ground the airports.

Airports that are involved in the exercise are Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Murtala Muhammed Airport 1 (Domestic), Murtala Mohammed Airport 2 (MMA 2) in Lagos.
Others are Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Kaduna Airport, Port Harcourt International Airport, Enugu International Airport, Gombe Airport, Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Ibadan Airport, Owerri Airport and Asaba Airport.

Fola Akinkuotu, NCAA director general, gave the directive for thorough training and mass posting of these officers to provide support to the transformation agenda of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

It is the belief of the NCAA that with the remodelling, there should be a corresponding increase in the number of CPD officers at the airports to attend to passenger complaints. Meanwhile, at a one–day awareness and sensitisation campaign at the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) and the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja and Murtala Muhammed Airport 2, passengers were enlightened on issues relating to compesations.

The essence of the campaign drive was to adequately educate, inform and enlighten the flying public of their inherent rights and responsibilities and that of the airline operators.

“At the end of this campaign, which is directed at the expected escalated volume of passengers anticipated at our airports in this Yuletide season, passengers will be in a better position to know when to be compensated by any airline when there is a breach of trust,” Akinkuotu said.

However, to seek compensation, the awareness showed them the appropriate authorities and the steps to take to seek redress from any erring airline.

The exercise is also aimed at cargo consolidators, car hire operators and concessionaires to ensure that passengers get value for their money.

http://businessdayonline.com/2014/01/ncaa-deploys-52-cpo-officers-to-airports/

Nigerian Airports Record Growth In Cargo Movement

The recent designation of some airports as cargo airports by the Federal Government has led to a significant rise in cargo movement across the country.

A statement by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria obtained on Thursday noted that in the third quarter of 2013, for instance, a total of 52.5 million kilogrammes of cargo was carried through the airports.

This represents an increase of 20 per cent compared to 43.5 million kilogrammes carried in the third quarter of 2012.

It added that the concept of designating some of the airports as cargo airports was borne out of the need to facilitate the exportation of agricultural produce and other perishable goods, considering the high level of insecurity on the roads.

The statement added that there had also been an increase in mail movement across the country as more courier companies relied on air transport as a safer and faster means of transportation.

Figures by FAAN showed that a total of 1.71 billion kg of mails were carried in the third quarter of 2013 as against 1.13 million kg in the similar period of 2012.

The statement added that the aviation transformation was a key component of the Aviation Master Plan designed to modernise all the 22 airport terminals in the country.

Last year, FAAN had predicted that passenger number in the Murtala Muhammed Airport would hit 9.7 million by the year 2017.

The former Regional General Manager, South West, FAAN, Mr. Edward Olarerin, who said this, also predicted an increase in aircraft movement to over 130,000 in the same period.

He said, “Passengers’ number is expected to rise from 7.1 million to 9.7 million by the year 2017 while the number of aircraft movement is also expected to grow to 139,636 in 2017. Also, cargo forecast is expected to rise from 170 million kg in 2012 to 188 million kg in 2017.”

Olarerin said that from 5,117,034 passengers in 2008, the MMA processed a total of 7.2 million passengers in 2012 while aircraft movement rose from 84,198 in 2008 to 105,334 in 2012.

He explained that the same trend was replicated in cargo, adding that from a total of 164 million kg in 2008, freight rose to 170 million kg in 2012.

He declared that the MMA was expected to be a hub as the ongoing construction of transit facilities would have come on stream within the next five years.

 

http://www.punchng.com/business/industry/nigerian-airports-record-growth-in-cargo-movement/

 

Written by Udeme Ekwere

 

 

THERE WILL BE NO ABANDONED PROJECT UNDER MY WATCH – ODUAH

Aviation Minister, Princess Stella Adaeze Oduah has declared that there will be no abandoned project in the sector under her watch as Minister. Oduah was speaking at the Yola airport, weekend at the commencement of a two-day inspection tour of the remodelling projects in airports across the country.

Oduah, who decried the abandoned project syndrome in the Nigerian polity in the past, said President Jonathan and the leadership in the aviation sector is very committed to the full and timely completion of projects started in late 2011 under the Airport Remodelling Project initiative.
‘’When we came on board in 2011 and drew up our Master Plan and implementation Roadmap which had as its core components, the Airport Remodelling Project, we were charged by Mr President to ensure that we complete every project we embark on. We assured Mr President that we will see every project to its logical conclusion and we are committed to that promise.

"We are fortunate to have his full support and the support of the Federal Executive Council (FEC). The result of that level of support is what you are seeing today. Not only have we completed, commissioned and put to use a lot of the remodelled airports, work on the remaining ones is at 95 per cent completion. So under my watch, no project we have commenced will be abandoned’’, the Minister assured.

She said the Yola airport is very important and critical to the successful implementation of the transformation programme in the aviation sector as one of the designated Perishable Cargo centres, and disclosed that the Cargo terminal would be completed in the second quarter of this year.

The Minster expressed happiness with the quality of work at the remodelled Yola airport, saying that when fully operational, the airport and its cargo facility will not only create thousands of jobs for the people of the state, but more importantly, empower the rural farmers whose fresh produce will have access to both local and international markets.

At the Sultan Abubakar 111 International Airport, Sokoto, the Minister expressed satisfaction with the quality of work on the remodelled airport, disclosing that government was constructing the biggest Pilgrim Terminal in the country at the airport. The terminal, whose construction has already commenced, has a capacity of about 5,000.

At assumption of duty as Minister in 2011, Oduah assembled a team of Experts to produce the Aviation Sector Master Plan and implementation Road Map. The airport remodelling project initiative is a core aspect of the Master Plan. 11 airports were taken in the First Phase of the remodelling programme. The second Phase took care of the remaining 11. Work on the 11 airports in the Second Phase is at 95 per cent completion.

Joe Obi
SA (Media) to the Hon. Minister