The Coming of Nigerian Aerotropolis

While speaking during a public hearing organised by the House of Representatives ad hoc Committee investigating alleged FCT land swap last week, Aviation Minister, Princess Stella Oduah, disclosed that the plan of the Federal Government to build aerotropolis in some airports would create 10 million new jobs in the first two years of its take off.
The minister, who said that the project was part of the Aviation Roadmap, added that it had the capacity of generating N100billion for the country annually.
“The development of airport cities is a 21st century phenomenon that is gaining ground all over the world. It is no longer fashionable to have an international airport without the support facilities and amenities such as shopping arcades, hotels, packaging industries, residential estates, modern airline offices and recreational facilities.
“The proposed aerotropolis will definitely boost the Nigerian economy and generate the much-needed employment for our teeming youth,’’ the minister had said.
According to her, the aerotropolis project which is expected to create 150,000 new jobs would be financed by the private sector with the government being minimally involved. Expatiating on this, she said the Federal Government would have 20 per cent equity holding in the project through the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN). She added that the value chains would span the agricultural, health, manufacturing, culture and tourism sectors of the economy.
She said, “What the government is actually looking for is contractor-financed investors who can finance the projects while the government provides the enabling environment. We are looking for investors that can have joint ventures with our local, indigenous companies where together, they can contractor-finance the various projects.”
An aerotropolis is a business planning model that brings clusters of  travel related businesses like tourism, hospitality, shopping , fashion and others together within an airport environment to create a new urban form that is highly competitive, attractive, and sustainable.
The concept of aerotropolis is a response to the needs of air travellers. These are high networth individuals who are also high spenders who would stop at nothing until they get what they want. With this, there developed clusters of shopping areas in airports. But the inadequacy of the outlets to satisfy the yearnings of these swish citizens paved the way for shopping malls to sprout at airports.
Today, airport terminals are moving away from their original forms as many of them are dotted with luxurious shopping malls. Gone are the days of airport terminals parading just magazine shops, fast food outlets, and duty free shops. Many of the leading airports now have brand name boutiques and specialty retail outlets. Some even have upscale restaurants along with entertainment and cultural attractions.
At the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, passengers can pick choice artworks at any of the Dutch Master’s Art galleries within the airport. Travellers going through the Hong Kong International Airport have access to more than 30 high-end designer clothing shops, while those travelling through Las Vegas McCarran can visit a museum at the airport. Passengers at Singapore Changi can take time to visit cinemas, saunas, and a tropical butterfly fores. Worth’s Grand Hyatt Hotel located at Dallas Airport serves as a fly-in virtual corporate headquarters for many U.S. businesses. Detroit Metro Airport also has Westin Hotel, located just off its main terminal.
The direction taken by Frankfurt Airport and Stockholm Arlanda Airport in providing non-aeronautical services is different from the conventional ones. While Frankfurt Airport hosts the world’s largest airport clinic which serves over 36,000 patients annually, Stockholm Arlanda runs a chapel which conducts an average of 500 wedding ceremonies yearly.
Princess Oduah, during a mid-term presentation earlier in the year when activities of various ministries were x-rayed, had said that four aerotropolis would be developed in Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt and Kano.
According to her, “The Abuja and Lagos aerotropolis will have a mix of agro processing, manufacturing, construction, Information Technology, shopping, and conference and hospitality. This reflects the diverse economy in the regions as well as a high level of aviation traffic which give these two cities the potential to be the conference capital of West, East and Central Africa.
“The Kano aerotropolis will primarily focus on perishable goods and agro processing and storage, taking into account its proximity to the food baskets.
“The Port Harcourt aerotropolis will focus mainly on manufacturing and oil service reflecting the economy of the region. The fact that a lot of the International Oil Companies, IOC are also located in the region provides an opportunity for conference and hotel facilities.”
Mr Yakubu Dati, General Manager (Corporate Communication), Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAAN), who corroborated the position of Princess Oduah on the need for airports to incorporate non-aeronautical activities into their services, said, “Aviation is key to a flourishing global business of growing and selling fruits, vegetables and flowers. Without the aircraft and air travel, this global business in perishable agricultural produce worth N250 billion (2010 figures) to African countries that participate, would not exist.”
He added, “The aerotropolis is more of a commercial and social development concept, in which the airport area serves as a hub, or magnet around which other business and social development revolve.”
According to him, for a metropolis to revolve around an airport, the airport must be offering something of immense benefit to the metropolis. “Imagine informal markets that developed around railway depots where farmers who travelled from long distances in the hinterland could easily sell off their farm produce hardly alighting, right on the train rail. That soon attracted traders and consumers and developed into a sprawling market. The attraction was far cheaper prices and good bargains—as both traders and consumers could buy directly from farmers.
“The same way the airport could serve as a hub for a whole lot of things –from transit for goods and services - air cargo to what we already are used to - passenger traffic. The key however is a conscious and planned effort to develop the airport terminal to provide adequate facilities that would allow for the easy and affordable inflow and outflow of goods and services around it.
“The Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah is passionate about the aerotropolis concept because it would work in Nigeria and would create fresh areas of wealth and contribute its own quota to the country’s Gross Domestic Product, GDP.”
He said the aerotropolis plan would transform cities where they are located as the airports would no longer just be terminals but places where economic activities would thrive. He added that they could include conference centres, hotels, restaurants and business premises.
“The aerotropolis project will bring about the development of new 5-star hotels, new housing estates and luxury houses targeted primarily at  pilots and air support staff and other aviation professionals; auto and technical repair shops, new medical facilities nearby, cinemas, entertainment, casinos, hair salons, discount shops, duty-free shops, even schools and recreation centres.”
Culled from Tribune

Discovery Air begins NCAA supervised mandatory flights

Discovery Air, a potential new entrant into the nation’s airline business said it has started the mandatory flights preparatory to being issued Air Operators Certificate (AOC) by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
The Managing Director, Capt. Abdulsalami Mohammed, who disclosed this yesterday, said the airline has commenced test flight with a Boeing 737 aircraft, expressing hope that the process would be completed very soon.
Test flights and demonstration flights are mandatorily carried out by intending operators, and on successfully completion of such flights, are certified by the regulatory body, which further empowers the airline begin scheduled commercial flight operations.
The test flights are to determine the serviceability of the aircraft, and equipment on the ground.
The Discovery boss said the airline has signed partnership agreement with ATC Lasham Limited, Southend, United Kingdom and EAS Perpignor, France to provide technical support for its fleet and entire operations.
According to him, “We are currently undergoing a painstaking, professional and transparent process leading to our certification. We have commenced our proving flights using our Boeing 737 aircraft and we expect to conclude the process soonest.”
Mohammed explained that the airline is cooperating fully with the NCAA) to ensure the timely completion of the process.
In his words, “Discovery Air is resolute in adhering to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (NCAR) as well as globally recognized safety standards.”
Capt Mohammed disclosed that majority of those that will be recruited to drive the airline will be Nigerians, adding that experts with specific skills will only be brought in to groom Nigerian successors.
Daily Independent

FG Expands Facilities at Remodelled Lagos Airport

The Federal Government has expanded facilities at the international terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, with the extension of B and D arrivals and departures gates.

There are also ongoing massive expansion work at the top of the terminal as airline lounges, transit lounges and other facilities are being built.

On top of the existing fingers were added another floor where departing passengers would pass through to the avio bridges in order not to mix with arriving passengers, a cardinal factor in the safety regulation of the International Civil Aviation Organsiation (ICAO).

The new additions will enable easy movement of passengers, and establish the Lagos airport as a regional hub, as passengers travelling to different parts of the West and Central Africa would stay at the transit lounges and wait for their flights; the same with passengers coming from these destination and travelling to distant routes.

New screening machines have been installed at the airport and their remarkable feature is the ability to detect explosive materials and potential threat items real time with the lowest rate of false alarm.

30 new immigration counters have also been introduced as against the previous nine, which will improve passenger facilitation as there will be quick response from the counters.
The extended departure consists of 14 check-in counters, seven hand-luggage X-ray machines and eight walk-through body scanners at the E finger.

Spokesman of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Yakubu Dati explained that the expanded infrastructure is equipped with 11 toilet facilities for both male and female passengers, as well as disabled persons.

He said the new extension comes with commercial offerings including shops and other business, adding that the duty free shops would provide passengers the opportunity for last minute shopping, refreshments and other conveniences in line with global standards and recommended practices.

“The improvement in physical extension of the passenger handling area is by one and a-half times or 150 per cent more than its previous size. Three new hi-tech conveyor systems have also been installed in this new section since early this year. This has been easing the experience of passengers who now enjoy faster processing of their luggage and personal effects," adding that the new conveyor systems can process the luggage of 1,000 passengers per hour

Thisday

Ethiopian 787 Returns To The Air

An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787 has made its first flight since suffering structural damage in a fire at London’s Heathrow Airport in July.
Boeing test pilots took ET-AOP on a test flight from Heathrow on December 21, flying racetrack patterns over the North Sea at 39,000 ft. The aircraft was due to land at Manston Airport in the afternoon and then return to Heathrow later in the day. It is not clear whether more flights will be required, but Boeing is hopeful of returning the aircraft to passenger operations in the coming weeks.
The fire, which erupted in one of the 787’s Honeywell-made emergency locator transmitters (ELT) while the aircraft was parked between flights on July 12, scorched the crown of the fuselage forward of the tail fin leading edge and caused major smoke damage to the interior as a whole.
Engineers erected scaffolding and cranes to work on the aircraft in the cargo cul-de-sac of Heathrow where the aircraft has been stranded since the fire on July 12. They removed the aircraft’s vertical stabilizer in order to enable a large area of the Section 47 crown to be cut out and replaced with a new section.
As well as the major structural repair, which is understood to be one of the largest and most significant ever undertaken on a composite fuselage primary structure, the refurbishment is also believed to involve complete replacement of the interior paneling, sidewalls, overhead fixtures, lining, seats and other fittings.
ET-AOP (L/N44) was the first 787 to restart operations in mid-April following the fleet-wide grounding over battery issues.

Aviationweek

British Airways plane hits a building at Johannesburg airport

A London-bound British Airways plane crashed into a building as its crew prepared to take off from Johannesburg, South Africa, on Sunday.

The aircraft was carrying around 180 passengers at O. R. Tambo International airport when its wing sliced into the top floor of a brick building, South Africa’s airport authority has confirmed.
No one was seriously injured, but four employees who were in the building at the time sustained minor injuries.
A spokesman for the airport confirmed the plane had been damaged and said all passengers were being taken off the flight to spend the night in a hotel.
On its Twitter page, the airline responsible for the plane said: “One of our aircraft was damaged whilst taxiing at JNB airport. All 182 passengers disembarked safely with no injuries onboard.”
Harriet Tolputt, the head of media for Oxfam, was on the flight when the crash happened.
She wrote on Twitter: “BA plane crashes into building at J Burg airport. No one injured only the pilot’s pride.”
The plane was taxiing when she heard a very loud crash and watched as the plane collided with the structure at the edge of the runway, she told NBC News.
The Boeing aircraft has now been moved, and Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) is currently investigating the incident.
The independent

Pilot ‘deliberately’ caused Mozambique plane crash that killed all 33 on board

An investigation into a Mozambican Airlines flight which
crashed in November has found that the pilot deliberately brought the plane
down, killing all 33 people on board.

Aviation officials have examined evidence from the “black box” recorder of Mozambican Airlines flight TM470, which was flying from the capital Maputo to Angola when it came down in a Namibian national park on 29 November.
Experts say there were no mechanical faults with the plane at the time, and that the series of manual overrides required to make it crash showed there was a “clear intention” to do so.
The pilot, whose motives for bringing the plane down remain unknown, has been named as Herminio dos Santos Fernandes.
Joao Abreu, chairman of the Mozambican Civil Aviation Institute, said that a preliminary report from the data available showed that “there was an intention to crash the plane”.
The aircraft was reported at a normal position over northern Botswana and with no mechanical malfunctions, he said, after which point it suddenly started losing altitude.
While the co-pilot was in the toilet, Dos Santos Fernandes manually altered the plane’s altitude selector three times, quickly bringing it down from 38,000 feet to 592 feet, Mr Abreu said.
“During these actions you can hear low and high-intensity alarm signals and repeated beating against the door with demands to come into the cockpit,” Abreu was quoted as saying by state news agency AIM.

“The plane fell with the pilot alert, and the reasons which may have given rise to this behaviour are unknown,” he said.
Those the data available to the investigators do not reveal who was banging on the cockpit, Mr Abreu said it was clear the co-pilot was not in the cockpit at the time of the crash, and that he could not be held responsible.
Other indicators recorded by the black box, which was recovered and decoded in the US, showed that manual operations were used in the seconds before the fatal crash.
Mr Abreu said: “All these operations required detailed knowledge of the plane's controls, and showed a clear intention to crash the aircraft.”
At the time of the incident last month, a search was launched after the local control tower lost voice and radar contact with the aircraft. It was a day later that the wreckage of the plane was found, “completely burned to ashes”.

culled from the independent

GHANA'S AFRICA WORLD EYES NIGERIA'S DOMESTIC MARKET

Ghana's Africa World Airlines  is making moves to acquire  a Nigerian Air Operators Certificate to enable is operate domestic flights in the country.  The airline, a subsidiary of Hainan Airlines (HU, Haikou), has already commenced a twice daily flights into Lagos since on the 9th of December 2013 and plans are underway to commence operations into Abuja soon. According to the Chief operating officer Mr. Apiigy Afenu, “We will go and get the Nigerian AOC, and we will operate domestic flights in Nigeria,” ,

Africa World Airlines took delivery on 30 August 2012 of its first Embraer 145 aircraft that it used to commence domestic operations in Ghana . A second aircraft was delivered on 8 September 2012 but was damaged in a ground collision on 13 September 2012.

It currently has a fleet of 3 50 seater all economy  Embraer ERJ-145 jets

ETIHAD SET TO RESCUE AILING ALITALIA

Etihad Airways (EY, Abu Dhabi Int'l) has reportedly struck a deal with Alitalia (AZ, Rome Fiumicino). Italy's Transport Minister Maurizio Lupi told ANSA newswire, "I can't but express satisfaction for the formalization of Etihad's interest in Alitalia. It is an important sign that shows the path taken by the government two months ago to safeguard our country's strategic air transport interests, and that of its historic company, was the right one." No disclosure was made on the exact amount to be invested but Reuters has pointed to a EUR350million (USD478.38million) investment in return for 49% in the struggling Italian national carrier.
Culled  from ch-aviation

DANA ACQUIRES AFRIJET'S MD 82

DANA,  Still grounded is set to receive yet another MD82 (5N-BKI), bringing to 6 of such in its fleet this aircraft recently spotted in Tucson is said to be ready to be flown to Lagos any moment. The Aircraft first flown by continental Airlines between 1986 and 2004 was acquired by Sosoliso as 5N BII in 2005 and later Afrijet in 2008. see Aircraft in Afrijet Color

MED-VIEW TAKES DELIVERY OF A WET LEASED 737-400

Med-ViewAirline  this morning temporarily added a third B737-400 to its fleet, the aircraft, OM-DEX (msn 28867), has been wet-leased from Slovakia's Air Explore (ED, Bratislava) for a period of three months. the aircraft with its crew arrived arrived at the wee hours of this morning. The 167 seater all economy Aircraft Med-View intends to put on the lagos Abuja Yola route to meet the demands of the teaming Yola passengers.

Med-View currently operates a fleet of 3 and 737-400  and one 737-500 and this addition brings to 5 the total number of aircrafts in its fleet.

NCAA, Foreign Partners Complete Audit of Dana Air

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has announced that it has completed the audit of Dana Air in conjunction with foreign partners and made safety recommendations which the airline must meet before it resumes operation.

The Director General of the regulatory body, Fola Akinkuotu, expressed satisfaction with the work done but said the report of the audit revealed some open items that have to be closed.

Akinkuotu said with the audit of Dana Air, the regulatory body had kicked off the planned audit of all Nigerian airlines, disclosing that NCAA would now draw out a schedule on audit programme for compulsory annual audit of Nigerian carriers.

The open items report in the audit of Dana Air means the airline has technical deficiency in its operating aircraft or its technical management and must have to abide by the recommendations of the audit team before it is certified by NCAA to resume services.

The General Manager, Public Affairs of NCAA, Fan Ndubuoke, said: “The audit of Dana Airlines has been concluded and the report reveals some open items that have to be closed. This was disclosed by the director-general of the NCAA, Akinkuotu who adjudged the outcome of the audit concluded on December 13 as good.”

Ndubuoke said the director-general described the exercise as painstaking, professional and transparent, involving the NCAA Flight Standard Group (FSG) in conjunction with their foreign partners.

However, Akinkuotu said NCAA would meet with Dana to know the airline’s action plan towards closing the open items, adding that the regulatory body and the airline would agree on what the later would do and then the date of resumption of flight would be determined.
The essence of this, he said, was to ensure safety in the sky and also to avoid hitches in flight operations.

Source : Thisday

ARIK AIR MAKES HISTORY ACQUIRES CRJ 1000

ARIK Air has again made history to have become the first African airline to acquire a CRJ 1000 aircraft.

The unveiling was at the celebration its seventh anniversary; speaking at the event,the airline's chief executive,Michael Arumemi-Ikhide, Arik's  said: “As we mark our seven years of uninterrupted service, we also look forward to the next chapter of our history in revolutionising air travel. We do so by proudly unveiling the newest member of Arik’s modern fleet, a Bombardier’s next generation CRJ 1000 regional jet.”

ARIK Air has become the first African airline to purchase a brand new Bombardier’s CRJ 1000 aircraft as part of its continued drive to modernise its fleet and bring its operations up to international standards.

Celebrating its seventh anniversary, Arik unveiled the aircraft yesterday as part of its continued charm offensive to assure the Nigerian public that it is a safe airline to fly with. This latest acquisition brings the airline’s fleet size to 26 aircraft, all of them less than eight years old.

Michael Arumemi-Ikhide, Arik's chief executive, said: “As we mark our seven years of uninterrupted service, we also look forward to the next chapter of our history in revolutionising air travel. We do so by proudly unveiling the newest member of Arik’s modern fleet, a Bombardier’s next generation CRJ 1000 regional jet.”
- See more at: http://www.nigerianwatch.com/news/3388-arik-air-becomes-first-african-airline-to-purchase-bombardiers-crj-1000-aircraft#sthash.WC1WBlkO.dpuf

ARIK Air has become the first African airline to purchase a brand new Bombardier’s CRJ 1000 aircraft as part of its continued drive to modernise its fleet and bring its operations up to international standards.

Celebrating its seventh anniversary, Arik unveiled the aircraft yesterday as part of its continued charm offensive to assure the Nigerian public that it is a safe airline to fly with. This latest acquisition brings the airline’s fleet size to 26 aircraft, all of them less than eight years old.

Michael Arumemi-Ikhide, Arik's chief executive, said: “As we mark our seven years of uninterrupted service, we also look forward to the next chapter of our history in revolutionising air travel. We do so by proudly unveiling the newest member of Arik’s modern fleet, a Bombardier’s next generation CRJ 1000 regional jet.”
- See more at: http://www.nigerianwatch.com/news/3388-arik-air-becomes-first-african-airline-to-purchase-bombardiers-crj-1000-aircraft#sthash.WC1WBlkO.dpuf

ARIK Air has become the first African airline to purchase a brand new Bombardier’s CRJ 1000 aircraft as part of its continued drive to modernise its fleet and bring its operations up to international standards.

Celebrating its seventh anniversary, Arik unveiled the aircraft yesterday as part of its continued charm offensive to assure the Nigerian public that it is a safe airline to fly with. This latest acquisition brings the airline’s fleet size to 26 aircraft, all of them less than eight years old.

Michael Arumemi-Ikhide, Arik's chief executive, said: “As we mark our seven years of uninterrupted service, we also look forward to the next chapter of our history in revolutionising air travel. We do so by proudly unveiling the newest member of Arik’s modern fleet, a Bombardier’s next generation CRJ 1000 regional jet.”
- See more at: http://www.nigerianwatch.com/news/3388-arik-air-becomes-first-african-airline-to-purchase-bombardiers-crj-1000-aircraft#sthash.WC1WBlkO.dpuf

ARIK Air has become the first African airline to purchase a brand new Bombardier’s CRJ 1000 aircraft as part of its continued drive to modernise its fleet and bring its operations up to international standards.

Celebrating its seventh anniversary, Arik unveiled the aircraft yesterday as part of its continued charm offensive to assure the Nigerian public that it is a safe airline to fly with. This latest acquisition brings the airline’s fleet size to 26 aircraft, all of them less than eight years old.

Michael Arumemi-Ikhide, Arik's chief executive, said: “As we mark our seven years of uninterrupted service, we also look forward to the next chapter of our history in revolutionising air travel. We do so by proudly unveiling the newest member of Arik’s modern fleet, a Bombardier’s next generation CRJ 1000 regional jet.”
- See more at: http://www.nigerianwatch.com/news/3388-arik-air-becomes-first-african-airline-to-purchase-bombardiers-crj-1000-aircraft#sthash.WC1WBlkO.dpuf

Air Canada plane lands safely after engine fire

An Air Canada Jazz turboprop plane bound for Vancouver was on 12 Dec 2013 forced to make an emergency landing in the Pacific Coast province of British Columbia on Thursday after a fire broke out in one of its engines.
No one was injured in the incident.
Shortly after the Jazz Dash 8-300 aircraft took off from the city of Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island, the crew was notified of an engine oil issue and flames were seen near one of the engines, Air Canada Jazz said in an emailed statement.
The crew released fire retardant into the engine housing and were able to extinguish the flames. The aircraft, which had 35 passengers and three crew on board, then returned to Nanaimo, where it was met by emergency vehicles.
Chorus Aviation Inc operates about 120 aircraft for Air Canada, the country's largest airline, under the Jazz Aviation brand.
Air Canada's regional affiliate has 27 of the Bombardier-built Jazz Dash 8-300 planes in its fleet, which use two Pratt and Whitney (PW123) turboprop engines.

Most dangerous airports in the world

Have you ever wondered, what it means to be a pilot? A lot of people would say you have to be able to stay calm under pressure, have quick reactions and be able to make quick decisions. Most of the days you don’t need these skills. Majority of pilots would say that they only come in handy, when you have big crosswinds, mechanical failures or any other technical issue,which will put you or your passengers on board at risk. However some takeoff and landing conditions are riskier than others, and when it comes to these airports, you need every tiny bit of skill and sometimes luck to safely land your plane. This is why we prepared for you the most dangerous airports in the world. Fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the ride!

 
Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport

It is the only airport on the Caribbean island of Saba. The mountain terrain on the island made it very difficult to build an airport. On one side you have huge mountains and on the other the sea. Not to mention that on three sides of the runway, you have cliffs that go straight down to the sea. So you cannot over/undershoot  when landing or taking off.

Courchevel International Airport

Courchevel is one of the most prestigious ski resorts in the Alps. To accommodate rich tourists, a small airport was built. But this is not an airport for the faint of heart. When landing you face traitorous alpine weather, poor visibility, a short 18.5 percent steep runway and to add to this, the ski runs are just a stone’s throw away.

Lukla Airport in Nepal

Situated in the Himalayas, the Lukla airport is an eye sore for pilots coming in. For many years it has been the main way to reach Mount Everest. The runway of the airport is so short, that it is actually slanted so you would be landing uphill to stop faster and taking off downhill for extra speed. The pilot has to use full thrust to take off or he falls into a valley below him. Also you cannot overshoot the landing and try again, as there is a mountain at the end of the runway.

Princess Juliana International Airport

This is probably one of the most popular sites for airplane spotters. The airport is located on the coast of the Mediterranean with just a small beach at the end of the runway. Planes land so close to the fence that with a long enough broomstick you can actually hit its tail.

Madeira International Airport

The airport used to be extremely dangerous for its short runway and difficult geographical conditions. As demand grew for larger aircraft to come in to the airport, the runway had to be extended. With mountains and sea surrounding the airport the only way to go for the runway was the sea. They could have just made a landfill but instead opted for 70m tall columns to support the longer runway.

Source  Aviatime

The Record for the Most Passengers on an Aircraft (Operation Solomon)

An amazing record was set on 24 May 1991 when 1086 Ethiopian Jews were evacuated to Israel on an  aircraft. This exceeded the normal capacity of a passenger jumbo jet  more than twice In order to do so, seats were removed to accommodate the maximum number of passengers. .Also this was the first time so many people travelled  in a commercial airliner.

When they landed in Jerusalem, there were 1088 passengers. Two babies were born during the that flight.There were 39 more flights  which has evacuated a total of 14,200 Jews to their land from Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, in 24 hours. The evacuation that was named  ‘Operation Solomon’, had been carefully planned for some weeks with the diplomatic assistance of the United States, and President Bush personally requested Ethiopian government for permission to be granted to proceed with the operation.The  El Al national airline of Israel, took part in  co-ordinate the whole evacuation.

 Source : Aviatime

Aero removes nigerian eagle livery on its aircraft puts it to use

The aero B735 earlier painted with Nigerian Eagle livery was today spotted in enugu lifting passengers with the Nigerian eagle name removed but still having the logo on the tail.hmmmm.... we still dey look

Lagos airport city construction to start soon

Construction of the ‘airport city’ otherwise known as ‘Aerotropolis ‘ is expected to begin in the next few weeks at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
The airport city is part of efforts to expand the MMIA. The deal is being done with the Chinese government to deliver five new international airport terminals in the country.
The Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr George Uriesi, told The Nation that a timeline for commencement of the project would be set after the Yuletide.
He said: ”We will start construction on the aerotroplois project in Lagos next year, but we will set the timing during the end of year.”
He said an alternative power supply for the Airport had been completed with the installation of new power cables, which would address the challenge of epileptic power supply at the terminals.
”We have started testing the source of alternative power supply around the airport. We are testing the system, with new cables system to make power supply reliable around the airport.
“From this week, we will be working on alternative power supply around the airport. We are fixing the facilities and I can assure that at last, the challenge of epileptic power supply will now be a thing of the past at the Lagos Airport. We have fixed the power system,”he said, adding that the old power system had been disabled.
He said the authority has taken steps to block revenue leakages with its take over of the access toll gate at the Airport, a development
”We are just simply becoming a normal airport, collecting our revenue better as we have never done before.

the concept of a new lagos airport

“We are trying to make a clean break from the past where there was leakage in revenue . We are learning how to fetch water with a bucket and not a basket, as was in the practice in the past.
“Now we are not giving room for any form of revenue leakage, we have begin to tighten every loose end, we are becoming a more viable and sustainable organisation,” he said.
On the parlous state of some facilities at the airport, he said: ”We are getting increasingly concerned on some issues about the state of our airport facilities. We are not happy over some gaps that have been noticed around the airport, it is as a result of on going reconstruction.
“We are also noting the observations and complaints from airport users. I am pained by it. I wish I could share with people what is going on, but, we are going through a lot of obstacles, we are learning from it to improve on further projects.”
According to him, what is important is that the agency is striving to give airport users the best.
“To construct an airport while you are operating it will give room for a lot of mishaps, the leakage that people have noticed at the airport have occurred because the engineers are still working on the project. This involves removing some portions of the ceiling, which has exposed all those lapses,” he
  said.

culled from The nation

TURKISH AIRLINES COMMENCES FLIGHT INTO MALLAM AMINU KANO INT AIRPORT

Turkish Airlines has announced its commencement scheduled flight operations into Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano from December 13, 2013. .

The inaugural flight will arrive the airport at 1.00 am local time Dati said.

According to the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, the airline will provide additional services at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, will be operating the Kano flight four times a week at the initial stage.
Turkish Airlines is the national flag carrier of Turkey headquartered at the Airline's General Management building in Ataturk Airport in Istambul.
it operates scheduled services to 41 domestic and 202international airports in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. With 243 destinations the Airline fourth largest carrier in the world by number of destinations. The Airline was formed in 1933 and it currently has a fleet of 224 passenger and 9 cargo aircrafts.