Tag Archives: South African Airways

British, South African Airways Reject Kaduna Airport

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South African Airways and British Airways have informed the Nigerian government of their final decision not to use the Kaduna airport as an alternative when the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja will be closed for repair works.

According to reports, both airlines wrote to the government. They cited safety and security of passengers, lack of catering services as well as ”adequate’ technology as their reason for not using the Kaduna airport.

The Abuja airport is expected to be shut from March 6th.

South African Airways to suspend Abuja operations during runway repair

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South African Airways yesterday said it plans to suspend its Abuja operations during the six weeks period of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport runway repair.

The Guardian learnt that the airline, in a letter to the authorities, said the measure became imperative following its decision not to fly to Kaduna Airport, designated to serve all Abuja-bound aircraft during the closure.

The implication of the temporary suspension of operations is that passengers of the airline can only board in Lagos and contend with limited flight options, while paying more for travel expenses.

President of the National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies (NANTA), Bernard Bankole, warned that allowing the airlines to suspend operations would be a bad omen for the sector, with effects lasting longer than the six weeks duration.

Bankole said instead of South African Airways and other foreign airlines suspending operations, the Federal Government should rather divert foreign traffic to Lagos, while domestic operators go to Kaduna airport.

South African Airways said its last flight into Abuja would be on March 6, while the Federal Government will close the airport on March 8.

It was gathered that the airline has already sent the notice of its position to the Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika. The letter to Sirika, from South African Airways by its Acting Chief Commercial Officer, Aaron Munetsi, said the operations to Abuja would resume on April 18, 2017.

According to Munetsi, “SAA commends the Nigerian authorities concerning the planned repairs of the NAIA runway. However, due to network and fleet operations planning, SAA regrets to advise that the airline will suspend its Abuja operations with effect from 6th March until the 18th April, 2017,” the letter read in part.

The airline said it would be in constant touch with the Nigerian aviation authorities as the repair work progresses in order to establish its readiness for revised operations in accordance with its work schedule.

President of NANTA, Bankole said that the civil unrest in Kaduna worries the foreign airlines and their affiliated travel agencies, leaving none satisfied with the security provision of the Federal Government.

He said it would not augur well for the international carriers to divert to Kaduna. And to prevent them from suspending operations, the option of diverting foreign airlines to Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, should be considered.

In his words, “The international carriers will not joke with the lives of their passengers. Most of the airlines arrive at night and will not risk night travel by road anywhere in the country.

“The danger of them leaving us for six weeks is much. With the way airlines run, they will not take off their plane and allow it idle for six weeks. Rather, the planes will be redeployed to other routes and they may just not come back to Nigeria.

“Instead of loosing the slots and carriers, it is better to allow them fly to Lagos in the interim, while domestic airlines partner with the foreign ones to redistribute their passengers to Kaduna and other places,” Bankole said.

 

Source: Guardian

South African Airways Manager Lambasts Nigerian Airports.

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The manager of South African Airways, one of the continent’s largest airlines, condemned the decrepit state of Nigeria’s airports while addressing aviation journalists in Lagos on Thursday.

Mr. Ohis Ehimiaghe, SAA regional manager for North, West and Central Africa, described the nation’s airports, especially the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), as the worst in the three regions he manages.

One target of his criticism was the state of the washrooms at MMIA, saying that their poor conditions could lead to public health problems.

“Some of the facilities at the airports have completely collapsed and naturally irritate normal and rational passengers. For instance, if you decide to use the washroom facilities, your hormone system will definitely have challenges,” Mr. Ehimiaghe said.

He further criticized the security agents at MMIA for their harassment of customers.

“Going through the MMIA is a challenge and very bad for usage by a rational being. The smallest airport under me is Cotonou Airport in Benin Republic. I can go to their toilets and come out with a smile on my face. We are not harassed by security agencies, unlike in Nigeria. We have scanning machines at our airports in Nigeria, so, why the harassment by the security agencies again in the country?”

Mr. Ehimiaghe also lambasted the infrastructure at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, saying that the runway is in such a poor state that it damaged no fewer than four aircrafts in recent weeks. One was damaged to the extent that it had to be left in the country for over a week, he added.

Apart from facilities, the regional manager also mentioned the scarcity of aviation fuel as another major challenge confronting airline operators into the country.

He lamented that for about two weeks, the operators have not be able to purchase fuel and most times have to fly to Libreville or Accra to do so. The airline manager explained that this has increased the costs of flights for SAA.

Mr. Ehimiaghe also disclosed that the airline lost 40 per cent of its ticket sales to the recent forex challenge in the country.

He specifically mentioned that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) ordered them to exchange a dollar at between N306 and N308, but the bank itself sells as high as N360 to N370 per dollar to the operators.

“Today, we are selling tickets at N306 and N308 per dollar, but it’s much more expensive than that in the black market and even in the open market. Since June, there has not been a date that we are able to repatriate our ticket sales funds at N308, but we do that at N360 to N370 per dollar.

“90 per cent of our operations are in foreign exchange and no Nigerian bank gives South African Airways a loan, rather, we get loans from the United Kingdom and United States,” he said.

Mr. Ehimiaghe’s criticisms come just two days after London-bound passengers were left stranded at MMIA.