World AirNews June 2018

AFRICAN
AIRLINES
AFRICA
NEWS
Compiled by Albinus Chiedu
PROFLIGHT
ZAMBIA
LOWERS FARES
P
ROFLIGHT ZAMBIA has slashed airfares with its Kwacha 699
special promotional deal on Lusaka-Mfuwe and Lusaka-
Kasama flights to coincide with the upcoming safari season.
Tourism is a huge industry in Zambia with the potential to
become the country’s most dependable source of income, but
there is need to dynamically promote travel. The airline says that
this is especially true of domestic tourism through promotions that
encourage more people to go sightseeing in the beautiful country.
To support this, the airline, in its efforts to boost tourism in the
country, has come on board to help and support domestic tourism
through the introduction of more discounted and promotional
flights.
The promotional flights on Proflight’s Lusaka-Kasama and
Lusaka-Mfuwe, or vice versa services are expected to enable
tourists and business travellers to benefit from the super-low fares
now available on the routes.
Proflight Zambia’s director of government and industry affairs,
Captain Philip Lemba, said: “Proflight has put up a sale on its
Lusaka to Mfuwe and Kasama routes with a huge drop in the
price, K699 one-way, excluding taxes, to enable more travellers to
connect for tourism and business.
NEWS
A
IRBUS AND Zodiac Aerospace
have partnered to develop
and market lower-deck modules with
passenger sleeping berths. The modules,
which would fit inside the aircraft’s cargo
compartments, offer new opportunities
for additional services to passengers,
improving their experience while enabling
airlines to differentiate and add value for
their commercial operations.
The new passenger modules will be
easily interchangeable with regular cargo
containers during a typical turnaround if
required. Moreover, the aircraft’s cargo
floor and cargo loading system will not be
affected at all, as the passenger module will
sit directly on it.
Christophe Bernardini, Chief Executive
Officer of Zodiac Aerospace Cabin Branch
said: “We are delighted to work with
Airbus on this new and innovative project,
which reaffirms our expertise in lowerdeck
solutions. An improved passenger
experience is today a key element of
differentiation for airlines.”
Geoff Pinner, Head of Airbus Cabin and
Cargo Programme said: “This approach
to commercial air travel is a step change
“We have the safari season coming up and to celebrate its start,
we are offering a great discount. This is a great way of encouraging
people to actually explore Zambia and its many delights.”
The flights are also valid for either one-way or return itineraries
and can be combined with any other available fare.
Capt Lemba added: “The super-low fares will allow more tourists
and business people to save on time and boost convenience.”
Kasama and Mfuwe have become top destinations with tourism
and business activities increasing over the years.
Kasama, the capital of the Northern Province, has benefited
from infrastructure and industry development that is creating vast
opportunities for locals and tourists alike and Kasama Airport is
currently undergoing an upgrade to enable it to accommodate
larger aircraft.
The main settlement of the South Luangwa National Park in the
Eastern Province of Zambia, Mfuwe is renowned for its wealth of
wildlife, from the elephants who feast on wild mango and hippos
that crowd the river, to rare Thornicroft giraffes and even leopards.
The Zambian airline has made efforts to make sure flight fares
are stabilised, especially on domestic routes, through its Mbasela
Club frequent flyer programme, flight discounts and promotions.Q
PARTNERSHIP FOR PASSENGER
SLEEPING FACILITIES
Wallace Mawire reports
towards passenger comfort. We have
already received very positive feedback
from several airlines on our first mock-ups.
We are pleased to partner with Zodiac
Aerospace on this project which will
introduce a new passenger experience and
add value for airlines.”
Airlines will be initially be able to
choose from a catalogue of certified
solutions by 2020 on A330 for retrofit
and line-fit market. Offerability of sleeper
compartments on the A350 XWB airliner is
also being studied. The innovation builds
on both Airbus’ and Zodiac Aerospace’s
experience in producing and integrating
lower-deck crew-rest facilities. Q
TransacTion advisers For
nigeria’s airporTs
concession Unveiled
Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika
has announced the transaction advisers
for the four international airports to
be concessioned by government.
The advisers are Infrata, Dentons
Rebel, WSP Parsons Brinkckerhoff and
Proserve and they are to handle the
concession of the Nnamdi Azikiwe
Airport, Abuja; Murtala Muhammed
Airport, Lagos; Aminu Kanu Airport and
Port-Harcourt International Airport.
He said the firms were experienced
and had expertise in airport
management, public-private partnership,
legal advice, finance, project and
construction management and
environmental and social services.
DeltA lAuncHeS Direct FligHt
From lagos To new York
Delta Airlines says it is set to increase
passenger traffic in nigeria by 36 percent
with its launch of a direct flight from
lagos to JFK airport in new York.
The airline’s Commercial Director, West,
East and Central Africa, Bobby Bryan,
said Lagos was the airline’s largest base
of operation in Africa and therefore it
made sense to connect Lagos to New
York because both cities had high volume
of businesses. He said the Lagos to New
York-JFK flight would operate three times
weekly, with Delta’s existing services to
Atlanta departing on the other four days.
Delta’s Senior Vice President,
Europe, Middle East, Africa, and India,
Corneel Koster, said the airline targets
a 10 percent increase in the African
market in 2018, from its operations in
Ghana, Senegal, South Africa and the
Gambia with its 44 weekly flights.
He said with the United States being
the largest foreign investor in Nigeria,
the new route underscored the airline’s
commitment to the Nigerian market
as it sought to facilitate more trade
and commerce between both nations,
reaffirming the airline’s pride of
recording a 10-year history in Nigeria.
“Delta’s New York-JFK and Atlanta
flights from Lagos are operated using
234-seat Airbus A330-200 aircraft,
offering an elevated on board experience
in every cabin among which is RFID
bag tracking technology, enabling
customers to keep track of their bag’s
location from check-in to the baggage
carousel through notifications sent to
their mobile phones,” he added.
Delta Airlines transported over
377,000 passengers between the African
continent and the United States of
America (USA) in 2017, while it airlifted
over 89,000 passengers between
Nigeria and the US in the same year.
Koster says the airline has seen a lot
of potentials in the travel industry in
Nigeria, ‘especially as Nigeria diversifies
its economy’, adding that it will continue
to harness it, especially when the World
Bank has a forecast of 2.5% Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) for Nigeria in 2018.
He said the U.S goods and services trade
with Nigeria had totalled an estimated
$9.0 billion in 2016, adding that Delta
will now link two financial cities.
Delta serves more than 180 million
customers each year and in 2018, the
airline was named to Fortune’s top 50
Most Admired Companies in addition to
being named the most admired airline
for the seventh time in eight years.
It has budgeted $12 billion investments
spread across the next 10 years to
improve air travel experience.
Unions kick againsT sacking
oF ncaT personnel
Aviation unions in nigeria’s aviation
industry have petitioned the Federal
government over the sacking of 37
staff school teachers from the nigerian
college of Aviation technology
(ncAt), Zaria by management.
The unions, namely National Union of
Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air
Transport Services Senior Staff Association
of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and the National
Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers
(NAAPE) in a joint petition signed by
their general secretaries insisted that the
college’s management was ill-advised
by some people in the system.
The unions also demanded due process
to at all times, be followed when the
management decides to discharge any of
their members due to faults not of theirs.
The petition dated March 19, 2018 was
signed by comrades Frances Akinjole;
ATSSSAN, Olayinka Abioye; NUATE and
Ocheme Aba for NAAPE. They copied
Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika;
Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi;
Minsiter of Labour and Employment,
Dr. Chris Ngige; Head of the Civil
Service of the Federation and Executive
Chairman, Salaries, Income and Wages.
The petition observed that the
management of the college immediately
implemented the policy of the government
that withdrew it from the funding of
staff schools, but wondered why it was
slow in implementing a court judgement
that reversed the government’s policy.
It added that staff schools across the
country had implemented the judgement
of the industrial court by recalling their
sacked teachers in staff schools while
only NCAT was yet to implement such.
The petitioners agreed that 13 out
of the 37 affected staff of the college’s
school had approached the court
World Airnews | June 2018
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World Airnews | June 018
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