2013 was a very eventful one for the aviation sector
1.Just when Nigerians thought mourning over the passing of a former
Minster of Aviation, Olusegun Agagu, was as sad as it could get,
another calamity befell the sector and the nation – a plane crashed on
October 3; one carrying Mr. Agagu's corpse and 20 persons said to have
been going for his funeral rites.
The plane crashed in Lagos shortly after takeoff and killed 15 of the
passengers on board.
2.The charismatic Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation
Authority, Harold Demuren, was removed in March. Mr. Demuren brought
America's category one safety certification to Nigeria. With the
coveted certification, Mr. Demuren made it possible for Nigerian
airlines, with high safety standards, to fly directly to the United
States of America.
3. Stella Oduah, the Aviation Minister, told the Nigerian Civil
Aviation Authority, NCAA, to purchase two unbudgeted armoured BMW cars
for official use at N255 million. The situation has gone to become
popularly known as Oduahgatewith civil society groups and lawmakers
calling for her sack.
4. For the second time, the NCAA, in October, suspended the operations
of Dana Air for precautionary measures after one of its planes had an
air return.
5. Two air hostesses of Arik were arrested at the Heathrow Airport in
London on May 20 for alleged drug possession. One of the hostesses was
allegedly caught in possession of six kilograms of cocaine valued at
£600,000 (N143million) and is still detained by the U.K. authorities;
while the other was caught with 60 packs of cigarettes. She has been
released to the Nigerian authorities.
6.An IRS plane that conveyed 105 passengers from Lagos crash-landed in
Kaduna Airport, Kaduna on October 13. One of the tyres burst during
landing, the plane managed to halt midway, along the runway averting
fatality.
7. A teenage boy, Daniel Ihekina, was arrested at the Lagos Airport on
August 24 after flying in the tyre hole of an Arik plane from Benin to
Lagos. He thought he was on a U.S.-bound flight. The boy has since
been placed in school by the Edo State government.
8.A Saudi Arabian B747 cargo aircraft landed in Abuja on December 5,
veered off at the maneuvering area of the runway, ran into a
maintenance area of the runway and stopped. This led to the suspension
of flights in and out of Abuja airport for almost the whole day.
9.A Saudi Arabian bound Kabo Air plane carrying 400 passengers from
Kano made an emergency landing at the Sir Abubakar III international
Airport in Sokoto when its tyres exploded immediately after takeoff.
The Boeing 747 jumbo jet left Kano on October 5 en route Saudi Arabia
but had to divert to Sokoto when the incident happened. All the
passengers onboard the 747 were successfully evacuated from the plane
and were lodged in a hotel in the state. The plane eventually made it
to Saudi Arabia.
10.The Federal Government commenced the remodeling of 22 airports
across Nigeria including the major ones like Lagos, Abuja, and Port
Harcourt airports.
11.An Aero Contractors aircraft Boeing 737-500, with Registration No
5N-BLC, landed safely at the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos on
December 29 after a loss of pressure in one of the tyres. Among the
passengers was a former Abuja Minister, Nasir El-Rufai and 102 others.
Nobody was injured in the incident.-VANGUARD
1.Just when Nigerians thought mourning over the passing of a former
Minster of Aviation, Olusegun Agagu, was as sad as it could get,
another calamity befell the sector and the nation – a plane crashed on
October 3; one carrying Mr. Agagu's corpse and 20 persons said to have
been going for his funeral rites.
The plane crashed in Lagos shortly after takeoff and killed 15 of the
passengers on board.
2.The charismatic Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation
Authority, Harold Demuren, was removed in March. Mr. Demuren brought
America's category one safety certification to Nigeria. With the
coveted certification, Mr. Demuren made it possible for Nigerian
airlines, with high safety standards, to fly directly to the United
States of America.
3. Stella Oduah, the Aviation Minister, told the Nigerian Civil
Aviation Authority, NCAA, to purchase two unbudgeted armoured BMW cars
for official use at N255 million. The situation has gone to become
popularly known as Oduahgatewith civil society groups and lawmakers
calling for her sack.
4. For the second time, the NCAA, in October, suspended the operations
of Dana Air for precautionary measures after one of its planes had an
air return.
5. Two air hostesses of Arik were arrested at the Heathrow Airport in
London on May 20 for alleged drug possession. One of the hostesses was
allegedly caught in possession of six kilograms of cocaine valued at
£600,000 (N143million) and is still detained by the U.K. authorities;
while the other was caught with 60 packs of cigarettes. She has been
released to the Nigerian authorities.
6.An IRS plane that conveyed 105 passengers from Lagos crash-landed in
Kaduna Airport, Kaduna on October 13. One of the tyres burst during
landing, the plane managed to halt midway, along the runway averting
fatality.
7. A teenage boy, Daniel Ihekina, was arrested at the Lagos Airport on
August 24 after flying in the tyre hole of an Arik plane from Benin to
Lagos. He thought he was on a U.S.-bound flight. The boy has since
been placed in school by the Edo State government.
8.A Saudi Arabian B747 cargo aircraft landed in Abuja on December 5,
veered off at the maneuvering area of the runway, ran into a
maintenance area of the runway and stopped. This led to the suspension
of flights in and out of Abuja airport for almost the whole day.
9.A Saudi Arabian bound Kabo Air plane carrying 400 passengers from
Kano made an emergency landing at the Sir Abubakar III international
Airport in Sokoto when its tyres exploded immediately after takeoff.
The Boeing 747 jumbo jet left Kano on October 5 en route Saudi Arabia
but had to divert to Sokoto when the incident happened. All the
passengers onboard the 747 were successfully evacuated from the plane
and were lodged in a hotel in the state. The plane eventually made it
to Saudi Arabia.
10.The Federal Government commenced the remodeling of 22 airports
across Nigeria including the major ones like Lagos, Abuja, and Port
Harcourt airports.
11.An Aero Contractors aircraft Boeing 737-500, with Registration No
5N-BLC, landed safely at the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos on
December 29 after a loss of pressure in one of the tyres. Among the
passengers was a former Abuja Minister, Nasir El-Rufai and 102 others.
Nobody was injured in the incident.-VANGUARD
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