Singaporean, French firms, Bi-Courtney, 10 Others Jostle for Nigeria’s Four Int’l Airports
A total of 13 airport consortia, comprising local and foreign companies, have submitted bids to be prequalified for the planned concession of four Nigerian international airports, it was learned.
This came as the Independent Concession and Regulatory Commission last week began the evaluation of the applications submitted by the companies seeking to be pre-qualified for the airport concession process.
The Federal Government had on October 15, 2021, closed the Request for Qualifications for the concession of four international airports, namely the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos; the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja; Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano; and the Port Harcourt International Airport.
The spokesperson for the ICRC, Mrs. Manji Yarling, in an exclusive interview with The PUNCH on Friday, disclosed that 13 companies submitted their RFQs before the closure of the exercise on October 25.
She declined to give further details, including the names of the local and foreign companies that submitted RFQs for the concession.
Yarling referred our correspondent to the Federal Ministry of Aviation for further details.
However, the Director of Communications, Federal Ministry of Aviation, Mr. James Odaudu, said the ministry could not speak on the ongoing concession process, saying the transaction advisers for the concession would give more details at the appropriate time.
However, an investigation revealed that Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited, operators of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Terminal Two, Lagos, was among the firms that submitted the RFQs for the airport concession program.
Also, Maevis Nigeria Limited, a former concessionaire with the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, was also among the bidders.
Others, according to findings, include operators of Singapore’s Changi Airport, operators of France’s Charles de Gaulle Airport, and operators of Ethiopia’s Airport.
Impeccable sources close to the development said local companies that applied for the concession formed consortia with foreign partners while global reputable airport managers, which also submitted their RFQs, formed alliances with some local partners in order to meet the local content requirement of the Federal Government. Read more
Why Abuja-London Flight Is Cheaper Than Lagos-London – Stakeholders
Nigerians traveling to the United Kingdom from Lagos pay higher tickets fare than those traveling from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, LEADERSHIP investigation has shown.
Visits to the websites of British Airways, Qatar Airline, Air France, and Rwanda Air, yesterday, confirmed that flying from Abuja to the United Kingdom is, indeed, cheaper than going from Lagos.
For instance, a one-way ticket, economy class, British Airways, Lagos-London is N776,096; Qatar Airways, Lagos-London cost N231,050 and Air France, Abuja-London: N293, 575.
However, Rwanda Air, Abuja -London costs N207,510; British Airways, Abuja-London is N315,178 and Qatar Airways, Abuja-London is N222,227 respectively.
According to www.statista.com, an average of 150,000 and 72,000 Nigerians travel to the United States and United Kingdom yearly respectively for different purposes.
Stakeholders identify higher passenger traffic from Lagos, landing charges, and taxes as determinants of airfare prices between Lagos to London and Abuja to London.
Speaking on the reasons for the difference in charges, a consultant with Ethiopian Airlines, Ikechi Uko said it’s basically because of the demand and supply.
He said the higher the demand, the higher the price. If the passengers are higher in Lagos, the fare will definitely be higher.
According to him, “How many passengers are there in Abuja? It is basically to the government officials and few passengers. In Lagos, the demands are higher, and definitely, the prices will be higher.”
Also speaking, a stakeholder with over 15 years in the aviation industry, said the traffic determines the prices.
He said when you have higher passenger traffic, you will definitely have higher prices.
He also identified landing Charges as another reason that could affect airfare. He said some airports have more charges to pay than others and this affects the prices of fares.
However, other stakeholders have identified trapped foreign airlines fund, increasing demands for tickets, government’s charges, and taxes among others as causes of high ticket costs on the international routes. Read more
Nigeria’s Air Passenger Traffic Rises By 50.5% In 6 Months
A total of 6,420,820 passengers traveled through domestic and international airports in Nigeria between January and June this year, representing a 50.5 percent increase over 4,267, 409 recorded same period in 2020.
Passengers Traffic Statistics Report made available by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) indicates that the figure comprised of 5,513,098 domestic passengers and 907,722 international travelers.
According to the report, Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos processed the highest number of international travelers with 670,938 passengers, followed by Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja with 225,985 in the first half of 2021.
NAIA Abuja, however, topped the chart for domestic air travelers with 1,974,249 passengers, closely followed by Lagos airport with 1,786,236. Others are Port Harcourt 377,679 passengers; Enugu 231,669; Kano 225,870.
The report indicates that Lagos and Abuja airports alone accounted for 3,760,485 out of a total of 5,513,098 or 68.2 percent of all domestic arrivals and departures, and 896,923 out of a total of 907,722 or 98.8 percent of all international passengers.
Malam Aminu Kano International Airport came a distant third with only 10,119 international passengers in the first half of the year.
On cargo, the five major international airports in Lagos, Enugu, Abuja Kano, and Port Harcourt handled a total of 126.4 million kilograms of cargo between January and June this year, about a 106 percent increase over the 61.2 million recorded same period in 2020.
Lagos alone accounted for the lion’s share of 113.9 million kilograms or over 90 percent of the total cargo throughput of the five international airports.
Lagos also accounted for 18.8 million kilograms out of 18.9 million kilograms or 98.9 percent of all mails handled at the five international airports.
Dubai Air Show Opens to Industry On the Mend Amid COVID 19
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Dubai’s biennial Air Show opened Sunday to a world still reeling from the pandemic and an aviation industry hard-hit by the coronavirus but on the mend.
Boeing and Airbus have traditionally been the stars of the aviation trade show, competing for multibillion-dollar Gulf-based airline purchases and hammering out final details minutes before back-to-back press conferences. This year, however, the five-day exhibition is expected to be more muted than in the past due to the subdued state of flying and travel amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rather, the air show’s first day drew eyes toward defense and military hardware from countries like Russia and Israel.
The day’s blockbuster commercial deal by Airbus was a sale of 255 new aircraft to Indigo Partners’ various low-cost carriers. The agreement sees budget carriers Wizz Air purchase 102 new planes, U.S. Frontier with 91, Mexico’s Volaris with 39, and South American JetSmart with 23. The package includes a mix of A321neo and A321XLR aircraft. At Airbus’ pre-pandemic list prices, the order would clock in at well above $30 billion. The company declined to provide any details on the sale price.
Airbus also secured an order for two additional A330 aerial refueling aircraft with the United Arab Emirates Air Force, bringing to five the country’s Airbus multirole tanker transport fleet.
The star on the tarmac outside the exhibition hall was Russia’s Checkmate fighter jet, which was shown to the press in a custom-built hangar with a display of laser lights bouncing off a mirrored ceiling. The jet, with a baseline $35 million price tag, is a less costly competitor to the U.S. F-35, which the UAE has been trying to acquire since formally recognizing Israel last year in a deal brokered by the Trump administration. That sale has slowed under U.S. President Joe Biden.
In a dramatic promotional video, the Checkmate soared through burnt orange skies, blasting away targets in the desert as music blared in the background and a thundering voiceover rattled off the plane’s features.
“The idea was born as we used all the experience that Russia got during its Syria operations and many of the features of the aircraft came from realistic situations that we experienced,” said United Aircraft Corporation CEO Yuri Slyusar through a translator at the unveiling. In Syria’s devastating civil war, Russian fighter jets have supported President Bashar Assad’s forces. Read more
Sources: Leadership Newspaper, Punch Newspaper Wings Magazine