Aviation
Medview sacks pilots, engineers, crew members
No fewer than 100 workers of Medview Airlines have been sacked.
The airline served the dismissed staff their letter of disengagement yesterday.
New Telegraph learnt that those disengaged were engineers, pilots, crew members and other support staff.
The airline asked the disengaged staff to return all the company’s items in their possession while many of them were paid their allowances and salaries of over three months.
Efforts to reach the Managing Director of the airline, Alhaji Muneer Bankole, proved abortive as he was said to be out of the country until Saturday.
The carrier has been facing serious problems, which has led to the cut in its operations.
Early this year, the carrier suspended international operations while also reducing regional routes on its flight schedule to just two cities.
The airline suspended flight operations to London and Jeddah in February this year, while it had earlier in January stopped operations to Dubai.
It had, in November 2015, commenced operations to London and by December of that year, started Jeddah route.
But its operations to Dubai, which began in November 2017, lasted just two months as the airline suspended flight to the route in January 2018.
In the sub-region, the airline has suspended operations to Dakar (Senegal), Accra (Ghana) and Abidjan (Cote D’Ivoire), but still operates skeletal flights to Monrovia (Liberia) and Freetown (Sierra Leone).
Meanwhile, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), Mr. Ahmed Lawan Kuru, has attributed the short lifespan of airlines in the country to corporate governance.
Kuru, who spoke in Lagos yesterday at the 3rd edition of the Nigeria TravelsMart Colloquium, blamed the incessant collapse of airlines in Nigeria on lack of corporate governance and adequate regulatory oversight in the management of aviation business in the country.
The AMCON boss also said that aviation regulatory bodies like the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) must develop the courage to insist that corporate governance is adhered to in aviation business.
He added that the industry is riddled with failed airlines due to lack of corporate governance as most board of directors are represented by family relations who have no competence to manage a business as fragile and sensitive as aviation.
Kuru listed other challenges to include lavish lifestyle of owners of airlines, which he said takes precedence over payments of pilots and engineers.
He said: “The Board of Directors is represented by father, mother, son who have no form of aviation/airline training to qualify to be on the board in the first place. Also, lifestyle of owners takes precedence over payments to pilots and engineers etc.
“Owners and staff are contractors for service, thereby compromising standards and quality, in most cases, overpricing services. Airline staff becomes flight ticket agents, in most cases creating artificial ‘full capacity’ situations where when passengers eventually board, a lot of seats are empty.”
According to Kuru, the trend is that in such airlines without structure, staff loyalty is only to the owner, not to the company.
Proper attention is not paid to suppliers of parts, lessors, line maintenance providers, while fuel suppliers are not paid as and when due, he said.
Once the airline operates this sort of structure, he said, vendors would naturally withdraw all forms of business support and the airlines tether to the point of failure.
He, therefore, called on the NCAA to step up on regulations like has been done in the banking sector.
Kuru said it is critical this happens because as he puts it: “The aviation industry is as important as the health industry because it deals with the lives of travellers. It requires more regulation than even the banking industry.
“It is only in Nigeria that an airline can abandon you at the airport for more than five hours without any recourse. Indeed, there are consequences for frequent cancellations. However, I cannot recall any airline punished in the recent past.”
In another development, the 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) said they would shut down operations at the Murtala Muhammed Airport 2 today.
They alleged that the operators of the terminal, Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL), sacked 20 employees who indicated interest to unionise.
The unions had, in a Notice of Strike yesterday, threatened to disrupt operations at the terminal operated by BASL.
Spokesperson for BASL, Mr. Steve Omolale, said contrary to the claims of the unions, these workers who were relieved of their appointment were staff, who had either attained retirement age or who were found not to be diligent in their duties.
The unions said they were compelled to issue the notice following the refusal of the BASL management to cooperate with the interventions of the NCAA and airport security agencies.
The unions said all services to MMA2 would be withdrawn, unless the management fully reinstates all the affected workers without loss of pay or seniority.
They also advised the management to recognise the unions and allow the unhindered processes of unionisation in BASL in compliance with extant labour laws.
-newtelegraph
Olivier Arrindell, CEO of Ava Airways
Today, Amb Olivier E. Arrindell CEO of Ava Airways has announced and presented the master plan to Africa’s aviation industry stakeholders in Kinshasa. The aviation modernization and Airline master plans of connectivity between Africa and the Americas is vital for Africa business and trade connectivity between the Caribbean and Latin America. Many can remember most recently Amb. Arrindell declares these innovative plans of developments in Nigerian-based media and publishing company, Business Africa Online (BAO) magazine.
The plans are simple and particle from an investment point of view and this is why we have embarked on this profitable investment, nevertheless Olivier Arrindell is fully aware of the challenges that face Africa and the Americas business climate however increasing frequencies between Africa via Kinshasa Democratic Republic of Congo and the Americas with a sound structure will place our company in the vital need to connect the Caribbean and Latin America together. The Santo Domingo Hub base of Ava Airways is set and completed and in place.
Ava Airways is a passenger and cargo carrier company. It offers air transportation services to passengers. The company’s new fleet plan of Airbus A320 aircraft, Airbus A321 aircraft, and Airbus A350 aircraft shall offer a special service called Bliss for premium customers and also provides Av-Fi, an in-flight internet service. Other facilities that the company shall include are insurance assistance, inflight catering, non-alcoholic beverages, movies, television shows and in-flight radio service. The company focuses mainly on connecting the AMERICAS to the world.
Amadeus has signed a long-term, comprehensive technology partnership with EgyptAir. The deal is an extension of an existing relationship between the Egyptian flag-carrier and one of the world’s travel technology leaders and comes as the airline refreshes its digital offering ahead of a renewed period of growth.
Yehia Zakaria, chief executive, EgyptAir Group, said: “Amadeus is in a position to support EgyptAir throughout its digital transformation, allowing us to provide customers with a best-in-class travel experience. Once these advanced solutions, including a new digital e-commerce platform are fully implemented, our employees will have the freedom and flexibility to better serve our passengers around the world.”
Included in the deal is Amadeus Revenue Management, which accurately forecasts demand by analyzing customer purchase behavior, competitor pricing, and yield capacity. New digital solutions will also deliver a frictionless web and mobile experience to travelers while Amadeus Altéa Booking Intelligence will help minimize fraud. Finally, EgyptAir will migrate to a new loyalty platform, where members will benefit from customer-centric experiences based upon traveler insights.
Maher Koubaa, Vice President, EMEA, Airlines, Amadeus, said: “Amadeus has long been a trusted partner of EgyptAir and the renewal we have signed will extend the relationship for many years to come. It also deepens the connection, with the flag-carrier positioning itself for future growth in the Middle East and beyond, thanks to the digital upgrade and operational enhancements that this suite of innovative solutions will deliver for EgyptAir, its staff and customers.”
Amadeus continues to build its position in Egypt and the Middle East, with discussions ongoing with a number of other carriers in the region.
EgyptAir is the state-owned flag carrier of Egypt. The airline is headquartered at Cairo International Airport, its main hub, and operates scheduled passenger and freight services to 81 destinations in the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. EgyptAir is a member of Star Alliance.
Ava Airways CEO, Amb. Olivier Arrindell (Photo: Image Supplied)
The Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC) has reported over $38 billion USD in airline ticket sales transacted between January and July 2022 in the Americas. Another estimated 20% of that revenue is booked outside the ARC. The best investment right now for the next fifteen years before the slowdown, would be within an airline that is based in the Americas with the right strategy and plans, said Amb. Olivier Arrindell.
The Global Diaspora Summit a few years ago was the culmination of a worldwide dialogue process among Africans on the continent and the Diaspora on the content, programs and plan of action for the AU’s Diaspora program. The outcome of the various consultations was consolidated by three African Diaspora Ministerial Conferences between 2007 and 2012 into a Draft Declaration to be considered by the Summit.
The African Union has approved the following definition of the African Diaspora: “The African Diaspora consists of peoples of African origin living outside the continent, irrespective of their citizenship and nationality and who are willing to contribute to the development of the continent and the building of the African Union.” With this being said our contribution is going to be in the form of consistent Air connectivity via commercial scheduled air transportation of passengers and Cargo between Africa and Central America/Caribbean.
The Americas population of over 1.2 billion and with 54% of the population being of African descent is the largest African diaspora outside of Africa and within emerging economies and strong economies.
Amb. Olivier Arrindell goal via Ava Airways is to implement the concrete ways and means of harnessing the abundant human and material resources in Africa and beyond. And to advance the Socio-economic development of both the Continent, in close and sustainable partnership with the African Diaspora in the Americas via Air connectivity. There are well established Air transportation agreements in place with some African nations and Caribbean countries. However, there is no adequate air transportation system between Africa and Central America/Caribbean and socio-economic development cannot take place. Therefore, Ava Airways as a company have already put in place all the necessary steps to prepare for the scheduled inaugural flight between mainland Africa and Central America/Caribbean via its hub in Santo Domingo.
A three-day business trip in Santo Domingo where you buy your goods followed by another four days in Ocho Rios or Montego Bay Jamaica on the beach sounds far more attractive then flying to the Middle East. However, Arrindell believes proper education must be provided about the Caribbean. He is very much positive about the near future because Ava Airways, as a company, are set fast on the course of economic connectivity.
Arrindell have concluded with the adoption in his last board meeting to include 11 major African cities into their master plan route network to provide Africa a gateway to the Americas that also include a visa free travel to some destination which will:
- Take concrete measures that would promote and sustain linkages between Africa and the Diaspora in the following priority areas: trade and investment, science and technology, travel and tourism, communication and transportation infrastructure, energy, information, communication technology and cultural industries;
- Ava Airways flights will enable the establishment of multi-stakeholder working groups of Africa, CARICOM, and Latin America citizens which will establish economic cooperation (including infrastructure of sea and air links, trade and investment, travel and tourism).
The near future of Air transportation between Africa, Central America/Caribbean is predicted to be extremely profitable to those who can properly connect Africa and the Americas with a business model that is innovative and has a clear understanding of the dynamics of our people.
