flew out of MMA2 today with aero, the concept is good, but in reality it is too small to accomodate vk and arik especially with the nine vk emb jets coming in sept and ariks fleet.the finishing is poor, and when i went to the toilet, a guy with an orange t-shirt insisted to collect and keep my bag but he didnt have a pass/ID and i refused but he kept on insisting he was incharge of the toilet and has to keep my bag.
The first security lapse i noticed was after boarding was completed one pax couldnt not get a seat which confused everybody.eventually it was discovered a pax boarded the wrong plane, was meant to go to calabar.
Anyway, for those that dont know, NOTHING IS PERMANENT in Nigeria.It is written on most molues,luxurious buses and 911s.
There was an intresting article today on guardian
Aviation: Who sows, who reaps and who rips off?
By Musa Balarabe
"It is difficult to conceive of vigorous economic growth without an efficient aviation system"
- European Commission.
</I>THE title of this piece is not original. It was 'stolen' from the theme of one of the many annual conferences of the former Association of Advertising Practitioners of Nigeria (AAPN). But it is appropriate to this piece in light of the shenanigans currently going on in Nigeria's aviation sector. One of these is the recent directive by the Minister of State for Aviation, Dr. Felix Hyat, to the country's private sector-led flag carrier, Virgin Nigeria, and its competitor, Arik Air, to join other local airline operators at the domestic wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja (MMA2) for purposes of driving their local flights from the new terminal.
Government is said to have arrived at this decision in order to stem what is considered to be a rise in illicit drug trafficking at the nation's foremost airport owing to the ease of transfer achieved by passengers since the domestic and international services of the airlines in question are virtually seamless.
It is sad that a fundamental decision on service operation could be taken in utter disregard of the reason for being of the airlines, especially Virgin Nigeria, which will be harder hit than Arik Air in the new dispensation. This is because the existence of both airlines did not arise from the same set of circumstances. From the outset, Virgin Nigeria was conceived with the key objective of offering a global international network and to take alongside excellent domestic airlines that will continue to flourish in the domestic sector. Indeed, the promoters of the airline were requested to consider investment in airport infrastructure on the premise that Lagos becomes the leading aviation hub in Africa.
The promise of building an efficient aviation hub in Lagos, as contained in the MEMU - Memorandum of Mutual Understanding - signed between the Federal Government and Virgin Atlantic Airline in September 2004, the strategic investor and technical partner in the Flag Carrier project in Nigeria - necessitated the approval granted Virgin Nigeria to operate all its flights from MMIA. In effect, the airline was required to invest substantial sums of money in enhancing customer facilities in Nigerian airports, quite separate from the responsibilities of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN). These works resulted in a dedicated area for Virgin Nigeria within the terminal, bringing a best-in-class experience to its customers. This was done primarily to enable smooth transfers between connecting Virgin Nigeria flights because the goal was to make MMIA become a leading aviation hub for Africa.
Virgin Nigeria consequently embarked on major renovation and upgrading of terminals of local airports with a view to positively improving on its service delivery to customers. According to the airline, the "African regional operation is hinged on fostering the spirit of brotherhood and the socio-cultural and economic ties that exist in Africa, especially as encapsulated by the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD)."
Interestingly, sometime in 2006 the Federal Government began a systematic breach of all agreements it signed with investors in the new flag carrier. First, it designated other operators on the so-called 'lucrative' routes that hitherto had been contractually reserved for Virgin Nigeria before its take-off. Next, the airline was compelled to give up space to competition at terminals that it had refurbished at its own cost. Again, government reneged on practically all the requirements earlier agreed to make Lagos an aviation hub.
The recent directive that Virgin Nigeria should move its domestic operation to MMA2 is worrisome for a number of reasons. At a corporate level, the airline will lose the huge capital it had invested in putting up globally competitive infrastructure at MMIA, as the domestic lounge will have to be dismantled at cost to the company without any refund from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN). But it is Nigeria and, indeed, the aviation industry that is trying to find its feet that will be the biggest losers.
When people talk about the future development of the Nigerian economy, there is a lot of emphasis on oil and gas as well as agriculture, among other things. Hardly is there any significant emphasis on aviation, which the EU has identified as a critical vehicle for national development. If one looks anywhere in the world, what is required for a successful aviation hub is sufficient local demand. Nigeria has the perfect geographic position to be an aviation hub. But this opportunity will be lost because of myopic self-interest and wanton disregard for consistency in policy formulation and implementation.
A policy somersault as had happened to Virgin Nigeria, without doubt, is bound to shake the faith of international investors in Nigeria. Who on earth would seek to do business with a government and people that cannot keep faith with the spirit and letters of simple contracts? These are some basic issues that need to be revisited in the days to come, seeing that in the long run, the government directive will do more harm than good to the development of the aviation industry in Nigeria.
For the sake of an argument, let us assume that the relocation to MMA2 stands. But is this new terminal the solution that to whatever problem(s) that has/have been identified by government in arriving at its decision? By all means, no. For the simple reason that a recent report of the International Air Travel Association (IATA) Technical Mission to Lagos International Airport in November, 2007 identified deficiencies at MMA2 that need to be amended "as a matter of urgency to ensure safe operations at the new domestic terminal."
Among others, the IATA team said that "vehicular movement (on the apron) is uncontrolled;" "hydrant system, which is the fuelling system is not in place, the available fire extinguishers have no serviceability tags;" "the apron is too small for the intended scale of operation;" "passengers cross the apron without escort/guide;" "the distance between aircraft parked at remote parking lot and aircraft in the gate is too small, and aircraft may be damaged by jet blast" and "Gates 1 and 6 point to the end of the apron that is not protected by jet blast protectors." What is the hurry to order operators to a terminal that has apparently failed basic safety requirements? Little wonder all the other domestic operators resisted moving into MMA2 until they were compelled to do so. Must common good be subordinated to narrow self-interest? Whichever way one looks at the decision of government to ram hard decisions down the throats of operators, the all-important question will linger: in the business of aviation in Nigeria, "Who sows, who reaps and who rips-off?" There is need to tread carefully
http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/edito...o%20rips%20off?