Two Air Mishaps Averted In Lagos And Abuja

[5N-OSA]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I saw this in my news feeds folder.Any body with additional info please?:uhoh::uhoh:



.....................................

NIGERIA'S airspace, which not too long ago, was serially traumatized by accidents, was saved from two major air mishaps yesterday in Lagos and Abuja. A total of 263 lives were saved in the two incidents.
An IRS airbus Fokker 100 with registration number 5NCEO scheduled to leave Lagos at about 7.30 pm en-route Abuja-Kano and Maiduguri developed flat tyres while taxiing on the the Murtala Muhammed Airport runway, and veered off into the surrounding field. Two of its tyres reportedly went flat while preparing to take off. The 101 passengers and seven crew members on board were immediately evacuated, with some of them being taken to hospitals for minor treatment to injuries sustained in the panic that ensued in the belly of the aircraft.
Spokesman for the airline, Solomon Ibharunefe, confirmed the incident but told The Guardian that the aircraft had run into sharp objects ("debris") on the runway, which then punctured the tyres. He, however, said that the passengers had been well taken care of.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN also affirmed that the aircraft had been towed to the cargo apron of the airport.
In Abuja, A British Airways aircraft, Boeing 777, with registration number 11H with 155 passengers was discovered to have developed fire in its engines after it had taken off from the Nnamdi Azikwe Airport at about 10am. It was therefore diverted to the Kano airport.
In a statement late released a few minutes to midnight by the BA public relations consultant, Quadrant company, said that the aircraft "declared a PAN on approach to Abuja this morning".
It continued: "The BA82 Abuja Heathrow flight was diverted to Kano in Nigeria.
"The flight crew detected smoke in the cockpit and took the decision to divert as a precaution.
The aircraft was inspected by engineers, who thought they had fixed the problem by isolating an air conditioning pack.
"Approximately 60 minutes into the return BA82 Abuja Heathrow flight, smoke was again detected in the cockpit.
"The flight crew went on to oxygen and while passengers in First and Club were believed to have smelled smoke, oxygen masks were not deployed.
" There are 155 passengers on board.
The Captain took the decision to declare a PAN and diverted to Kano (Airport code KAN).
"The aircraft landed safely in Kano.
" The passengers are on the aircraft at the moment".
However, a distraught parent of one of the passengers, lamented that it was inhuman for the airline to keep the passengers "from 4pm to this time (11pm)." She continued: Why does the BA have to treat the passengers like animals, keeping them for a clear six hours in the aircraft? As I am talking to you, they are still on board, hungry, tired and uncertain of their fate; and without any notification on when their ordeal would be over". She stressed: "Why would they treat the passengers in such a cruel manner. Can they do that to their own citizens? They can only do that to Nigerians".
But BA officials claimed that they had indeed appealed to the understanding of the passengers, and were working on how to sort them out. They delay, they said was caused by the fact that they did not have operation staff on the ground in Kano, and had to deploy experts from Abuja at about 7pm, who had to travel for at least four hours to get to the Kano airport.
Said the statement from the BA Pr consultants, "It is a five hour drive for engineers based in Abuja to reach Kano to inspect the aircraft.
"BA is looking at bringing an aircraft currently in Dubai across to Kano to pick up the passengers, subject to the crew in Kano receiving sufficient rest.
"This could prove difficult if there are no hotel rooms".
The airline's statement concluded: "We apologise to passengers for the inconvenience caused".



By Wole Sadare

[Flightsimman]

The question has to be asked why BA continue to fly to Nigeria at all.

With the state of the airports & air-traffic control, the risks seem to be quite large.

Whilst visiting Lagos, I once spoke to the crew of a BA flight that said they wished they didn't have to keep coming here (if you're fortunate enough to arrive safely, you still have to contend with the bus-ride to the hotel!)

I would be interested to hear other crews thoughts on this.:ok:

[Rani]

Did you read the article?

BA's aircraft developed a fire (reported in the cockpit and the engine), which is an internal issue.

[Flightsimman]

I know the problem was internal, but read the facts in the article (there always seems to be a problem with facilities in Nigeria)!

"" She continued: Why does the BA have to treat the passengers like animals, keeping them for a clear six hours in the aircraft? As I am talking to you, they are still on board, hungry, tired and uncertain of their fate; and without any notification on when their ordeal would be over". She stressed: "Why would they treat the passengers in such a cruel manner. Can they do that to their own citizens? They can only do that to Nigerians".
But BA officials claimed that they had indeed appealed to the understanding of the passengers, and were working on how to sort them out. They delay, they said was caused by the fact that they did not have operation staff on the ground in Kano, and had to deploy experts from Abuja at about 7pm, who had to travel for at least four hours to get to the Kano airport.
Said the statement from the BA Pr consultants, "It is a five hour drive for engineers based in Abuja to reach Kano to inspect the aircraft"

By the way I got to Lagos with SAA !!

:ugh:

[LongJohnThomas]

Flightsimman,
I wont go into a long speech about what is or what's not in Nigeria.
The one thing i will say though, is I do hope British Airways would get their hides out of Nigeria!!!!!!
Not surprising, the Aussie would jump to the support of it's colonial master!
Lagos happens to be one of the most lucrative routes operated by British Airways; Should they leave Lagos, i assure you, they'll be letting go of staff in a month!!
Its the only route in the world that has a total flight time of 5hrs 50mins and costs over £1000 for a cattle class ticket!!!!:ugh:
It would make us happier if you ALL do not go to Nigeria, that way,. we would not have to hear the garbage that comes out of your 4R$eholes each time Nigeria is mentioned.
I can say a lot about London and Sydney, but i don't.:=
It's called using your head!!!:D

[unstable load]

Come on, LJT get over yourself.

The reason they charge that much is because that's what its worth to go to Lagosand the strong support they get ensures it will continue. You forget that the majority of the pax on that highly lucrative route are your fellow nationals going shopping and rushing off to the land of milk and money.

The expats that go to Nigeria to work there are filling a capability that you guys are not capable of doing for any decent length of time before it all falls down. If you think I am being unfair or biased then look at Bellview for an example - I flew with them on an F- registered machine form Lagos to Abidjan on a few occasions and it was great. Fast forward to the point where the planes are on the 5N register and where are they now??

When PENGASSAN went on strike in Escravos and the Nationals walked off the job yet again the Expats kept the show running and when the strike was over and the guys came back to work, production actually dropped!:D

[LongJohnThomas]

unstable load,
Get over myself?:eek:
Wow!!! Thats a first!
What its worth? Hahahaha. I have not heard this much cod's wallop in a while!
I want you to define what and where you think is the land of 'milk and honey'!!??:rolleyes::ugh:
What?
They improve your economy and you sound like you're doing us a favour?? You must be out of your mind!:mad:
You refer to Bellview using F registered airplanes? I must ask you to get your facts straight! I flew both of those airplanes and one of which is now being used as spares for the last flying one!!!
Mind you, though F registered, they were all operated by Nigerians!!!!!:mad:
For you re-education, when the locals go on strike, it's because they are fighting for basic rights; It pays the Expats to stay on because they don't have a problem in the world!
They are escorted round in SUV's, given cooks, Gardner's, cleaners, drivers etc.
Tell me, can you afford all those things in your neck of the woods???:=
YOU're the one who needs to get over himself mate!!!:rolleyes:

[Witraz]

BA fly to a lot of destinations in Africa. That means flying over Africa. Flying to Cape Town one flies over Nigeria and faced with an emergency requiring a landing the crew have the same limited choices. Passenger delays and discomfort would be one of the last things on my mind if I thought I had a potential fire and needed to get on the ground. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Surely it is better to have the aircraft and passengers safely parked up than a possible smoldering heap.
Once again I am bemused on how people love to bash BA. There will be a team working to get those passengers, crew and aircraft recovered as quickly as possible, but then for those of us who know and love Africa, there will be obstacles to overcome, which are not found in other parts of the world.

[NIJASEA]

Unstable load, I flew for bellview and the F registered aircraft was flown and maintained to the same standards that bellview maintained the 5N registered aircraft by Africans. I agree with you on the fact that BA is full of Nigerians going shopping and going on hols. I feel however you seem biased against Nigeria and our Aviation industry. If you feel bellview is a good example of a good Nigerian carrier then i feel you need to raise your standards somewhat (no disrespect to bellview). I have flown out of Lagos on lots of carriers and really BA is the most disrespectful.

[seper]

flightsimman,what does diverting to an airport were you dont have staff there have to do with facilities?It is a five hour drive from abuja to kano

BA is still preferred by the Nigerian Elite,first and biz classes are always oversold,and no doubt lagos is about its most profitable route.

BA can never leave lagos,irony is the same folks who complain about BA,still fly BA.

The so called boycott,never happened,and the boycott people themselves have been sighted on BA flights.

Dont think the problem is with BA!
Nigerians!

[elpilotofrances]

you forgot to say that wich the F100 lock on the rwy ( just one rwy at night in lagos ) , the AF and KLM have to diverts..
normal pocedure just 2 or 3 hours delay

[unstable load]

NIJASEA (http://www.pprune.org/members/95135-nijasea),

Please allow me to clarify my point if I may.
I am not biased towards Nigerians or your aviation industry.

What I AM biased againsed is someone with the attitude that LJT displays from time to time where the Expats working in and for his country and others that serve the periferal industries are considered to be leeches and exploiters of the excellence that is Nigeria and her people.

It is a refrain that is heard all over the world, and most loudly in my homeland, South Africa where all the problems of the land are the fault of and were caused by the white man. What many seem to overlook is that while the colonial "system" was far from perfect and was indeed exploitive, when it was finally kicked out or voted out, it by and large left behind it a country that had a functioning and intact infrastructure that then took not too long to degenerate to the state it is now in. All the while the decline is blamed on the whites who had the cheeck to run off and stop maintaining the stuff, thus allowing it to get into rack and ruin.

As for your aviation industry, my involvement in it was in the helicopter section where I worked with Nigerian engineers and pilots, some of whome were first class and some rather less - much like any other country, I might add.
My point about the Bellview flights I did was to illustrate that regardless of where or by whom the F-reg machine/s were maintained, Bellview was at the time a respected part of the industry in Nigeria and once the machines went onto the 5N-reg it all went south.

As for needing to raise my standards with regard to the industry, I say absolutely I do. It has been some years since I was in your country and by way of illustration, Bellview were still flying F-reg metal, Chanchangi was still in business (albeit tenuously) and Chrome was on the ramp at MMIA and the collection of hulls parked in the bushes across the apron from PAAN and the old Concorde hangar had only recently been removed, so it has been a while.

I worked in Nigeria for almost 7 years and by and large I had a good time there. My contact with your people was mostly hassle free, I was not mugged, scammed, 419'd, shot or anything bad which is, for me at least, a positive sign. As with anywhere there were the ones who considered me and my fellow expats to be an irritation and a target for racial and other attacks and they got short change from me.

I do not suffer from what has been termed "the white conscience". I do not feel guilty that I am white because I had nothing to do with that decision. Historically, my family never supported the National government in South Africa, but as the minority of the voting population had little choice but to make do with an imperfect world. I grew up on a farm and my father tried as far as possible to treat his staff with dignity and respect, and I believe he taught me the same respect.

What gets up my nose is a person who blames me and my "type" for the ills that befall him. Let's be blunt here for a second - tell me what the white man has done to facilitate the decline of the Nigerian industry and it's infrastrcture please. Which whitey stopped the trains running, allowed the festering of tribalism that has led to MEND and similar festering sores, created the current incarnation of a phone system, turned off the power stations, and closed the refineries?
Now take that question for the sake of fairness to the rest of Africa just to illustrate that I am not Nigeria bashing and the answer becomes clear - It has been self inflicted.

If I have offended you, I apologise, but understand me when I say that by and large the white man is not responsible for the current state of affairs in Africa.

As fot you, LJT...

They improve your economy and you sound like you're doing us a favour?? You must be out of your mind!

You mean like the recent case of the SAA crew that were caught at Heathrow with a few hundred grands worth of drugs? Where it turns out the security guard who "checked their bags" in Jozi and got herself arrested was married to a Nigerian who it seems is part of an international drug ring?
Believe me, that sort of enrichment we can do without, thank you.

I flew both of those airplanes and one of which is now being used as spares for the last flying one!!!


Why aren't the ALL still flying, and in the same conditition they were then?

Expats to stay on because they don't have a problem in the world!


Apart from being occasionally hijacked and sometimes killed when they get caught up in the middle of the mess that your government has created with the oil dollars and their distribution to the masses.

They are escorted round in SUV's, given cooks, Gardner's, cleaners, drivers etc.
Tell me, can you afford all those things in your neck of the woods???

I don't drive an SUV, but I do have a housekeeper and a gardener, while I prefer to drive myself like I would have preferred in Nigeria if it was not made compulsory by the company in order to create the jobs that your government can't be bothered to do themselves.

For you re-education, when the locals go on strike, it's because they are fighting for basic rights;

How come those basic rights are not afforded to the people whose land has been dug up to allow for the industry that gives the strikers the opportunity to strike in the first place? Maybe it's to do with greed and corruption, which if it were a national sport would guarantee Nigeria a clean sweep of gold medals at the All Africa Games despite stiff competition from Zimbabwe.

I don't need to get over anything at all. I still communicate with my Nigerian friends from time to time and my dreams at night are not haunted by the likes of you.
I do believe though that you need to take a step back and take a long hard look at what you consider to be the ideal. Unless that is you are a part of the elite who benefit from the exploitation that you blame me for, in which case it's best left well alone then, right?

[Habari]

Well put old chap!
If I had the time and energy, I would have liked to have written exactly the same as you. I am sick and tired of the Nigerians and their attiude towards expats and their blaming the self inflicted problems of their country on the "colonials"

[mkenya]

Jeez. Truce please.. No one blamed the whites.. And neither did you get a bad experience in the seven years you were there.. Aint that good?
Just two questions..
Couldn't BA organise for their passengers to wait in one of the terminals or something like that instead of being locked up in the cabin for 13 hours?
Are there no planes from Abuja to Kano?
Peace

[LongJohnThomas]

unstable load,
Never once in my response did i mention anything racial!
You seem to forget that the word Expat sometimes includes Blacks from all over the world!!!
You have taken the pain to spout out a whole load of stuff that has nothing entirely to do with the point being raised here.
This thread started with British Airways and how they kept Pax in the Airplane on ground for hours on end.
I will start by reminding you that the failures of the Nigerian Government has nothing to do with the advancement of aviation generally in Nigeria, neither can you expect us here, mainly Pilots and engineers to fix what maybe the socio-economic problems Nigeria may have.
There are appropriate sites where all your bickering about Nigeria and it's style of government can be challenged or criticized!
This is not one of them!
There are also appropriate sites for racial comments, and as you can see, this STILL is not one of such!!
I implore you to take time to think before you go on a long Auto-biography about who you are and how you were brought up, this certainly does not solve the problems of British Airways!!
Like mkenya has said, there are ways that could have been averted, but very much like BA, they seem to think they are much smarter than everyone else!!!
I must again, reiterate the fact that Expats were never blamed by me for anything; I merely pointed out the fact that they are been paid to do a job, and thats what they do, period!
If the government did not meet their side of any bargain, i am sure they (The Expats) would be on the next flight out of the country.
In your whole write up, apart from wasting the time of our readers, I cannot find one valid point concerning BA??!!!!!
Not once did i use the term 'white man'!! The mention of colonials was directed specifically at Flightsimman who jumped whole-heartedly to the support of BA not bothering to comment on the problem that was cited.
British Airways continuously, disrespects the rights of Nigerians on board their airplanes, the service is crap, and the cabin crew untrained in customer relations!!
You do not treat a high paying customer like you are doing him/her a favour! That was simply my point! And if the crew do not wish to continue doing Lagos flights, they should be my guest! It's not i who'll be out of a job!!!
It amazes me how quick a lot of you are to castigate Nigeria and Nigerians.
I once thought this site was primarily for professionals who would come together to share ''professional views'' compare notes, and seek solutions to existing problems??!!
I see i must have thought wrong! All that ever happens, is at the mention of the word Nigeria, your types go off on a tangent, ignoring what the problem is, and getting into the political side of things existent in Nigeria.
British Airways has a fundamental problem with Nigeria and Nigerians! It is my take that if Nigeria and Nigerians make them so uncomfortable, they are free to pack their bags and leave that route!!!!
Stick to the points here man!!!!
I assume that you have some understanding of what i have said.
It's written in English!!:D

[unstable load]

Long John Thomas,

You are absolutely correct in that my post had little to do with BA and their problems, my bad!

As for the rest, let's just agree to disagree because this topic will go on forever otherwise and I for one don't have the energy to keep bashing my head against that wall.

Truce, OK?

UL.

[NIJASEA]

Guys, not all Nigerians are anti colonial or disagree with the need for expat workers. I respect the expat crew i work with but i feel it is a sad situation where we employ expat first officers when we have pilots fresh from school who self are sponsored and cant get a break. I am all for having qualified captains brought in to work and help train our crew but to have crew work 25years as an expat in the same country is a joke.
I have been to Nairobi so pls dont try to compare us to you :=.

[Habari]

Your comment about employing Nigerian pilots straight from flight school, whether self sponsored or not, instead of expat F/Os was rather silly. I always thought that experience was necessary. Maybe Nigerian pilots are a cut above the rest of us and don't need any experience!!

[helldog]

Unstable load. Can I just say I dont think you should apologise for offending LJT. He is being rather offensive himself. He makes it quite clear how proud he is of his use of the English language. I am sure he has heard the word 'inference' and knows exactly what it means. Your response was fair enough for me, even if it did not tackle the BA point of this thread it did deal with the underlying issue here.

[LongJohnThomas]

Habari,
Based on what you have just said, i see you are gearing up for a brawl.
Please try to be more tactful when referring to others here. You may disagree with what's said, but thats no reason to call a man silly!
Besides, it is not unusual to have rookies straight out of school on the big jets in Nigeria or anywhere else in the civilized world.
'BA' takes on cadets from zero time to fully fledged First Officers. Why not in Nigeria?
helldog,
As for you, i see you lack manners and are also in that sling-match mode!
If unstable load decides to be a gentleman, i don't see how you're instigation to be insulting tackles anything to do with BA.:ugh:
All i have 'inferred' is that we should all stick to matters raised on this forum and not digress to socio-economic debates as you obviously would prefer.
Nigeria is not perfect, none of us has said so. But we would prefer constructive criticism and not people taking the liberty to go completely off course when the topic at hand is BA!!!
There is NO underlying issue here. Just BA's treatment of our citizens!
Fact is, BA has to shape up!
Yes, i am proud of my use of English; It shows that unlike what your likes assume?
Some of us ARE more educated than YOU!!!:D:rolleyes:

[Dave1234]

LongJohnThomas quote Jan 26th:

Not surprising, the Aussie would jump to the support of it's colonial master!

and:

It would make us happier if you ALL do not go to Nigeria, that way,. we would not have to hear the garbage that comes out of your 4R$eholes each time Nigeria is mentioned.

LongJohnThomas quote Jan 27th:

I once thought this site was primarily for professionals who would come together to share ''professional views'' compare notes, and seek solutions to existing problems??!!

An epiphany I presume??

[LongJohnThomas]

Dave1234,
Maybe, then again; You are entitled to an opinion.
Hopefully you read what spurred such responses?:eek:
Cheers.:ok:

[helldog]

LJT. Before you start having a go at me. Just know that I am an observer here, I am not even going to enter any argument about BA or Nigerians or any race issues. All I was saying is that I could see why UL posted as he did. Don't have a go at me mate and continue with your thread here, but don't hide behind cr@p. Just say what you want to say.

[Localiser Established]

Well, since the 'gods' decided that my first reply on this thread wasn't good enough, I'll try to be a little more civil this time.

Habari, I think Nijasea was trying to say that many competent Nigerian pilots straight from school are still looking for jobs while foreigners are being employed straight from school as expats. Surely, Nigeria must be one of the few places in the world where this happens. And no, it is neither a racial thing nor xenophobic thing.

Back to the original topic, does anyone have actual facts of what happened to 5N-CEO? I was told it was an air return due to (partial) loss of hydraulics which resulted in the locked wheels on landing. Can anyone confirm this?

Just so happens that 5N-HIR is on ground so the temporary loss shouldn't have much of an impact.

Haven't used 18R in the past few days, so can't say if progress is being made on the aircraft or if it has left the cargo ramp.

And please, please, please guys. Let us move on from these social/economic/political issues about Nigeria. It is getting quite boring and tiresome.

Mods, judging from the tone of the second post, it was obvious this thread was going to move in this direction (as usual), but yet, the 'clean up team' missed/ignored it.

[5N-OSA]

Thanks L.E I just wanted to know more about the two incidents and behold the Nigerian/expat saga comes up. I saw a BA (G-VIIK, I think) parked at Abuja in the afternoon odd time for a BA in Abuja so I am guessing that should be it from Kan. any news..

Nigeria and the Rest of the world:ugh::( That would be a good name for a Forum don't you think...

[chuks]

Hey, just 20-odd years there, gone for about three and-a-bit and check it out!

Guys still orbit until they nearly run out of fuel and then blame the destination airport for being closed? (Last I remember, the poor old ATC guys were not allowed to tell you when the airport should re-open when closed for VIP movements! You were reduced to guessing but only a fool wouldn't have diversion fuel faced with a closed Nigerian airport. I once had a newbie Chief Pilot goggling at the way I ordered two hours fuel just to do three TOLs, when I simply told him, "You are new here." Take off with 45 minutes fuel for "just three circuits" and then they close the airport. Okay, genius, now what? )

BA keep a load of pax on an aircraft instead of putting them... where, exactly? Unless Kano Airport has changed out of all recognition there isn't anywhere suitable as being clean and comfortable! So this is the fault of BA for being inhumane to their passengers because they are Nigerians, as if they would have not done the very best they could have under trying circumstances for any passengers and never mind their nationality?

LJT embodies something or other that makes him such a worthy spokesman, albeit a self-nominated one, for his country. Perhaps it is his command of English or the way he shows such grace under pressure; I really could not say. I have the feeling I must have known him or at least had him shouting at me on 118.1 for crossing his path on some Lagos taxiway.

I have been working in North Africa for about two years now. It is still Africa but sooo much more relaxed than Nigeria. You try to pull out into traffic here and people actually slow down to let you in! People use zebra crossings to walk across the street here rather than doing that very convincing horizontal imitation of a man falling out of a tree just trying to make it across the road alive, Nigeria-style.

It is the little things I really miss. Stop for a red light (they do that here, really!) and no "Rat Quench" man appears. Boring!

[LongJohnThomas]

chuks,
As i shall continue to say, you are entitled to an opinion of me.
I have no problems with that; You know what they say about opinions, don't you?:}
I think your first paragraph was meant for the thread on the 3 hr delay due to presidential movement.
Second paragraph, sparsely touches on the issues raised, but an acceptable response given the circumstances.:D
Third is all about me, and how i should not stand up when my dear country is maligned and castigated, digressing from the points raised??!!:eek:
Fourth, is all about YOU, where you are and have been??!!!
And last, but not the least, the usual off comments about Nigeria which has absolutely squat to do with BA and it's treatment of PAX.:ugh:
Cant miss that chance to say something derogatory about Nigeria, can you?
Keep it up!:D:rolleyes:

[chuks]

Did I not say that I miss Nigeria? "Crazy place with some great people" about sums it up for me.

Where else can you buy nice, fresh "Rat Quench" on your way home from work? Along with perhaps a room fan, a copy of a dictionary, some shower shoes, a "Shrap" calculator, some "Pailips" light bulbs, an electric kettle, loaves of bread and not least, that great Lagos stand-by, "rodent on a stick" ( cane rat or "grasscutter," a beast that looks for all the world like a giant rat) sold by the side of the road dangling on rope from a staff. No room here to list all the other stuff so bye for now and keep up the good publicity for Nigeria, LJT.

[NIJASEA]

Too true :D

[BALEWA]

Guys, why all this bruhaha concerning BA and them all. For years I have not gone near the likes of these carriers, who have not just exploited Nigerians for decades, but alsö provide a service that I consider to be the most ridiculous, anywhere in the world.

The other day out of Lagos, my wife called me about her flight, I think it was last week wednesday on BA74 from Lagos to London, a 747-400 with a full house in all the classes, with the airconditioning systems providing no cooling at all, it was so bad that mothers with babies had a hard time staying on board with their little ones, apparently it became so hot that people started asking if there was a problem with their aircraft.

As usual the crew would pass by and beckon on them that they would soon be on their way and it would all be ok.

After takeoff the situation did not change (which I found to be bizarre) and then 20mins into the flight the flight service manager came on the PA to announce that they know that the cabin is warm but all should be patient that it takes 20mins for this aircraft to cool after takeoff.

Bizarre all very bizarre!!! She finished by saying the crew ended the flight in London by planting them so hard on the ground the screams by passengers must have been heard on the upper deck by the crew.:*

Guys, the fact is ARIK has started its London flight and soon with more modern equipment arriving other popular routes will follow. I will fly them, the aircrafts are so beautiful and I most say the service is above that of BA and the likes, believe me.

For me its a dream come true, finally a Nigerian Carrier with good intentions, spanking new modern machines and a service u can compare to emirates and the rest "which I have been flying for some time now" It makes me so proud to board ARIK out of London Heathrow Terminal 2.

At last a Nigerian Carrier flying me Home.:D

PS: And by the way for all of u intending to spread it hear, Ill say it first, yes I do work for Arik!;)

[chuks]

BA exploits passengers! Me too! I just wanted to go home and they took money off me for that! I would have used Nigeria Airways except they had gone bust, out of business long ago, just another victim of the colonialist oppressors.

You folks should take a tip from us and declare independence!

[BALEWA]

"You folks should take a tip from us and declare independence!"

come on chuks, wats ur beef now!!! U have continued wit this character here on pprune for as long as forever ol chap, maybe they should consider u as a moderator, hopefully not here on the african forum, I suggest maybe Moderating on the page "Where Are They Now"!!! ignore all that just trying to humour u :}...

The fact is a lot of folks, as u called us dislike BA and the truth about it is their service to lagos is absolute crap compared to their other destinations.
Concerning y they still come to Nigeria and the risky ride they take to their hotel (sheraton) well I meet them at goodies bar some evenings and believe me I know y they are so rude and uncaring the next day for their flights :O
So believe me I would be happy to see them leave, but u know what Sir, they will not and we both understand why!

Also concerning the Arik A340-500 operations to the UK, believe me its just as I said, please for my sake try it sometime and give me some feedback, I would love to hear ur impressions concerning the service by ARIK from checkin to boarding and inflight service to Lagos.

They are leaving wit a full house tonight and its been like this for quite a while now, so if u ever try to book do it early Sir.

Any intentions of coming back to Nigeria, well, at least we keep u informed on how things are going on here, good or bad, as the case may be for u.

Regards

[unstable load]

BALEWA,

I wish you and ARIK well for the venture! Is the company wholly Naija owned and what other routes do you fly? I hear from friends and colleagues that SAA's service on the LOS route is on a par with the worst, so maybe that would be a winner for you.

[chuks]

Oh, I just like a little joke now and then and Lagos in particular and Nigeria in general are a target-rich environment. Should I play the "respect for the aged" card here?

Come on guys! A lot of jokes, such as setting up what is supposed to be a new, world-class airline using obviously dodgy funding from alleged fraudsters (just read your own newspapers, please), when even Boeing is happy to play along... As an Aussie might say to it's colonial masters, "Don't play the raw prawn with us!"

Then you have this on-going joke of orbiting some closed airport until "De foo-el done finish!" just because... of what? "Having a generally sunny and optimistic view of life," I suppose where experience has made me gloomy and pessimistic.

We all know what the rules say about that sort of thing, burning up all your fuel reserves even assuming you have bothered with reserve fuel in the first place or finding an AOC in your Christmas cracker, and we also know the general approach to the rules, any rules, in Nigeria.

People continue to burst into print here to moan about a fact of life, the way Nigerian government entities will close major airports on no notice for extended periods with absolutely no regard for the impact on good order and safety. When you ended up being laughed to scorn over this then the moaning commences over "colonialism" and all sorts of other "isms" too.

Here in North Africa we have a lot of African ex-pats, both pilots and engineers but almost all of the ones in aviation seem to come from South Africa. I have met Nigerians working here, just a few, but not in aviation.

Some of you might find it downright fascinating to eavesdrop on the usual conversation here when the subject of Nigeria comes up. People look at me as if I have two heads when I tell them about the positive side of the place, interspersed with the odd war story backed up by the camp's French head of catering (he had been kidnapped off an oil rig) and a Lebanese/Canadian engineer (he quit some company just because they wanted to send him to Nigeria to replace a man who had been found hanged).

About all Nigeria is well-known for is the 419 letter and the continuing trouble in the Delta so good luck with polishing the image up a bit. Rants in broken English are not going to do much good with that, I fear, especially tagged with a London address, while what is happening with Virgin Nigeria and Arik seems very, very familiar and somewhat unlikely to have a happy ending. I really would like to return, if only for a visit but that's probably not on the cards. Meanwhile there is PPRuNe, eh?

[LongJohnThomas]

chuks,
It's not difficult to see where you're coming from with your rhetoric.
And like what your friend quoted earlier? What you infer!
The thread still remains about BA and not the woes that may have befallen Nigeria.
Like i have said before, you may share your feelings on the socio-economic state of the Nigerian nation on appropriate sites; Or better still? Since you seem to have all the solutions? Take up residency in the Presidential Villa 'ASO ROCK' and YOU go repair whats biting you most about the country!:D
Stick to the topic here man!:ugh:
BRITISH AIRWAYS!!!!:rolleyes:

[chuks]

Having me in charge would probably finish off any country; I really do not think that is what you want, LJT, so that you must be joking there, you big kidder you! "Great Winder-up of the Oyingbos": we can engrave that one on your fly-whisk, I guess, when you make Chief.

I like your style; it reminds me not a little of the late Jerry Agbey-Agbey, just lashing out in all directions there, spraying vinegar and contumely.

BA, what is there to say? "World's favourite airline" about sums it up, I guess. Or is that Ryanair, since I think they also claim that one? We just have to wait for Arik on this, I guess, see how they get on.

Surely we can put things here in context to suggest that there is more to this than cruel, neo-colonialist BA tormenting innocent Nigerian victims. You must allow the oyingbos here at least that, yes?

Why I write that: I was once in search of happiness in Lagos, defined as V2 off 19R of course, when it was Christmastime with Sabena absolutely chockers.

I was sat there with my humble ID50 Economy class ticket just hoping not to get bumped as boarding commenced. About 5 big Nigerians were all trying to go through the little doorway to the jetway at once, forming a struggling, squirming human knot as I just sat there reading my book and waiting for the mob to clear. (Expecting to join an orderly queue in Lagos is somewhat hopeless in my experience.)

Roland, that mean-looking Sabena security bod, was watching them and then he turned to catch me watching them, when he came marching over to say, "Show me your boarding card," and then, "Come with me." I thought, "Oh, nooo! Christmas in Lagos! The wife will KILL me!"

He upgraded me to Business Class! I was up the stairs on the 747-300 like the proverbial rat up a drainpipe to escape the milling chaos of the jam-packed cheap seats... It was pure bliss up there!

So there are always two sides to every story. For every planeload of Nigerian victims, sweating, screaming, over-paying and fainting, there might just be the same planeload of people who can be the passengers from Hell.

Pretty much every landing in Lagos, you will hear, "click-click-click" from the seatbelt buckles and then everyone with a green passport gets up and starts grabbing bags out of the lockers and never mind those funny little "Fasten Seatbelt" signs glowing away. "Gotta be first out the door," and never mind if you fall down and break your stupid neck trying to do that, I guess.

Once I was on a Lufthansa flight when the Captain just stopped on the taxiway and announced that the aircraft was NOT MOVING until everyone sat down and put their seat belts on. It took about one long, pregnant minute until people finally left the aisles and sat down, when our journey to the terminal resumed. That got a big round of applause from the "racists," of course!

[BALEWA]

QUOTE
"Come on guys! A lot of jokes, such as setting up what is supposed to be a new, world-class airline using obviously dodgy funding from alleged fraudsters (just read your own newspapers, please), when even Boeing is happy to play along... As an Aussie might say to it's colonial masters, "Don't play the raw prawn with us!"


chuks, u got it all wrong Sir, but its not just u, a lot of people been misled just like u concerning the funding of Arik, believe me there is nothing Dodgy with Arik.

U see chuks there is a reason why Boeing is happy to play along, there is a reason why Lufthansa Technic is happy to play along and believe me there is also a good reason for Sir Arumemi Johnson to play along.

How much dodgy or stolen funds from Nigeria government officials or fraudsters as u rightly put it could fund what Arik has achieved so far and has also put into place to materialise in the next 2yrs.

Nothing mate, absolutely nothing, listen and listen carefuly old chap, cos I dunno where u get ur facts from, Ariks funding is not from and nowhere near any of what u have just mentioned, Johnson if u do not know did not even spend a dime on Arik, and just to get it all clear now neither did Obasanjo or whoever was mentioned then, actually most of them are all quite pissed off now that they are not involved. They most definetly helped with getting the airline going concerning registration and security from the federal Government which was one of their requirements before entering the market and also assisted in the sale of the old Nigeria Airways hanger and all that which if they had not purchased would be worse than what it was until its purchase wasting away"

Arik is solely funded by an international corporation, one of the largest in the world with a lot of business interest in the aviation sector and thats it, Johnson facilitated their entry into the African Aviation business and thats all.
Actually they have been in Nigeria but doing business in another area.

Believe me Boeing will be happy to play along when it comes to Arik, they are friends, old friends chuks...

Just take a good look mate and try to put it all together, look, even Branson could not do with VirginNigeria what these guys are doing here. In a couple of months brand new others from Boeing will roll out and be delivered to Lagos for our international operations and u sit there and tell me fraudsters from Nigeria.

If u need more info on this u know how to reach me.

[TomBola]

LJT,
Actually the topic isn't just BA, it involves two separate flights with 2 different airlines but, as so often when BA is mentioned, as when Arik is mentioned all sorts of people jump up and down, get agitated and spout all sorts of nonsense.
I'd be interested to know where you got your figure of a supposed £1,000 from for a BA cattle class flight. I usually travel with BA if I can because I trust their maintenance and think their crews are some of the best trained in the business. The cabin service is not the greatest, but that's immaterial - I'm quite capable of taking my i-pod, some reading matter and keeping myself occupied and comfortable as long as I feel safe. My recent return flight to London cost me £508.30, plus a fee of £4 for paying by credit card. I was offered an upgrade to Premium economy for an additional £500. Could that be what you're thinking of? I enquired about Arik, who would have been £5 less and Virgin were the cheapest. Having had a horrid experience with Bellview the one time I had to travel with them, I din't even consider them despite their fare being on the low side.
I'll still stick to BA until I see what sort of a track record Arik establish a year or two down the road.

[LongJohnThomas]

TomBola,
Whilst i accept that BA is not the only Airline mentioned, i have kept my comments focused on the one of both that raise concerns for me.
I am sure you assume i lack the acumen to successfully navigate the Internet.:ugh:
Mind you, i take no offence.
Try making a booking right now out of LOS to LHR and back to LOS.
Not the other way around, and see what it gives you? It'll be at least £600 without any additions. Then do the LHR-LOS-LHR for the same dates and see?
Why are the fares for the same route different if booked from a different side of the table for the same dates? Pls check it and confirm what i have just said, because, i just did, just to be doubly sure i was not talking outta my cr@phole!
Oh sorry, check this one; BA travel reservation YWZI4A: LOS-LHR 1 Feb 2009 23:30. I took the liberty of booking it in your name if you don't mind.‏

I quoted a cattle class ticket being over £1000, because the ticket i used to return to the UK after Christmas (one way) was for £1132 and that was for row 68F! I can scan, cut and paste it if you like deleting my personal details of course.:p
Chuks,
You strike me like a person who likes to tell stories of his escapades? Well, knock yourself out mate! You're entitled to.
If i thought for a moment, i made no sense, i would stop talking and allow your likes just BASH away at Nigeria and Nigerians.
I do not know all? And i am certainly open to some enlightenment.
Who and what would you guys talk about if there was no Nigeria, i sometimes wonder?:eek:
BALEWA,
Sorry, not to knock anything you've said? :=
But i wonder about 'Sir Arumemi Johnson'. When and where was he knighted?:eek:
This should raise another topic for discussion and throwing of machetes around here.:uhoh:
Oh well, none of my business!!:oh::ok:

[18left]

Am not really a fan of BA,but fair is fair


Smoke in the cockpit is not a game,land asap.

For any one familiar with Kano,we all know that BA has no ground staff.

What else could they have done given the circumstances,Kano is not a city packed with luxury hotels.

Theres only one flight out of kano for anywhere after 12noon.

Even if they could utilise that flight,were are the gnd staff?

Results would have been much different if they had returned to ABV.

This is not the eureka to hang BA,despite a lot of bad belles,of which am a member.

By the way BALEWA,the youngest of BA'S 747 must be clocking over 10yrs and the oldest above 20yrs,cooling will become a problem

[18left]

QUOTE BALEWA;Arik is solely funded by an international corporation, one of the largest in the world with a lot of business interest in the aviation sector and thats it, Johnson facilitated their entry into the African Aviation business and thats all.
Actually they have been in Nigeria but doing business in another area.

Just curious,who are this,and what prior experience in aviation?

[chuks]

Where but in Nigeria should you find a major international airline without its funding sources being clearly documented and hardly ever someone accused of major fraud in sight? Come on! That is part of the approval process for the issuance of an Air Operator's Certificate, is it not?

Here Balewa is telling us that Arik is owned or perhaps part-owned by some mysterious entity he cannot name. Is that not rather weird? Let us take a wild guess at the name: Rockson Engineering Company Ltd. Where did I come up with that one from? Did I get that right? Can I claim my five pounds?

You want to know who owns British Airways, Lufthansa, practically any major airline, well, you just look that information up! The travelling public have a right to know that an operation is financially solid, something the regulators look after rather strictly when they are doing their job!

Why do you suppose Alitalia was about to be shut down recently? "Lack of proper finance," is why!

Time will tell on this one but my bet is on this whole Arik deal being more-or-less fraudulent. It stinks! I am not losing any sleep over this; it is just an idea I have that comes from a few of the deals I have seen go down in Nigeria. Perhaps things have changed out of all recognition since late 2005; I really have no idea and I certainly do not wish ill to anyone working for Arik; given the chance my trotters would be right there in that particular trough.

LJT, you rock, dude! Love the emoticons! You hurt my feelings, though, by accusing me of "bashing." Well that and the horrid seeing-to you give our common heritage, the English language. Tsk-tsk! What would Chinua Achebe say?

Bitching, needling, whining and moaning and occasionally employing my secret weapon, being so boringly pedantic that those reading my prose fall into such a slumber before the display that they go into estivation (when I do this I have to be careful to type the stuff without looking at the screen lest I self-destruct): these are all things I do but "bashing?" Never!

[unstable load]

LJT,

As an exercise log onto any airline's website and book both return and one way tickets from anywhere to anywhere and you will find that a one-way ticket is ALWAYS a lot more expensive than a return.
I am not sure why it's like that but it is not just BA picking on Nigerians, believe me. My boss paid almost double on a one-way LOS-JNB for me when I had to get home for an emergency.

[LongJohnThomas]

unstable load,:eek:
I beg to differ.
You may say that it makes more financial sense to purchase a return ticket, but a one way is always cheaper. Even if its by only a couple of quid.
More times than you can count? One way tickets are cheaper.:rolleyes:
The ticket i referred to was bought because it was slightly cheaper than a return and i had no use for the return leg; So, why not save a few £'s.
Before i decided to make that statement, i had checked. I always do.
That way, i can talk without feeling like i have exaggerated anything.
Cheers.:ok:

[Phone Wind]

LJT,

a one way is always cheaper. Even if its by only a couple of quid.

Following your post to ul, I have just checked a variety of airline direct booking websites and had the following result using a one-way departure date of 11 February and return of 25 March:

BA London - Lagos one way, £642 - return £446.30 :ok:

Virgin Atlantic London - Lagos one way, 683.20 - return £507.80

Air France (same dates) Paris - Lagos one way €3481.76 - return €800.35 :confused:

Lufthansa Frankfurt - Lagos one way £1762.80, - return £717.60 :}

Bellview quoted $750 one way, but a one month economy class return at $849

That seems to comprehensively show that your checking is not very thorough - maybe you only looked at the Bellview site :E

[unstable load]

More times than you can count?


Seeing as you're so good at checking, please check my post to see where I wrote that.


That way, i can talk without feeling like i have exaggerated anything.


With the exception of putting words in my mouth, that is......

[LongJohnThomas]

Phone Wind,
My bad. I went through the sites individually in a bit of a hurry and failed to click on the one-way boxes and just went straight to prices of individual legs.
Again, my apologies.
unstable load,
Well, you can read between the lines. I made a mistake. I admit.
We're all subject to these.
I do however, have the honour of tucking my tail on this one.:D
Cheers.:oh::D
Hopefully, we can now return to BRITISH AIRWAYS or maybe the knighting of SIR ARUMEMI JOHNSON???? Hahahaha:}:cool:

[Phone Wind]

LJT,

Apology unconditionally accepted :ok:. You, Sir, are a gentleman.

Interesting the business about Arumemi-Johnson. Air Transport Intelligence describes a "Sir" Arumemi-Johnson as the Chief Executive of Arik Air. However, I notice that the EFCC refers to him merely as Mr Arumemi-Jihnson, whilst The Vanguard and a number of other Nigerian newspapers refer to him as "Sir" Arumemi-Johnson. The Government College, Ughelli Old Boys' Association refers to him as Sir (Engineer) Joseph Akinola Arumemi - Ikhide. They list him as having attained a BEng in mechanical engineering from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1973, aged 25. He worked for a number of international companies as an engineer and has a lot of experience in designing and building power stations. The GCU website says that he is a papal knight of the Catholic church and maybe it is from that he claims his title?

Government College, Ughelli (http://www.gcuoba.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=51&Itemid=49)

Having tried to find a list of papal knights (most of whom seem to be referred to as Chevalier, rather than Sir, I can find no reference to Arumemi-Johnson. Perhaps he obtained it via the Papal Knighthood
Pontifical Honors Scam via the Bogus Papal Agent for the United States, Mr Rutherford Johnson:

papalscams (http://papalscams.homestead.com/)

He does not seem to have been conferred with a Papal knighthood by Pope John Paul 11:

Pope John Paul Knighthoods, Nigeria (http://www.thisdayonline.com/archive/2003/08/25/20030825dia01.html)

I can't find any mention of him in the Order of the Knights of Saint Mulumba, Nigeria.

So does anyone know where, when and by whom his knighthood was conferred?

[chuks]

I was amused once to buy some music by Alhaji Sir Siriaku Barrister. The music was just sort of "okay" but that name!

This whole Arik business... someone will probably write a book about it one day! The deeper you look the dodgier it seems. Are they working with Sri Lankan? I have to ask because of the curious similarity of their websites.

A few years ago there was this Nigerian "prince" who was getting something or other going in Formula One. It seemed a bit odd at the time, this fellow no one had heard of coming up with promises of pots of cash as a real "mover and shaker" but hey... Turned out there was no cash; the man was scamming! In the meantime, though, he was taken completely at face value. Of course that sort of thing never happens in aviation does it?