UGANDA: Flights To Entebbe Halted After Ethiopia Airlines Plane Boeing 737-800 Overshot The Runway When Landing

All incoming flights to Entebbe airport have been delayed or rerouted to neighbouring airports after an Ethiopian Airlines plane a Boeing 737-800 overshot the runway during landing today morning.

Although they were also delayed for several hours after the 12:41am incident, outbound flights can now take off according to Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) public relations manager Vianney Luggya.

The ET 338 flight from Addis Ababa overshot the runway at 12:41 am today while landing according to statements by both Ethiopian Airlines and CAA. The cause of the incident is not yet known.

Entebbe airport is undergoing an expansion development to meet the increased traffic.

All 139 passengers and crew aboard were safely deplaned and now efforts are underway to tow away the plane from the runway end.

About how long it will take to clear the runway for inbound flights, Luggya says until when the plane has been towed away.

No date or time is known.


Tourism Observer

SOUTH SUDAN: Salva Kiir Orders South-West Aviation Suspension

President Salva Kiir has instructed the Civil Aviation Authority, CAA to suspend operations of South-West Aviation whose one of its aircraft crashed into Lake Yirol recently, killing 20 people.

President Kiir issued the order during a memorial prayer of the victims in Juba on Monday evening.

Among those killed are six women, two SPLA colonels, two children and bishop of the ECS Yirol Diocese, Simon Adut.

Three passengers: a 5-year-old girl, a 40-year-old man and an Italian doctor survived the crash and were flown back to Juba for treatment.

While paying his condolences to the bereaved families, Kiir directed the transport ministry and the CAA to halt activities of the airline until a thorough investigation is conducted.

I also instructed the minister and the Civil Aviation Authority to immediately suspend the operations of South-West airline in the Republic of South Sudan until the investigation is done, he said.

The President also said the CAA should sanction all airlines to provide their manifest and service manual books to avoid recurrence of such incidents.

This, according to him, will aid the CAA know how frequent and last service of the aircraft for approval and verification by other security agencies in the airport before taking off.

The President revealed that a preliminary report of the investigations indicates that poor visibility caused the crash.

However, he said it was partly due to a human error he thinks was avoidable if the pilot had made an emergency landing elsewhere.

Meanwhile, the owner of Supreme Airlines blamed overcrowding of domestic carriers on some airport security personnel.

Ayii Duang said some of the security officers who have access to the runway force crew members to carry their relatives and unauthorized luggage.

He said this hinders the CAA to apply safety rules and regulations.

Speaking at the same ceremony, Ayii urged the relevant government institutions to address the matter:

Juba Airport needs a lot of discipline to be done. Mr. President, minister of transport and the director of Civil Aviation, you need to move out the security at the airport to allow the rules of the aviation to be implemented.

An activist in greater Lakes States is calling on the national government and the Civil Aviation Authority to ensure the safety of air travelers in the country.

This comes after a passenger plane crashed in Yirol on Sunday, killing 20 people.

In November 2015, a similar crash in Juba left 40 people dead.

Experts often blame the circumstances surrounding the crash on the conditions of the airplanes – which they say are very old.

We are calling on the national authority to see to that these incidences do not repeat themselves, said Manyiel Dut, the regional coordinator for CEPO in Lakes Region.

Also South Sudan has become a dumping ground for outdated planes. We need to have a technical aviation industry that is capable of preventing further losses in the Republic of South Sudan.

On Monday, Eastern Lakes authorities suspected that the caravan might have been overloaded since the number of the passengers on the manifest was not matching with that of the victims.

Twenty people died in the crash; and three others survived.

However, the manifest shows that only 20 passengers were on board Baby Airline L-410.

Dut appealed to all South Sudanese not to board planes that have already reached seating capacity.


Tourism Observer

PHILIPPINES: Terminal Fees With Airline Ticket Prices For Intergration

THE Philippines Department of Tourism (DoT) disclosed earlier this week that major airlines operating in the country have agreed, in principle, to the integration of terminal fees into departing passengers’ airline ticket payments.

DoT secretary Wanda Teo said the consensus transpired during the third consultation meeting held at the NTO’s headquarters, attended by officials of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAAP) and airline executives.

If all goes to plan, the domestic passenger service charge (DPSC), commonly known as the terminal fee, will be collected by airlines as part of ticket payments in an effort to ease the queuing and delays at Philippine airport terminals.

“We are working together with the different airlines and our partner government agencies in making it easier for the traveling public. And we do that by integrating the various fees that are collected,” said DoT undersecretary for development planning, Benito Bengzon Jr.

He noted, however, that adequate lead time is required before getting the word out, which includes at least a month for IATA to prepare to ensure "the level of acceptance and support would be higher”.

But local air carriers and the CAAP board must first agree with the terms and conditions in the memorandum of agreement presented by the DoT.

“Hopefully, once we finalise the memorandum we can have the principals all sign the document, and we can make that big announcement, which I am sure the traveling public would appreciate,” Bengzon added.

Local carriers, including Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, Sea Air, SkyJet, Air Juan, and AirAsia are expected to submit the draft memorandum of agreement in time for CAAP’s board meeting to be held next week.

If approved, the plan would be implemented at all airports under the CAAP’s management. There are 81 CAAP terminals, but only 38 of which are performing commercial operations and collecting terminal fees.

“These initiatives address the long-standing choke points that beset tourism growth, such as physical airport capacity, travel facilitation and passenger mobility,” commented Teo.

UGANDA: Chaos At Entebbe Airport,Expansion Of Entebbe International Airport Goes On

Plans are underway to expand Entebbe International Airport. Travellers are raising concern over missed and delayed flights.

The long clearance time and procedure that they have to go through to depart for various destinations.

Expansion works are being undertaken at the check-in area in the departure lounge. The area where luggage used to be checked-in is closed off and a tent has been erected in the drive-way.

Temporally counters have been set up from where agents of various airlines check in their clients.

Passengers complain that clearing agents are using long procedures.

By the time you reach the counter your flight could already have gone. Some passengers are getting lost in the tent, they don’t know where to start from.

Passengers said they arrived at the airport at around 1pm but by 3pm they had not yet been cleared.

Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) principal public affairs officer Vianney Luggya Mpungu said it was not possible that anyone could have missed a flight because of the temporary check in arrangement.

Passengers missing flights is mainly due to a combination of factors including delays on the road as a result of the increasing traffic jam on Entebbe Road, ongoing road construction works, and failure by passengers to plan for adequate time before departure,Mr Luggya of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

Mr Luggya says that the current temporary re-routing of passengers at check-in follows the same departure formalities that were previously followed thus no delays could be caused.

The temporary check-in arrangement is scheduled to last only three months as the new modern baggage handling system is being installed, he said.

Mr Eliah Kamugisha, the OC traffic at Entebbe Main Police Station, acknowledged the traffic jam on Entebbe highway but further stated that it was because of the travellers’ own inconveniences that some miss their flights.

He said that it can take one and half hours to leave Kampala and reach Entebbe in time or even one hour on normal days.
“When we have Very Important Persons in the country and travellers are re-routed, it can take about two and a half hours. So if you know your flight is at 5pm plan your movements earlier,” he said.

Travellers first go out with their friends and family and when they see that it is about one hour left to the flight, they speed off from Kampala, thus reaching the airport late Mr Eliah Kamugisha, the OC traffic at Entebbe Main Police Station said.

Mr Kamugisha further dismissed the 3-5 minute check conducted as one accesses the airport as a possible reason for one to miss their flight stating that it is along the way that could lead to one missing their flight.

UGANDA: Travellers Should Present Yellow Fever Immunisation Cards At Entebbe International Airport

Travellers to Uganda from high risk yellow fever countries must produce a valid immunisation certificate against the disease to be allowed into the country, according to new guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health.

According to Dr James Sekajugo, a principal medical officer at the Health ministry, Uganda is now at high risk after the disease killed one person in neighbouring Kenya.

“There is a yellow fever outbreak in Angola and so far over 200 people have died. There is another outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) which has claimed eight lives,” said Dr Sekajugo.

He added: “Recently, two Kenyans travelled from Angola and tested positive for the fever. One died and another is still receiving treatment.”

This, according to Dr Sekajugo, has brought the disease next to Ugandan boundaries and the disease spreads faster by air transport thus the decision to have immunisation cards produced at Entebbe airport. “Any passenger travelling to and from a high risk country will be required to produce a valid yellow fever immunisation certificate before they are allowed to proceed,” said Dr Sekajugo. He said the certificate should have been issued 10 days before travel.

The card requirement is meant to ensure passengers are protected from contracting and spreading the disease.

“We are working with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to ensure that passengers who appear without the cards receive the yellow fever vaccine at the airport on their costs upon arrival,” he added.

All airlines plying Entebbe International Airport have been asked to ensure that their passengers from high risk countries possess the certificate before being issued with an air ticket.

World Health Organisation (WHO) describes Yellow fever as an acute viral haemorrhagic disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes. The “yellow” in the name refers to the jaundice that affects some patients. Uganda is also listed as a high risk country. In Uganda vaccination is offered at KCCA clinics, Case Hospital and the Surgery in Naguru.

Signs and symptoms; fever, muscle pain with prominent backache, headache, shivers, loss of appetite, and nausea or vomiting.

THE BACKGROUND
Countries in Africa that should have certificates include Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Ivory Coast, DRC, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia and Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Southern Sudan, Sudan, Togo and Uganda.

USA: Virgin Atlantic Jet Returns to London After Laser Beam Strike

A New York-bound flight turned back shortly after takeoff from Britain’s Heathrow Airport after a laser light was shone towards it, police said on Monday.

Police responded to “reports of a laser shone in the direction of a commercial flight that had taken off at Heathrow,” on Sunday night, a spokesman said.

The Virgin Atlantic flight from London to New York continued over Ireland before requesting to return, flight radar showed.

A crew member told air traffic control there was a “medical issue with one of the pilots after a laser incident after take-off” according to flight radio recording.

It is not unusual for lasers to be shone at flights in Britain with hundreds of such incidents recorded each year, according to the Civil Aviation Authority.

A man was arrested earlier this month after a green laser was shone into the cockpits of passing planes over Kent in southeast England, according to police.

Virgin Atlantic did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

PAKISTAN: Pakistan International Airlines Chairman Presents Resignation

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) chairman Nasser Jaffer has resigned in the face of intensifying protests against privatization of the airline that turned deadly this week.

At least three persons were shot dead and 12 others injured during clashes between security forces and staff of Pakistan International Airlines protesting at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport (KHI) against the planned privatisation of the ailing national flag carrier.

The clashes led to the disruption and then suspension of many domestic and international flights around the Pakistan’s main airports.

Sadiq Rehman, vice president of Pakistan Airline Pilots’ Association (PALPA), said:

“The environment is such that we cannot continue with flights. The decision is indefinite for as long as this issue continues.”

Pakistan International Airlines chairman Nasser Jaffer expressed grief over the deaths of the PIA employees and lamented at the events which lead to their deaths.

“My conscience doesn’t allow me to head the organisation anymore,” Nasser Jaffer said.

“I have resigned from the post,” the PIA chairman told TV channels while in tears.

PIA chairman said that he has sent his resignation to the prime minister.

Pakistan Airlines Cabin Crew Association (PACCA) president Nasrullah Khan said that the strike would go ahead as the government has not accepted their four-point agenda.

All domestic and international flights of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) were cancelled on Wednesday as the employees’ strike to protest the carrier’s privatisation entered its second day.

Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) spokesman Pervez George said the authority has requested private carrier Airblue to schedule additional flights between major cities to accommodate passengers after cancellation of PIA flights.

The National Assembly on January 21 witnessed the passage of six bills, including one to convert the national flag carrier into a public limited company.

Under the bill, Pakistan International Airlines Corporation (PIAC) will be converted into a public limited company as Pakistan International Airlines Company Limited (PIACL).

The Pakistani government plans to split the ailing national flag carrier PIA into two companies and sell the control of its core business to a global airline, but the opposition to the sell-off has been intense.

PIA, one of the world’s leading airlines until the 1970s, now suffers from frequent cancellations and delays and has been involved in numerous controversies over the years, including the jailing of a drunk pilot in Britain in 2013.

“Saving PIA means saving the country,” said Ali Hussain, one of the striking employees. “Tomorrow they will sell Pakistan.”

As the flights schedule has been disrupted across the country, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has requested private airlines to arrange special flights.

According to the CAA spokesperson, AirBlue, a private Pakistani airline, will arrange special flights in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad.

UGANDA: Missing Dutch Tourist Sophie Isabella Federica, Not Found Yet

The search for a Dutch tourist, who disappeared in Murchison Falls National Park last week, is still ongoing.

A team of Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers, police and UPDF have for the last six days been searching for Ms Sophie Isabella Federica, a medical student from the Netherlands, who went missing at about 7pm last Wednesday.

She is said to have told her friends she was going for a short call, a distance away from the Students Education Centre in Paraa, Nwoya District, but didn’t return.

Ms Federica is a volunteer at Rubaga Hospital in Kampala.


The search team says they have found a mineral water bottle Ms Fedrica had at the banks of River Nile, a few metres from where she left her friends.

At the weekend, a special team from the Civil Aviation Authority using a UPDF military chopper, together with special Police Marine Unit, and police dog section, combed a great section of the national park and River Nile in search for the tourist in vain.

Special technical teams from The Netherlands Embassy in Uganda and marine police are expected to join the team on the ground to continue the search.

Aswa Regional police spokesperson Patrick Jimmy Okema said that the security agents on the ground were making a thorough sweep through the national park.

“We cannot say the missing tourist is dead or not, it is still early. Our committed personnel are on the ground making sure she is found. We have got assurance that there is a special team on the way coming to backup those searching,” said Mr Okema.

Please read the previous story about Sophie Isabella Federica who is believed to have been mauled by a Nile Crocodile, here: http://tourismobserver.blogspot.ug/2015/10/uganda-dutch-tourist-goes-missing-in.html

NETHERLANDS: Air Passengers May Claim Compensation Says European Court

The European Court of Justice found in favour of a Dutch couple who were delayed because of faulty aircraft components but were refused compensation by KLM

The European Court of Justice found in favour of a Dutch couple who were delayed because of faulty aircraft components but were refused compensation by KLM.

A court ruling could help passengers being denied compensation for flight delays in the European Union if there is a technical problem.

The court ruled that a technical problem does not qualify as an extraordinary circumstance for which airlines can withhold a payout.

The UK's Supreme Court issued a similar judgment last year.

Martin Lewis, founder MoneySavingExpert.com, which has campaigned for more compensation payments, said some airlines were behaving like a " lovelorn third-former with a crush , continually appealing to the courts with no embarrassment of the constant rebuttal".

He added: "My concern is some of the airlines will continue to try and find excuses to not pay people.

"This has to stop. The law is plain and we need a formal system - which doesn't require people to go to court - where the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) can properly enforce payouts as an ombudsman would in other industries."

The law allows passengers on EU flights to claim up to £440 compensation if their flight is cancelled or delayed by over three hours due to a fault by the airline.