NIGERIA: Arik Air Plane In Emergency Landing In Accra, Ghana

A Nigerian plane made an emergency landing in Ghana after smoke was detected in the cabin, officials said Friday, in the latest incident to hit domestic and foreign airline operators.

The aircraft, owned by Arik Air, was travelling from Lagos to Accra on Tuesday when the fault was detected but no-one was hurt, a company statement said.

Arik Air flight W3 304 from Lagos to Accra on March 6, 2018 declared an emergency in line with standard operating procedures, when an unknown source of smoke was detected in the cabin, it said.

The incident occurred 130 kilometres from the Ghanaian capital but the plane landed safely in Accra without further incident, it said.

It was the latest in a string of incidents involving the aviation sector over the past month.

On February 7, an emergency exit door fell off a Dana Air jet as it landed in Abuja after flying in from Lagos.

Six days later, an Atlanta-bound Delta airlines jet was forced to return to Lagos after a fire was detected in one of its engines with passengers using emergency slides to evacuate the plane, officials said.

On February 17, an Air Peace plane had to delay landing in the southwestern city of Akure because cows had strayed onto the runway.

Another Dana Air plane overshot the runway at Port Harcourt on February 20 due to heavy rain and flooding.

And on Wednesday, the Nigerian government ordered a complete audit of Dana Air's operations to determine the technical fitness of its fleet.

The airline was grounded after a 2012 crash outside Lagos that killed all 153 on board and six on the ground. Mechanical failure and pilot error were blamed.

Arik Air yesterday explained the smoke incident that happened on it’s flight W3 304 from Lagos to Accra,Ghana. A passenger aboard the said flight had on Thursday night accused the airline of not given passengers medical attention after the plane landed in Accra

Explaining what happened, Arik Air Communication Manager, Mr Banji Ola said : Arik Air flight W3 304 from Lagos to Accra on March 6, 2018 declared an emergency in line with standard operating procedures, when unknown source of smoke was detected in the cabin 81 miles from Accra.

The captain of the flight briefed the passengers accordingly assuring them that the aircraft was under control and safe for landing in Accra.

The aircraft, a Dash 8 Q400, landed safely in Accra without further incident and all passengers disembarked normally.

The aircraft is currently parked in Acrra and our team of engineers are conducting comprehensive inspections on the aircraft to ascertain the cause of the smoke, after which the aircraft will be flown without passengers to a maintenance facility for rectification and testing.

The relevant aviation authorities in Ghana and Nigeria have been briefed appropriately on the incident, he added.

Arik Air is a Nigerian airline operating mainly from two hubs at Murtala Muhammed International Airport near Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.

Arik Air's head office is the Arik Air Aviation Center on the grounds of Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja. Arik Air serves a network of regional and mid-haul destinations within Africa.

On 3 April 2006, Arik Air took over the former Nigeria Airways facilities in Lagos, some three years after its liquidation, and began reconstruction work.

On 14 June 2006, Arik took delivery of 2 new Bombardier CRJ-900 aircraft to fly domestic routes throughout Nigeria and, within the African continent from Summer 2006, 2 ex-United Airlines Boeing 737–300s and 3 50 seat Bombardier CRJ-200 aircraft.

In August 2006, the Federal Ministry of Aviation granted Arik Air authorisation to fly to Trinidad and Tobago and Amsterdam, London and Madrid in Europe.

Furthermore, the airline then planned to fly to Atlanta, Miami, and Houston in the United States and Birmingham in the United Kingdom.

On 30 October 2006, Arik Air began scheduled passenger flights with four flights between Lagos and Abuja using CRJ 900 aircraft.

Flight operations began to Calabar on 15 November 2006 and services to Benin City and Enugu started on 7 January 2007. The airline is wholly owned by Ojemai Investments.

The Nigerian government set a deadline of 30 April 2007 for all airlines operating in the country to re-capitalise or be grounded in an effort to ensure better services and safety.

The airline satisfied the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA)’s criteria in terms of re-capitalisation and was re-registered for operation.

On 4 April 2008, Arik Air was given permission to fly to the United States by the US Department of Transportation.

Arik Air started international operations to London-Heathrow on 15 December 2008, using an Airbus A340-500 aircraft damp-leased from Hi Fly. It added Johannesburg on 1 June 2009, New York JFK on 30 November 2009, and Dubai on 28 July 2014.

Subsidiary airline Arik Niger commenced operations in April 2009, but was shut down in February 2010.

Arik Air transported its 5 millionth passenger on 6 August 2010 and it transported its 10 millionth passenger on 18 September 2012, both on flights between Johannesburg and Lagos.

On 20 September 2012, the airline cancelled all its domestic operations after aviation officials raided the airline's office in Lagos, Nigeria. Flights resumed on 23 September.

Arik Air had placed an order for five Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, which was cancelled in 2011.

Arik Air then placed an order for two Boeing 747-8I aircraft 2013. However, in early 2017, Arik Air converted the 747-8I orders to two Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners instead.

Arik Air had been the last remaining airline customer for the passenger 747-8 who had not yet received any examples, and now the United States Air Force and UPS Airlines are the sole remaining customers.

The conversion of the 747-8 order to Dreamliners came shortly after the airline, owing to major financial stress and most aircraft not being operational.

It was taken over by the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) at the start of 2017, deeming the airline as too big to fail.

Since the takeover, all flights leaving Africa, along with flights to O.R. Tambo International Airport, have been gradually suspended.

Simultaneously, KPMG was appointed by AMCON to conduct a forensic audit on Arik Air's books.

Since then, AMCON is gradually in the process of reviving and stabilising the airline and its operations.

Arik Air in the restructuring has suspended all international operations except to Ghana, Senegal, and The Gambia, resulting in the A330 fleet being parked in France.

Arik Air has built up a domestic network covering mainly Nigerian and several other Western African destinations.

The Arik Air fleet includes the following aircraft

- Boeing 737-700 9

- Boeing 737-800 4

- Bombardier CRJ900 4

- Bombardier CRJ1000 1

- Bombardier Q400 2


Tourism Observer

NIGERIA: Sosoliso Airlines Flight 1145 Crash

Sosoliso Airline crash is Nigeria’s saddest crash is not an understatement given the fact that it took with it no fewer than 50 children and some notable personalities plus all the melee that happened post crash when it was time to pay compensation to the victims’ family.

Sosoliso crash was one of the reasons government scrutinized the aviation industry and even come up with the recapitalization policy.

It was an airline that operated for just five years, one of the short-lived airlines that started with a lot of promise but ended up making air travellers recoil and start reusing the proverbial nightbus.

Originally based in Enugu Airport, Sosoliso Airlines Limited was a scheduled, domestic, passenger airline established in 1994 and started operations in July 2000.

Sosoliso Airlines operated flights to Enugu, Port Harcourt, Owerri, Abuja and Lagos and as of August 2006 the Sosoliso Airlines fleet included: 2 McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30, 1 McDonnell Douglas MD-81, one McDonnell Douglas MD-82

On 10 December 2005, Sosoliso Airlines Flight 1145 from Abuja to Port Harcourt crashed on landing with 110 people on board. 2 persons survived. Bimbo Odukoya (A popular Christian speaker) and over 50 students of Loyola Jesuit College, an Abuja-based secondary school, were among the dead. It is reported that a witness states that the plane was struck by lightning about 40 or 50 metres from touching down and the fuel in the wing caught fire and it exploded. This has not yet been confirmed by any authorities.Following the crash, President Olusegun Obasanjo ordered all Sosoliso planes grounded.

Sosoliso Airlines Flight 1145 (SO1145/OSL1145) was a scheduled domestic passenger flight between the Nigerian cities of Abuja (ABV) and Port Harcourt (PHC). At about 14:08 local time (13:08 UTC) on 10 December 2005, Flight 1145 from Abuja crash-landed at Port Harcourt International Airport.

The plane, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 with 110 people on board slammed into the ground and burst into flames. Immediately after the crash, seven survivors were recovered and taken to hospitals, but it has since been reported that four of those survivors have died in hospital care, leaving three survivors, two of whom were flown to South Africa. In the end, two people survived.

It was the second air disaster occurred in Nigeria in less than three months, after Bellview Airlines Flight 210 which crashed in 22 October 2005 with reason unknown, killing all 117 people on board. It was the company’s first and only fatal accident.

The Accident Investigation Bureau concluded that the probable cause of the crash was due to the crew’s decision to continue the approach beyond the Decision Altitude without having the runway insight. The adverse weather condition, were listed as contributing factors.

Compensation controversy

After grounding of the airline, there was the issue of paying compensation to the families of the victims’ Sosoliso Airlines wanted to pay a compensation of USD10, 000 as opposed to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) stipulated USD100, 000 this generated a lot of controversy.

Sosoliso said when it got its license and all its documentation was based on USD 10,000 and was trying to exclude itself from the revised ICAO rules.

During all this hurly-burly, government set a deadline of 30 April 2007 for all airlines operating in the country to re-capitalize or be grounded, in an effort to ensure better services and safety. Sosoliso, given all its challenges and inability to operate due to its baggage was one of the seven airlines that failed to meet the deadline and as a result would not be allowed to fly in Nigeria’s airspace with effect from 30 April 2007.

What annoyed government and the general public about the Sosoliso case was the fact that among the passengers were about sixty-one secondary school students from Loyola Jesuit College in the Federal Capital Territory region of Nigeria At first Loyola Jesuit College students from Port Harcourt traveled between school and their homes via buses using the roads. Rising crime along roads during the 1990s made parents believe that road travel was too dangerous.

Also among the victims were two volunteers for Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors without Borders en route to work in Port Harcourt, Hawah Kamara and Thomas Lamy, as well as televangelist Bimbo Odukoya, pastor of the Fountain of Life Church, who succumbed to her injuries the day after the accident.

Another painful aspect of this crash is the fact that many passengers survived the initial impact and died in the resulting fire. Port Harcourt Airport had one fire truck and no ambulances calling to question the competence of the airport authority at that time.

NIGERIA: Ethiopian Airlines Invades Nigeria

Africa’s Leading Airline Ethiopian airline, the first International Airline to fly into South Eastern Nigeria stormed the Cities of Enugu, Aba, Onitsha and Owerri to thank the market leaders and others stakeholders who had supported its operations from Enugu.

Led by the General Manager Nigeria Mr Solomon Begashaw the team included the sales manager for the Airline Elias Omerenna, local journalists and the Sales and Traffic Manager, Enugu Theodros M/Selassie.

They started their Eastern Roadshow from the Ogbette market in Enugu. The team was received by the executives of the Ogbette Main Market Association OMMTA. In a town hall meeting at the executive council chambers the traders commended Ethiopian Airlines as the airline of choice for most people in the East.

According to the Vice Charman Anthony Nebechukwu Nwodo Easterners are the biggest Travellers in Africa and any airline that wins their heart will thrive.

They wanted Ethiopian Airlines to increase frequency of its flight from 3 weekly to a daily schedule. They also asked for a big aircraft like the B777 along with regular cargo flights to bring back all their bags when they travel. They assured the Airline executives that the airline will be supported to succeed in Enugu as they consider ET an organized Airline.

The ET team later visited the Kenyatta market in Enugu. Other towns the team are visiting on the thank you tour include Onitsha, Aba and Owerri.

The tour is part of Ethiopian airline reach out to Nigerian Travellers over the last 3 months. In his response the GM promised them improvements on service delivery.

He told them that starting from March Ethiopian airlines charged the same fare from Enugu and Lagos so there is no need traveling by road to Lagos to get a flight out of Nigeria. He also promised new cargo flights to Enugu once they get the necessary approvals from the Nigerian government.

NIGERIA: Arik ,Aero And Dana Most Popular And Preffered Airlines In Nigeria

A recent survey by a Nigerian business and management consulting company, Phillips Consulting Limited has revealed that out of the 20 domestic airlines operating in Nigeria to major cities such as Lagos, Calabar, Abuja and Enugu- Aero Contractors, Arik Air and Dana Airlines are the most preferred airlines.

This survey was done between May and August 2015 in order to determine the perception and expectations of domestic travellers. Despite flight delays and safety concerns of these airlines Aero contractors ranked first with 39 percent, followed by Arik Air with 34 percent and Dana Airlines with 10 percent.

Aero Contractors, which is the oldest airline in Nigeria and operates 50 daily flights across Nigeria and other West African countries was the most preferred airline by Nigerians. According to the survey, then this is because of its affordable ticketing price.

Airline fares are as low as N10, 000 and passengers enjoy discounts for booking their flight ahead of time with added incentive for paying online and booking on hold.

In August 2015, Aero Contractors won the Exceptional Safety Culture Award. Domestic routes flown by Aero include Abuja, Accra, Benin, Calabar, Enugu, Kano, Lagos, Port Harcourt(Omagwa Int’l Airport), Port Harcourt (NAF Base), Owerri, Warri and Uyo.

In view of the numerous plane crashes, which have plagued the country over the past years, Arik Air which is West and Central Africa’s largest carrier has continued to lead in terms of its safety standards. As a reult of this 23 percent of the respondents chose Arik as their preferred airline.

Arik air has won several awards such as the Best Safety and Security Conscious Airline in West and Central Africa for four consecutive years (2010-2014) and the Best Airline in Africa, 2014.

Domestic routes flown by Arik in Nigeria include Lagos, Kano, Abuja, Port-Harcourt, Benin, Enugu, Warri, Uyo, Yola, among others.

Despite the Dana plane crash in June 3, 2012 , which is the second deadliest crash in Nigeria, Dana is still a preferred airline by domestic travellers in Nigeria. Dana Airline is preferred by domestic travellers in Nigeria for its prompt flight departures as well as good quality service. Respondents from the survey commended the appearance and courteousness shown to passengers by Dana’s air crew, their meals, cabin cleanliness and seat comfort.

During the 2015 edition of Nigerian Customer Service Award (NCSA) held at Sheraton Lagos, Dana Airline beat all Nigerian airlines to emerge as the best customer service airline in Nigeria and Most Efficient Airline in 2014. Dana Airline’s domestic routes in Nigeria include Lagos, Abuja, Port-Harcourt and Uyo.

Following an appeal from the Minister of Defence, Dan Ali Mohammed that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) should prolong the duration for the registration of Biometric Verification Number for officers of the Nigeria Armed Forces, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has approved the extension to enable them access to their salaries.

Alhaji Suleiman Barau, Deputy Governor Operations, CBN revealed this to the Senate Committee on Appropriation when he appeared before them in Abuja. He also said that the bank understood the plight of military officers.

The Minister of Defense, Dan Ali Mohammed solicited support from the Senate Committee, pleading that the committee intervene and ensure that BVN registration for military operatives especially in the war front be extended. He explained that considering the circumstances, most soldiers and their families had it rough as they were unable to access their salaries before the deadline.

Dan-Ali said it was highly impossible for soldiers to leave the war front to go for the registration, as such they shouldn’t have to be punished further by being denied access to their accounts.

“Our soldiers in the field cannot access their money because of the BVN: our soldiers should be given extension so that they and their family can access their salary. “We need to appeal to the CBN governor if that can be done as it will enhance the morale of our soldiers,” he said.

The compulsory registration was extended by three months from June 30, 2015 to October 31 to provide ample time enough for millions of Nigerians to participate in the exercise. But as of the beginning of October, data from the Central Bank of Nigeria showed that only 20 million out of the 52 million active bank accounts had been enrolled on the BVN network.

After the long awaited BVN deadline approached, registration continued even though CBN earlier stated that there would be no further extension of the exercise. The accounts of Nigerians who failed to meet the deadline were temporarily blocked, with the condition that they would be able to access their accounts upon registration

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME’s) are currently the main source of job creation in Africa. They account for over 95% of firms and 60%-70% of employment. Despite this massive contribution to the economy, access to finance is still a major obstacle to the growth of the SME’s on the continent.

In view of this problem, an impact-focused equity crowdfunding portal, Malaik has been created to connect investors interested in impact investment opportunities and entrepreneurs raising equity finance. Malaik offers the global community clear and well-documented opportunities for high impact investing in African businesses, a chance to participate in Africa’s growth story.

Following the launch of Africa’s first impact focused equity crowd funding portal, Malaik, Ventures Africa spoke with the Founder and CEO, Uneku Atawodi to learn more about the portal.

Ventures Africa (VA): Why was Malaik founded?

Uneku Atawodi (UA): Malaik was founded because access to finance is a problem for entrepreneurs in Africa. So many inspiring African entrepreneurs that have amazing ideas, that deserve to be scaled don’t have funds because it’s risky for banks to give out loans to start-up businesses. Malaik helps to close that gap by selling equity in start-up businesses to interested investors.

VA: Can you tell us how long Malaik has been operating and how it works?

UA: Malaik is four months old from idea conception until date. We are proud to preview for the first time at the African Leadership network to the crowd fare. So here is how Malaik works, firstly you logon to our website and register as either an investor or an entrepreneur. An entrepreneur can apply to raise funds for their company through our platform while an investor can apply to be an investor. Once the investor is approved he would be able to see the batch of companies that have gone through our due diligence report and then put the amount he wishes invest. Our investment calculator would automatically calculate how many shares in the company that the investor would get for his investment. For example if the company is raising $100 000, and you invest up to 20% equity, you invest $10,000, you get 2% equity in that company.

VA: What makes Malaik different from other crowd funding portals?

UA: First Malaik is an equity crowd-funding portal, though it’s not just for not- for-profit businesses. We are actually helping businesses that are highly comfortable with the potential to provide a lot of impact and raise funding to scale. The difference is that we only put up companies that have a big attraction and are selling equity finance. As opposed to other crowd funding platforms, Malaik finds you a lead investor or you come with your own investor and if your company is open to the crowd on the platform we would have identified the lead investor. The lead investor takes a minimum of 25% of funds that the company is trying to raise and then the crowd can invest in the same deal terms. So, we allow the crowd to get fair value for their money because the lead investor would have invested their own money in and negotiated deal term.

VA: What are the risks involved in investing in Malaik, because as an investor you would want to know the risks involved in investing in a company?

UA: Once you go on the platform, you have to be approved to be a sophisticated investor. A sophisticated investor understands there is the risk of their shares being diluted and the risk of losing your money investing in startups. We also have a full list analysis that a sophisticated investor is required to understand and we don’t open up to people who don’t understand the basic principles of investing in startups.

VA: How much equity do investors get for their investment?

UA: Companies listed on Malaik decide how much money they want to raise in exchange for a certain percentage of its equity, and each investor’s equity interest will be proportionate to the size of their investment. So if a campaign raises $150,000 in exchange for 20% of its equity, and you invest $1,500 (1% of $150,000), you will receive 0.20% (1% of 20%) of the equity of the business.

VA: What are your Know-Your-Customer (KYC) checks and how do you ensure that the identifications given to you are valid?

UA: Before you enter the platform to make investments, you are required to send us a proof of identification, which can be a passport or a driver’s license and your proof of address. We have stringent KYC checks, if they have any doubts that the person is not who they say they are after they have had a conversation with the risk analysis crew then we will not be allowed to give passwords.

VA: So, how much can one invest in a business?

UA: The minimum investment for a company is $1000 except where specified, if the company comes up and say they want to sell their shares at a higher minimum, then that would be written on the company’s page. On Malaik you are allowed to choose what company you want to invest in, and you are advised to spread your investment through and not put all your money in one company but spread your risk in investing in either two or three companies.

VA: Is it possible for an investor to cancel an investment?

UA: There is a stipulated time that you are allowed to cancel your investment. You are not allowed to cancel if the company is already hit for funding but prior to that, you can.

VA: Do you have specific sectors which you raise funds for on your platform?

UA: We like raising funds for all sectors. We don’t raise funds for companies we see as illegal businesses or immoral businesses. We raise funds for any high impact business. If you have a business that not only provides jobs for people but if you are going to hit them with the UN Sustainable Development Goals then those are the sought of businesses that we are interested in.

VA: Can you tell us about the impact tracker that you use and why it is unique?

UA: The impact trackers focus on companies that not only can be comfortable but can also provide economic impact to the areas where they operate. We track impact using the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. For example If an entrepreneur comes to us and say she will provide 500 jobs we’ll input that number in our impact tracker and then the entrepreneur is required to report every quarter what impact they’ve been able to have. We target many impact investments and we believe that companies that have trackable metrics can really help Africa hit its growth potential.

VA: In a situation where the company wasn’t able to provide a particular number of jobs as promised, what happens to that company?

UA: If you said you were going to provide 200 jobs by 2018 and you came back and said you’ve been able to provide 20 jobs, we will put that number into your impact tracker and all your investors will see that you have reached 10% of your total aim. So, the impact tracker is the dial that fills up as you hit your aim with what you initially reported to your crowd of investors.

NIGERIA: Arik Air

Arik Air Boeing 737–800

Arik Air is a Nigerian airline operating a domestic, regional and international flight network. It operates mainly from two hubs at Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. Arik Air's head office is the Arik Air Aviation Center on the grounds of Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos State.

On 3 April 2006, Arik Air took over the former Nigeria Airways facilities in Lagos,some three years after its liquidation, and began reconstruction work. On 14 June 2006, Arik took delivery of 2 new Bombardier CRJ-900 aircraft to fly domestic routes throughout Nigeria and, within the African continent from Summer 2006, 2 ex-United Airlines Boeing 737–300s and 3 50 seat Bombardier CRJ-200 aircraft.

In August 2006, the Federal Ministry of Aviation granted Arik Air authorisation to fly to Trinidad and Tobago and Amsterdam, London, Madrid in Europe. Furthermore, the airline then planned to fly to Atlanta, Miami, and Houston in the United States and Birmingham in the United Kingdom. On 30 October 2006, Arik began scheduled passenger flights with four flights between Lagos and Abuja using CRJ 900 aircraft. Flight operations began to Calabar on 15 November 2006 and services to Benin City and Enugu started on 7 January 2007.The airline is wholly owned by Ojemai Investments.

The Nigerian government set a deadline of 30 April 2007 for all airlines operating in the country to re-capitalise or be grounded in an effort to ensure better services and safety. The airline satisfied the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA)’s criteria in terms of re-capitalisation and was re-registered for operation.

On 4 April 2008, Arik Air was given permission to fly to the United States by the US Department of Transportation.Arik Air started international operations to London-Heathrow on 15 December 2008, using an Airbus A340-500 aircraft damp-leased from Hi Fly.It added Johannesburg on 1 June 2009,New York JFK on 30 November 2009,and Dubai on 28 July 2014.

Subsidiary airline Arik Niger (IATA code: Q9) commenced operations in April 2009, but was shut down in February 2010.

Arik Air transported its 5 millionth passenger on 6 August 2010 and it transported its 10 millionth passenger on 18 September 2012, both on flights beteween Johannesburg and Lagos.

On 20 September 2012, the airline cancelled all its domestic operations after aviation officials raided the airline's office in Lagos, Nigeria.Flights resumed on 23 September.

Arik Air had placed an order for five Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, which was cancelled in 2011.Rumours have spread that Arik Air converted an order for two Boeing 747-8I aircraft back into an order for two 777-300ERs in 2013, however, no such cancellation has materialised, nor was the order of two 777-300ER aircraft confirmed by Boeing. The order for 2 747-8I aircraft still stands and is still listed by the Boeing company.

FLEET
Airbus A330-200 2
Boeing 737-700 9
Boeing 737-800 4
Boeing 747-8I Deliveries start in 2016
Boeing 787-9 Deliveries start in 2016
Bombardier CRJ900 4
Bombardier CRJ1000 1
Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 4
Total 26