Page 77 - World Airnews Magazine December 2019 Edition

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a workable template was put in place to drive its implementation. Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) entered with Bi-Courtney
He said investors would be interested in the land on which Aviation Services at the Murtala Mohammed Airport local terminal
airport terminals are built as this provided security of investment (MM2.), has been riddled with controversies leading to many court ITS THEIR FIRST
and the air side should stay under the control of government. cases.”
Chairman, House of Representatives committee on aviation, “For Nigeria, the biggest challenge of privatisation may be job E195-E2
Nnolim Nnaji, said concession/privatisation of airports had loss from downsizing. Airports absorb many Nigerians seeking job.
become imperative because many Nigerian airports managed by But, unfortunately, the size of the airports has not significantly
government were gross under-utilised and under-developed. changed.
He said the results of air transport research showed that airport “Secondly, the peculiarity of Nigerian airports, development
expansion and growth favoured private equity injection as airport model and the critical role the airport plays where it is seen as a
management is more efficient under the private sector. catalyst for business activities, does not necessarily make profit as
He said, “The last ten years have seen these results in favour of long as it meets the socio-economic needs.
privatisation but there are doubts also about the continuation of “Thirdly, national security issues, where the nation’s gateway
this trend in the future. may be open to abuse.
“In Nigeria, the story has been one experiment, too many “Fourthly, passenger traffic, though Nigeria is a great nation,
challenges. The first experiment we had in this sector, which was her air transportation usability is far below her population ratio,
the build, operate and transfer (BOT) arrangement the Federal making some airports redundant while some are overly active. This
is as a result of low middle class capacity.” Q

us, who are part of Binter. This Embraer Portugal. Last year, Binter carried 3.6
E195-E2 aircraft is an important step in million passengers.
Binter of Spain celebrated the the history of our company that will also In April, the E195-E2 received its
incorporation of the first E195-E2 jet into become a jet operator. This new milestone, type certificate from three regulatory
its fleet at a ceremony at Embraer’s main which coincides with the celebration of authorities: ANAC, the Brazilian Civil
the 30th anniversary of Binter, adds more
facility in São José dos Campos. advances to the ones that we have made Aviation Agency (Agência Nacional de
The airline is the first European customer in recent years, and that help to pursue Aviação Civil); the FAA (US Federal Aviation
to receive the biggest of the three mem- our main objective: the improvement of Administration) and EASA (European
bers of the E-Jets E2 family of commercial the connecting of the Canary Islands, both Aviation Safety Agency).
aircraft. Binter has placed firm orders for inter-island and with external destina- Flight tests confirmed that the aircraft is
five E195-E2s. tions,” said Binter president, Pedro Agustín better than its original specification. Fuel
“We’re extremely proud to deliver del Castillo. consumption is 1.4% lower than expected -
the first E195-E2 in Europe to such an The acquisition of the E195-E2s is part that’s 25.4% less fuel per seat compared to
accomplished regional airline. Binter will of Binter’s overall fleet modernisation the current-generation E195.
showcase the very best of the airplane as initiative. Each aircraft is configured with Like the E190-E2, the E195-E2 has the
Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano it expands its network to more cities,” said 132 seats in single class. The new aircraft longest maintenance intervals in the
John Slattery, President and CEO, Embraer will be deployed across a route network single-aisle jet category with 10,000 flight
Commercial Aviation. that includes eight cities in the Canary hours for basic checks and no calendar limit
“Today´s event is very special for all of Islands, nine cities in Africa and two in for typical E-Jet operations. Q

AFRICAN NEWS 737 MAX AIRCRAFT TO RETURN TO SKIES IN
COMAIR - ONE OF SA’S JANUARY

CERTIFIED TOP EMPLOYERS before the end of the year. last year and the Ethiopian system performs its intended

"In parallel, we are working Airlines crash in March this function".
FOR 2020 Boeing said it expects the towards final validation of the year. The group said it still needs
737 Max airplanes, which was
updated training requirements,
Companies also need to
grounded after two crashes which must occur before the take into account the time to run a separate, multi-day
simulator session with airline
world of work of their employees. The certified participants are which killed 346 people, to Max returns to commercial needed to train pilots and pilots to "assess human factors
a shining example of a dedication to people practices as they resume flying in January, service, and which we now install modified software on and crew workload under
Comair Limited has been officially recognised by the Top continuously commit to empowering their employees for a better delaying its return by one expect to begin in January," the aircraft before they can various test conditions", before
Employers Institute as a Top Employer 2020 in South Africa. world of work. Congratulations!’ month. Boeing said. re-enter regular service. FAA pilots conduct a certifica-
Organisations certified as Top Employers dedicate themselves Wrenelle Stander, Comair’s Joint CEO said “An integral part of In a recent statement, the It had previously planned for Boeing also said that it tion flight of the final updated
to providing the very best working environment for employees Comair’s success is the people we employ. As Comair we strive to group said it still hopes to the plane to resume flying in has completed the first of software.
through their progressive ‘people-first’ HR practices. be an employer of choice and invest significantly in the rela- receive certification next December. five milestones it must meet After this, Boeing said, a
Top Employers Institute CEO David Plink says, ‘To become tionship with our people by delivering a holistic employee value month from the US Federal The 737 Max planes have before returning the Max to report will be released for
recognised as a Top Employer, an organisation will have to prove proposition. We are proud to be certified as a Top Employer 2020 Aviation Administration (FAA), been grounded globally since service: a multi-day simulator a public comment period,
that the implementation of their people strategies enriches the in South Africa.” Q allowing it to resume Max mid-March, following the evaluation with the FAA to followed by final approval of
deliveries to airline customers deadly Lion Air crash in October "ensure the overall software the training. Q

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