In the news

Video segment on criticism that the government's N4 billion palliative for the aviation sector was too small; page tags link it to Gbenga Olowo and the Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative.

Independence-anniversary review: Ojikutu said airports and traffic grew but weak business planning, poor airline finances and lax oversight persist, and proposed favouring domestic carriers and audit-based tiered flag carriers.

ASRTI's ten-point webinar communique urged an open, lawful terminal concession process, settlement of disputes over earlier FAAN concessions, attention to workers' and unions' fears, and consideration of all 22 airport terminals.

Announcement of a 13 August 2020 ART webinar on the planned concession of four major airports, convened because of stakeholder unease about how the process was being handled.

ART condemned Canada's cancellation of Air Peace's evacuation flight for stranded Nigerians as vague and anti-competitive, and urged the foreign affairs and aviation ministries to press Ottawa to reconsider.

ASRTI asked government to hold accountable the local agent who secured approval for a Flair Aviation jet cleared only for humanitarian flights but caught flying commercially during the COVID-19 flight ban.

Olowo argued the planned N2 trillion stimulus should reach airports, handlers and travel intermediaries too, proposing revenue-based grants, six months of wage support, cheap loans and tax relief, while backing a cautious restart of flights.

Olowo urged strong COVID-19 relief for aviation, endorsed AmCham Nigeria's 13-point stimulus plan, and said full flight operations would not be possible soon after lockdown eased given border and travel limits.

After harmattan diversions at Lagos, ASRTI voices said the calibration aircraft and instrument landing system should have been in place before the season, urging safety spending ahead of projects such as a simulator.