Why we’re yet to fly Kano route — Turkish Airlines

[DT]

Turkish Airlines yesterday confirmed to Daily Trust that it received government approval to extend its services to Kano but that it would take a while before it begins flying the route.  

This came as documents leaked to Daily Trust show that four foreign airlines are keen to expand their operations to Kano and Abuja, and have sought approvals from authorities months ago.  

Aviation Minister Stella Oduah, who denied allegations that she blocked the international carriers from flying to the Federal Capital and the northern commercial hub, is due to appear today before a House of Representatives committee probing the matter.

Last Tuesday, Rep. Aliyu Sani Madaki through a motion in the House of Representatives said Turkish, Ethiopian, Emirates and Asky airlines sought to commence commercial flights to Kano but Mrs. Oduah asked them to go to Enugu instead.

Senate President David Mark also same day said "there are rumours that Emirates Airline and others wanted to come here, and the Aviation Minister said they should go to Enugu rather than go to Kano."

The Aviation minister said the allegations were not true as approvals were given to Turkish, Etihad, Emirates and Ethiopian airlines to fly Kano and Abuja routes.

Yesterday, Turkish Airlines confirmed getting the permission but said they were still working on processes of starting operations.

"We have approval to fly to Kano but we can't start flying just yet. We need to map out a strategy before we can begin flying to Kano," said Ali Bulut, Managing Director of Turkish Airlines.

"Starting new operations into a new route takes a lot of logistics, resources and planning. But plans are in the pipeline and we are making reasonable progress," he added.

Bulut said specific details on the progress of work can't be made public now but the media would be briefed at the appropriate time.

Etihad Airways in an email reply to Daily Trust said our enquiries were passed on to "the relevant authority" to react. An email to Emirates on the issue has not been replied to.

Foreign airlines keen on Kano route

Daily Trust reported on August 28 that Oduah has denied approval for Emirates, Etihad and Turkish airlines to extend their services to Abuja and Kano airport and asked them to go to Enugu instead.

At first, a spokesman for the Aviation minister, Mr. Toyin Okpaise, confirmed that the minister has asked the airlines to "explore the opportunity of extending their operations to Enugu" instead of concentrating in Abuja and Lagos in order to diversify airline operation in the country.

But days after that, the Aviation ministry began singing another tune, saying that they had permitted the airlines to fly the Abuja and Kano routes.

On Wednesday, the Aviation minister said the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) between Nigeria and the United Arad Emirates "clearly grants and entitles (Etihad and Emirates) airlines to operate flights into Lagos, Abuja and Kano International Airports" but that "neither Emirates nor Etihad has indicated its intention yet to take up the opportunities provided by BASA to commence operations into MAKIA, Kano."

Daily Trust is in possession of correspondences between three airlines, their governments and Nigerian Aviation authorities.

The documents show that while these airlines have shown keen interest to expand services to Kano and Abuja, the Aviation ministry appears to be dawdling.

For instance, Turkish airline filed its application to the minister on December 21, 2011 which was also received on the same day in the minister's office. The letter signed by Mr. Ali Bulut said, "Turkish airlines is planning to add more routes to their present flights in Nigeria (Abuja and Kano) in 2012. We would like to ask for approval of the flights from your honourable ministry."

However, the ministry of aviation did not respond to the request until February 27, 2012 in a letter signed by the deputy director for air transport, Mrs. Precious Edet Mbukpa.

It said "approval has been granted for the ministry to hold consultations with your airline with a view to accommodating your request under commercial agreement. In view of the foregoing, the ministry wishes propose either 3rd-5th or 10th-12th April, 2012 for the meeting to hold in Instanbul, Turkey."

Emirates filed similar application to the minister to extend commercial flights operations to Abuja and Kano airports.

UAE authorities through the General Civil Aviation Authority wrote the minister on August 1, 2012, signed by its Director General Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi. He said, "I am writing to advise the Honourable minister that Emirates would like to reroute its current once a week freighter services through Lagos to operate through Kano as well but without the exercise of traffic rights between Lagos and Kano effect from 14th August 2012. The Honourable minister is aware these traffic rights are fully in accordance to paragraph 3.B.ii of the MoU signed by our two authorities in Dubai on April 24th 2012."

UAE ambassador to Nigeria wrote a follow-up letter to Oduah on September 5, 2012 appealing that they be allowed to commence the Kano route flight.

Similarly, Asky airlines a partly Togolese company and partly Nigerian had applied to be allowed commercial flights to Kano in addition to Lagos and Abuja routes.

The airline said it wanted to commence flights on Lome-Niamey-Kano-Ndjamena route. The application was written by its Chief Executive Officer Busera Awel to Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and not to the Aviation ministry, according to the documents seen by Daily Trust.



Daily Trust

[Shola Sholaz]

I hope they start flying there soon