Aviation
FEC approves N658m sniffer dogs for Lagos, Abuja airports
The Federal Executive Council at its weekly meeting on Wednesday presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari approved N658m for sniffer dogs at Lagos and Abuja airports.
Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, disclosed this to journalists after the council meeting, adding that it was part of the four N16.69bn projects approved by FEC for the ministry.
He gave details of the projects as the construction of Wachakal Airport in Yobe State at N6.3 billion; post-construction services for the same airport at the cost of N219.8 million.
Others are the procurement of eight airport rescue and firefighting vehicles at the cost of N9.5 billion; and a contract for the deployment of sniffer dogs to the Lagos and Abuja international airports at the cost of N658.8 million.
He said, “FEC approved four memoranda from civil aviation. One of it is the approval for the construction of Wachakal Airport in Yobe State and at the contract sum of N6,284,065,056.
“Even and in our drive to develop the sector and ensure connectivity within our region and also improve on our security architecture and also attend to the various needs of civilization, we found this airport and many others that are coming across the country useful.
“The second was a post-consultancy services for the construction of the same airport, Wachakal Air stripe which is very close to Nguru in Yobe state. So, first consultancy service is given to Kafe Engineering at the sum of N219,782,500 only. This will include seven and a half percent VAT.
“The third memorandum was for the supply and maintenance of eight units of airport rescue and firefighting vehicle including spare parts and training. And this was given to Messers Gulf of Africa International Limited.
“The exclusive representatives of the OEM and the OEMs are Emirate firefighting equipment factory, this is in the sum of N9,535,132,500 even. This also will include seven and a half percent and the delivery period for this procurement is 12 months.
“The last memo that was taken from aviation, it has to do with approval for the award of contract for the deployment of sniffer dogs canine in airports in Lagos and Abuja, we will be continuing with this procurement and other airports as well. So, the total contract sum for this procurement is N658,762,783.36 which includes seven and a half percent VAT.”
At the meeting, the council also approved N537 million for the acquisition of a property to serve as the new headquarters of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI).
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said the agency had been making use of a rented property.
“NEITI, which is, the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, was given an approval to acquire a permanent office building for N537,000,000 to be used as its head office,” he said.
Aviation
Disaster averted as bird strike hits Abuja-Lagos Air Peace flight
Disaster averted as bird strike hits Abuja-Lagos Air Peace flight
An Abuja-Lagos flight was on Thursday aborted following a bird strike on the airplane belonging to Air Peace, forcing the authorities to ground the aircraft.
The bird strike experienced in the early hours reportedly prompted a ramp return to ensure the safety of passengers onboard.
All the passengers quickly disembarked and were calmed down before they were moved into another plane for the one-hour journey.
A bird strike is a collision between a bird and an aircraft, or other airborne animal, while the aircraft is in flight, taking off, or landing. And it can be a significant threat to aircraft safety.
Air Peace in a statement by its Head of Corporate Communications, Ejike Ndiulo, said the bird strike occurred at 6:30am, and all passengers disembarked normally.
The statement read, “We wish to inform our esteemed passengers that our Abuja- Lagos 06:30 flight experienced a bird strike before take-off, prompting a ramp return as a safety measure. All passengers disembarked normally.
“We have deployed a replacement aircraft for the affected flight in order to minimize disruptions, thus ensuring that passengers continue their journeys promptly.
“We appeal for the understanding of our valued passengers impacted by this development, as well as those on other flights that may experience delays.
“At Air Peace, we are committed to providing safe, comfortable, and reliable air travel for all our passengers.”
Aviation
Black box of crashed helicopter in P’Harcourt found, two passengers still missing
Black box of crashed helicopter in P’Harcourt found, two passengers still missing
A flight data recorder otherwise called back box of the helicopter that crashed in Rivers State two weeks ago has been recovered.
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) confirmed this in a statement.
The helicopter operated by East Wind Aviation and hired by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited crashed on October 24 while travelling from the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) base in Port Harcourt.
The aircraft, carrying six passengers and two crew members, went down in the Atlantic Ocean near Bonny Finima, off the coast of Calabar, around 11:22am.
A week later, the NSIB reported that a fifth body was recovered from the site of the crash.
In a statement on Friday, Bimbo Oladeji, NSIB director, public affairs and consumer protection, confirmed that the flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR), the black box, were retrieved from the site.
Oladeji said the bureau, in collaboration with Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), and other search and recovery partners, coordinated efforts with both local and international teams to locate and retrieve the bodies of the deceased and essential components necessary for a full investigation.
“The FDR and CVR, commonly referred to as the aircraft’s ‘black box,’ was retrieved early this morning,” Oladeji said.
Aviation
Air crash averted as Australian plane suffers engine failure
Air crash averted as Australian plane suffers engine failure
A major air crash was averted on Friday after an Australian passenger plane suffered an engine failure.
The plane departing from Sydney, Australia, had experienced engine failure, causing the aircraft to circle before making a safe emergency landing, according to a post by Qantas on X.
Another report from Sydney Airport said a grass fire also ignited along one side of the runway but it was unclear whether the two incidents were related.
The fire had since reportedly been contained, though some flight delays were experienced.
Qantas did not disclose the number of passengers on board the twin-engine Boeing 737-800, which was bound for Brisbane, when the engine failed with a loud bang.
It also said there were no injuries from the incident.
“We understand this would have been a distressing experience for customers, and we will be contacting all customers this afternoon to provide support,” stated Qantas Chief Pilot, Captain Richard Tobiano.
“We will also be conducting an investigation into the cause of the engine issue.”
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