Take-off of Nigeria Air to be announced soon.

The Minister of State, Aviation, Hadi Sirika, has said that the Federal Government would soon announce the take-off of the suspended national carrier project, Nigeria Air.

“The Minister who made the declaration while receiving the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ambassador to Nigeria, Fahad Al Taffaq in his office, said the suspension was only in the interim and that a new pronouncement would soon be made on the project,” said a statement by James Odaudu, Deputy Director, Media and Public Affairs to the office of the minister.

According to the Minister, it is
inconceivable that Nigeria, with its population of over 180 million people, would not be a major player in the aviation industry, noting that even the country’s geographical location has made it a natural hub for air transportation and ancillary businesses.

Nigeria and United Arab Emirates, Sirika said, have had a long standing relationship politically and business wise, especially in the aviation sector, and hoped that the new envoy will use his presence in the country to further boost these relationships.

He also harped on the need for Emirates Airlines to increase its daily flights out of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja to compliment the support and patronage that Nigerians have given it and asserted that government was doing all that was necessary to provide the conducive environment that airlines need to thrive.

Ambassador Fahad Al Taffaq had earlier told the Minister that he was at the Ministry to reaffirm his country’s continued cooperation with Nigeria in the area of Aviation where both countries have enjoyed a long-standing relationship.

According to him, it was in view of such a relationship that the United Arab Emirates has approved the extension of it’s tourist visa to six months while on a visit to the country, meaning that Nigerian tourists can stay for up to six months.

He also informed the Aviation Minister that plans have been completed for the opening of a visa office in Lagos in order to mitigate the hardship of coming to Abuja for visa processing.

The Ambassador promised to maintain the strong political and economic affinity between Nigeria and his country, a situation that is underscored by the number of Nigerians living and working in the United Arab Emirates which he put at over 20 thousand.

Also the earlier scheduled stakeholders’ forum to take place on November 1 has been moved to November 8 owing to overlapping engagement in the industry Odaudu said, “This is to inform aviation stakeholders and the general public that the 5th Aviation Stakeholders Forum scheduled for Thursday November 1st, 2018 has been postponed.

“The postponement is necessitated by a conflict of events involving major players in the industry. The Forum is now scheduled to hold on Thursday November 8th, 2018 at the Nigeria Air Force Conference Centre, Kado, Abuja at 10am”, he said.

Hydroplaning

As the wheel rolls along a wet
runway, it is constantly squeezing the water from the tread. This squeezing action generates water pressures which can lift portions of the wheel off the runway and reduce the amount of friction the wheel can develop.

This action is called hydroplaning, so technically, whenever a Wheel is moving on a wet surface, it is hydroplaning.

This results in wheel-to-ground
friction which can be low at high speeds and improve as speed reduces.

Water and snow have a great impact on landing performance. The landing distances are based on dry conditions and test pilot skills. Regardless of how good the conditions are, you should not
attempt to land at a runway that is as short as the published takeoff and landing distances.

Any water (heavy rain showers), snow or slush can and will have an adverse effect on the landing distance and the danger of hydroplaning (with no wheel braking and loss of directional control) is very real and has led to loss of life in the past already.

There are three types of
hydroplaning : Viscous, Dynamic and Reverted rubber

Viscous hydroplaning occurs on all wet runways and is a
technical term used to describe the normal slipperiness or lubricating action of the the water - While viscous hydroplaning does reduce the friction it is not to such a low level that the wheel cannot be spun up shortly after touchdown to initiate the antiskid system.

Viscous hydroplaning is the most commonly encountered cause of low friction on wet runways, and occurrences are often mistaken for dynamic hydroplaning.

How To Prevent Viscous Hydroplaning Land on a grooved runway, if possible.

1. Don't land fast.
2. Keep your wheels inflated.  Under-inflated wheels  hydroplane easier than properly inflated ones.
3. Use back pressure and aerodynamic braking to slow  down, and use light brake  pressure.

Dynamic Hydroplaning.

Dynamic hydroplaning is the
technical term for what is
commonly called hydroplaning.

During total dynamic hydroplaning the wheels  lifts off the pavement and rides on a wedge of water like a water ski. Because the conditions required to initiate and sustain it are extreme, it is a phenomenon that is rarely encountered.

However, when dynamic
hydroplaning occurs it lifts the
Wheels completely off the runway and causes such a substantial loss of tire friction that wheel spin up may not occur.

The conditions required to cause dynamic hydroplaning are high speed, standing water and poor surface macrotexture. These conditions must continue without interruption to keep the wheels on its plane. In the absence of any of these conditions, dynamic hydroplaning will either not occur at all or will affect only a portion of the wheel footprint.

How To Prevent Dynamic Hydroplaning

1. Don't land fast on a wet runway. Dynamic hydroplaning happens at
about 8.6 times the square root of your Wheel pressure. For a Cessna 172 with 42 PSI tires, that's about 56 knots.

2. Keep your Wheel inflated. Under-inflated Wheels hydroplane easier than properly inflated ones.

3. Use back pressure and aerodynamic braking to slow down. The more weight you have on your Wheels, the better.

Reverted rubber hydroplaning
can occur whenever a locked wheel is skidded along a very wet or icy runway for a time long enough to generate frictional heat in the footprint area.

Reverted rubber hydroplaning can be initiated at any speed above about 20 knots and results in Wheel  friction levels comparable to that of icy runways.

How To Prevent Reverted Rubber Hydroplaning

1. Use light brake pressure, and use aerodynamic braking to keep maximum weight on your landing gear.

2. Use light brake pressure, and never lock up your brakes on landing.

Note: Use these anti-hydroplaning techniques the next time you're landing in the rain, and you'll handle any wet runway like a pro.

Nnamdi Azikiwe Int’l Airport wins ACI 2018 Best Improvement Airport in Safety

Nnamdi Azikiwe Int’l Airport wins ACI  2018 Best Improvement Airport in Safety

At the 27th Airports Council International -Africa (ACI-Africa) Annual General Assembly, Conference and Exhibition in Abidjan, Cote d’voire, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport operated by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wins ACI 2018 Best Improvement Airport in Safety with over 20,000 air traffic movement by ACI-Africa.

Abuja Airport Manager Sani Mamoud receiving the certificate and award for Best Improvement Airport in Safety 2018 from ACI-Africa Secretary General Ali Tounsi with President ACI, Angela Gittens standing by Abuja Airport Manager Sani Mamoud flaunting the certificate and award for Best Improvement Airport in Safety 2018

The ACI Award plaque with officials from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria

Ethiopian Airlines to resume flights to Mogadishu

Ethiopian Airlines to resume flights to
Mogadishu

Ethiopian Airlines is to resume flights to Mogadishu, Somalia.

Tewolde Gebremariam, Group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, said: “It gives us a great pleasure to resume flights to Mogadishu, the capital Somalia after stopping the service over four decades ago. I wish to express my gratitude to the Governments of Ethiopia and Somalia for making the resumption of these flights possible.

“The flights will play a significant role in strengthening the people-to-people and economic ties between the two neighborly and sisterly countries. The flights will also enable the important Somali Diaspora in the Americas, Europe, Asia, Middle East, Europe and Africa to travel to their homeland via Addis Ababa thanks to our global network of over 116 international destinations.”

He added: “Our flights will quickly grow to multiple daily flights given the huge volume of traffic between the two sisterly countries and the significant traffic between Somalia and the rest of the
world.”

The Japanese Passport Is Now The Most Powerful Passport On Earth!

The Japanese Passport Is Now The
Most Powerful Passport On Earth!

The Japanese Passport is the most powerful passport on the planet. This is according to a report by Global citizenship and residence advisory firm, Henley & Partners.

According to the Henley Passport Index power ranking, Japan - who recently achieved visa-free access to Myanmar earlier this month, now has 190 destinations around the world that the passport can get their the Japanese citizens into without visas.

With this, Japan knocks off Singapore, with 189 destinations, into the second position.

Early this year, the number 1 position was held by Germany. With 188 destination, Germany currently occupies the third spot.

The third spot is a tie between France and South Korea. However, and on the flip-side, which country has the least powerful passport?

According to the Henley Passport Index power ranking, some country’s passports offers the least mobility for its citizens. In the joint last position on the ranking
are Afghanistan and Iraq.

These two country only have visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to only 30 jurisdictions.

They follow Syria and Somalia, both of them, 32 destinations and Pakistan, 33.

Below are the top 10 Countries on the Henley Passport Index power ranking
1. Japan: 190
2. Singapore: 189
3. Germany,France,South Korea:188
4. Denmark,Finland,Italy,Sweden, Spain:187
5. Norway,United Kingdom,Austria,Luxembourg,Netherlands, Portugal,United States:186
6. Belgium,Switzerland,Ireland, Canada:185
7. Australia,Greece,Malta: 183
8. New Zealand,Czech Republic:182
9. Iceland: 181
10. Hungary,Slovenia,Malaysia: 180

Technology and Innovation Seen as a Big Boost to Cultural Tourism

Technology and Innovation Seen as a Big Boost to Cultural Tourism

Madrid, Spain, 9 October 2018 – Seeking to advance use of innovation and cutting-edge technologies into cultural tourism practices, destinations and products, the International Seminar on Harnessing Cultural Tourism through Innovation and Technology will be held in Hamedan, Iran alongside the 40th UNWTO Affiliate Members Plenary Session (12-14 November 2018).

The seminar recognizes the significance of innovation in managing and promoting cultural tourism, which is one of the largest global tourism markets, and the opportunities of integrating innovative governance into the management of cultural tourism destinations. Through disrupting the sector and creating opportunities for improving governance, competitiveness and cultural resource preservation, innovation and technology are instrumental in enhancing cultural tourism development.

The seminar will feature three panels, exploring how big data, innovative business models, digital services and marketing, and other new technology can ensure long-term sustainability, profitability and competitiveness for cultural tourism products while preserving their authenticity. The keynote panel will explore how innovation and technology generate new opportunities for, and motivate new players to enter, the cultural tourism sector.

An estimated 4 out of 10 tourists choose their destination based on its cultural offering. The conference will explore how this choice is increasingly motivated by intangible factors such as a place’s culture, history, traditions and atmosphere, or its association with famous people, ideas or events.

Host city Hamedan, historically home to Iran’s famous scientists and poets, is nowadays known for its rich heritage of handicrafts, namely pottery design. The small town of Lalejin in Hamedan Province was designated the World Pottery Capital by the World Crafts Council on July 2016. Nearby Alisadr, the world’s largest water cave, is another renowned tourist attraction.

The seminar, which also spans the UNWTO Affiliate Members’ 40th plenary, is jointly organized by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Iran Cultural Heritage, Handcraft and Tourism Organization, and Alisadr Tourism Company.

Source: United Nation World Tourism Organization

AU Ministers Strategize On Development Of Tourism

AU Ministers Strategize On
Development Of Tourism

The African Union Ministers responsible for Tourism endorsed the crucial role of the Tourism sector in the attainment of the main goals of the AU Agenda 2063 of continental integration, prosperity and peace.

The declaration of the Ministers is followed by the outcomes of a day-long experts’ First Ordinary Session of the Sub-Committee on Tourism of the Specialized Technical Committee on Transport, Transcontinental and Interregional
Infrastructure, Energy and Tourism (STC-TTIET) that was held recently in Nairobi, Republic of Kenya.

The Ministers urge Member States to implement practical measures to facilitate the free movement of persons and goods in the Continent, in particular the removal of visa requirement.

Hon. Priscah Mupfumira’s, Minister of Environment, Tourism and Hospitality Industry and Chairperson of the Sub-Committee on Tourism of the STC-TTIET says: “It is envisaged that the Continental Tourism Framework will provide a clear roadmap of activities towards the achievement of the African Union objectives, within the framework of AU Agenda 2063 First Ten Year
Implementation Plan.”

H.E Dr. Amani Abou-Zeid, Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy at the AUC states that the African Union Commission has long recognized the crucial
importance of Tourism to the
achievement of the aspirations of AU Agenda 2063. “The AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government have decided to work collectively towards making: Africa the Preferred Destination for Tourism in the world as the overall goal of Tourism under the agenda 2063 framework”, she says

Also, Hon. Najib Balala, Cabinet Secretary for Tourism & Wildlife of the Republic of Kenya reiterates that Africa has better products and emphasized the need to establish the African Tourism Organization as an innovation platform to market the enormous touristic product of the continent.

“Across Africa, Tourism is one of the highest potential sectors for improving societies, economies and livelihoods. More than 62 million international arrivals in 2017 earned the region 38 billion US dollars”, says Mr. Zurab Pololikashvili, UNWTO Secretary General.

Source: AU

Cape Town International Airport named Africa's leading airport

Cape Town International Airport named Africa’s leading airport

Cape Town International Airport was named Africa’s Leading Airport for the second consecutive year at the 25th World Travel Awards Africa & Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony held at the Durban International Convention Centre last week.

The gala awards ceremony was attended by senior executives from major travel companies, operators and destinations. Representatives of CTIA, Yolisa Mlawuti, Key Account Manager and Razack Rawoot, Senior Manager: Finance were in Durban to receive the award on behalf of the airport.

“Cape Town International Airport is honoured to once again receive this very important accolade. Being named Africa’s Leading Airport for the second year is extremely gratifying and reinforces the hard work and commitment to excellence demonstrated at this airport in the past 12 months,” said Cape Town International
Airport Senior Manager: Corporate Affairs Deidre Davids Recognized across the globe as the ultimate independently assessed travel
accolade, the World Travel Awards are voted for by travel and tourism professionals and consumers worldwide.

The awards serve to recognise, reward and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the global travel and tourism industry.

Airports Company South Africa is delighted to be named among the travel sector’s top performers of 2018, with both O.R Tambo International and Cape Town International airports also being nominated for the World’s Leading Airport 2018, which will be announced at the World Travel Awards Grand Final Gala Ceremony on 1 December 2018 in Lisbon, Portugal.

Cape Town remains a firm destination of choice for global travellers and over the
past few years Cape Town International Airport has shown sustained growth in passenger numbers with a 5.3% increase year-on-year in 2017. Growth in international passengers has been in double digits for the past few years. The airport exceeded the 10 million passenger-per-year milestone for the first time in December 2016, which repeated again in December 2017 when passenger numbers significantly exceeded this mark.

Through partnerships such as Western Cape Air Access the airport has seen 13 new routes and 18 route expansions since 2015. October marks the start of the peak season where its seasonal carriers start up their summer schedules. Cape Town International has already welcomed Edelweiss which connects the city to Zurich, Condor which connects the city to Frankfurt and Lufthansa with its Munich- to-Cape Town frequencies in operation.

“We are anticipating yet another bumper peak season in Cape Town and our team is prepped and ready to welcome all of  our visitors to the fairest Cape and to facilitate their movement through the airport en route to their holiday destinations,” added Davids.

Akwaaba Travel Market partners ADWT for Africa-Africa Diaspora Tourism event in 2019

Akwaaba Travel Market partners ADWT for Africa-Africa Diaspora Tourism event in 2019

ORGANISERS of Akwaaba African Travel Market have will be collaborating with US- based Africa Diaspora Awards to organise a conference of Africa-Africa Diaspora Tourism Conference. The conference will take place on the 23rd of September 2019 as part of the 15th Akwaaba African Travel Market in Lagos.

The Executive director of Africa Diaspora Awards Kitty Pope says “I am so excited to be a part of this project and 2019 marks the 400 years of the Trans-Atlantic slave Trade.

This event finally reconnect
Africa and it’s Diaspora in the right way through Travel and Tourism.”

Mr Ikechi Uko the Organiser of Akwaaba African Travel Market in his response said ” we organised Africa Travel 100 Women Award in 2017 and women in Tourism groups in Africa took off and in 2018 we organised the Africa Travel 100 Awards for Tour Operators and organised the first African Tour Operators Summit and this event of Africa Travel 100 global Personalities will finally bring together all the major players in Africa and the Diaspora".

This collaboration with Kitty Pope and her organization will help energize Collaborations across the seas.

“AKWAABA Travel Market has grown to become the most important African Tourism marketing platform in the West Africa drawing attendance from numerous visitors from over 20 Countries. This Travel Fair not only boasts a large amount of visitors but also excels in the promotion of the Exhibitors from the region’s leading Hotels, Airlines, Travel Agents, Tour Operators and similar industry Suppliers that participates in the Event.

Africa and it’s Diaspora has had a very strange relationship over the years. They need each other in a complimentary way but have not yet worked out how to relate. Tourism could be the sure way to build a sustainable relationship.

AKWAABA partners with various African nations and tourism boards to showcase Africa as a choice destination. African Diaspora Tourism is a public relations company that is dedicated to promoting the cultural heritage of people of African descent living in the African Diaspora in order to
promote tourism to sites, events and other phenomenon related to black cultural heritage and history.

African Diaspora Tourism is the parent company of the ADWT-Awards. As a public relations company African Diaspora Tourism has presented various events, exhibits, tours and conferences related to black cultural heritage.

ADWT have also done road shows and receptions for Africa and countries of the Diaspora.

A Look At The First Hyperloop Dubbed An "Airplane"Without Wings

A Look At The First Hyperloop
Dubbed An "Airplane" Without
Wings

A full-size Hyperloop capsule designed to carry passengers at 1,000 kilometres per hour has been unveiled.

It was unveiled in Puerto de Santa Maria, Spain, very close to where it was constructed at the aerospace facilities of Airtificial, a partner of HyperloopTT.

Dubbed an "airplane without wings," the Hyperloop's aim is to permanently disrupt how we travel long distances. A journey from Los Angeles to Las Vegas can now take nothing more than 20 minutes.

At a length of 32 metres, the Hyperloop capsule would form part of a longer train that could in record time speed across a
country.

The first full-scale Hyperloop capsule is made out of dual-layer smart composite material and is named "Quintero One".

Responding to questions concerning safety, the HyperloopTT team stressed the capsule's security. They also laid emphasis on the new material it's made
from and the protective double-layer.

"Today we have unveiled a new type of transportation vessel built with an industry high percentage of composite, which makes the Hyperloop capsule perhaps the safest transportation vehicle
in the world," said Rafael Contreras, the company's co-founder and chairman.

"In just five years we have solved and improved upon all of the technology needed for Hyperloop with our new levitation system, vacuum pumps, batteries, and smart composites," CEO Dirk Ahlborn added.

"This capsule will be a part of one of the most efficient transportation systems ever made."

Ethiopian Airlines Chengdu frequency changes from Dec 2018

Ethiopian Airlines Chengdu frequency changes from Dec 2018

Ethiopian Airlines from December 2018 plans to restore 4th weekly service on Addis Ababa – Chengdu route, reflected in recent schedule update. The 4th weekly flight will be resumed from 09DEC18, operated by Boeing 787-8 aircraft.

ET636 ADD2325 – 1350+1CTU 788 x135

ET637 CTU0045 – 0630ADD 788 x357

Biggest Passenger Aircraft, Airbus A380, flies safely into KIA Terminal 3

Ghanaian pilot, Captain Solomon Quainoo has safely landed the biggest passenger aircraft Emirate A380 in Accra ahead of the commemoration of the $250 million newly built Terminal at KIA.

Captain Solomon Quainoo and his assistant pilot are seen in the cockpit of the biggest passenger aircraft in the world, Emirate A380 after the safe landing today, October 2nd, 2018

The commemoration is expected to be graced by political gurus, aviation authorities, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as well as top officials of Emirate Airlines.

Photo Credit: Hans_Tourist

Boeing 747 Celebrates 50th Birthday

It's the queen of the the sky birthday again. The Boeing 747 Popularly Know As (The Queen of the Sky) clock 50 years.

Boeing’s Iconic 747 was introduced to the public on September 30 in 1968, during the ‘golden age’ of plane travel.

Here are some Fun Facts of the Boeing

(Parts).

A 747-400 has six million parts, half of which are fasteners.
A 747-400 has 171 miles (274 km) of wiring and 5 miles (8 km) of tubing.

A 747-400 consists of 147,000 pounds (66,150 kg) of high-strength aluminum.

The 747-400 has 16 main landing gear tires and two nose landing gear tires.

The 747-400 tail height is 63 feet 8 inches (19.4 m), equivalent to a six-story building.

(Wings).

The 747-400 wing weighs 95,000 pounds (43,090 kg), more than 30 times the weight of the first Boeing airplane, the 1916 B&W.

The 747-400 wing measures 5,600 square feet (524.9 m 2 ), an area large enough to hold 45 medium-sized automobiles.

Four World War I vintage JN4-D "Jenny" airplanes could be lined up on each of the Boeing 747 wings.

How much weight does an additional 6-foot (1.8-m) wingtip extension and winglet add to the 747-400 wing? None! A weight savings of approximately 5,000 pounds (2,270 kg) was achieved in the wing by using new aluminum alloys, which offset the weight increase of the wing tip extension and winglet

(Engineering and Testing).

Seventy-five thousand engineering drawings were used to produce the first 747.

The first 747 completed more than 15,000 hours of wind-tunnel testing.

The original 747 flight test program, which led to the airplane's certification for commercial service in December 1969, used five airplanes, lasted 10 months and required more than 1,500 hours of flying.

(Flight).

The 747 fleet has logged more than 42 billion nautical miles (77.8 billion kilometers), equivalent to 101,500 trips from the Earth to the moon and back.

The 747 fleet has flown 3.5 billion people - the equivalent of more than half of the world's population.
The 747-400ER range is approximately 7,713 nautical miles (14,297 km).

A 747-400 typically takes off at 180 mph (290 km/h), cruises at 565 mph (910 km/h) and lands at 160 mph (260 km/h).

For a typical international flight, one 747 operator uses about 5.5 tons (5,000 kg) of food supplies and more than 50,000 in-flight service items.

(Engines).

Engine thrust has grown from 43,500 pounds (19,730 kg) per engine on the early 747s to as much as 63,300 pounds (28,710 kg) on the current model.

The diameter of the 747 engine cowling is 8 feet 6 inches (2.6 m).

(Fuel).

The 747-400ER can carry more than 63,500 gallons of fuel (240,370 L), making it possible to fly extremely long routes, such as Los Angeles to Melbourne, Australia.

A 747-400 that flies 3,500 statute miles (5,630 km) and carries 126,000 pounds (56,700 kg) of fuel will consume an average of five gallons (19 L) per mile.

The 747-400 carries 3,300 gallons (12,490 L) of fuel in the horizontal (tail) stabilizer, allowing it to fly an additional 350 nautical miles.

(Interior).

The award-winning Boeing Signature Interior is available on both the 747-400 and 747-400ER.

At 31,285 cubic feet (876 cubic meters), the 747-400 has the largest passenger interior volume of any commercial airliner, which is equivalent to more than three houses each measuring 1,500 square feet (135 square meters).

The 747-400 has a redesigned "flexible" cabin interior that allows airlines to rearrange seats and class configuration overnight (in eight hours). They also permit 48-hour conversion times for changes in galley and lavatory locations.

Airline cargo handlers use the 747-400's lower-lobe cargo handling system to load or unload more than 65,000 pounds (30,000 kg) of cargo - the equivalent of 625 pieces of luggage combined with 20 tons of revenue freight - in less than 15 minutes.

The Wright Brothers' first flight at Kitty Hawk, N.C., could have been performed within the 150-foot (45-m) economy section of a 747-400.
There are 365 lights, gauges and switches in the new-technology 747-400 flight deck, reduced from 971 on earlier 747 models.

We wish the Boeing747 and the entire company of the Boeing Commercial Airplane Manufacture long life more good records, profits and many more prosperous years to witness.
(Hip Hip Hip Hurray).

Nigerian Jollof Rice Tops Polls on AS ROMA Twitter Handle.

Nigerian Jollof Rice Tops Poll On AS Roma's Official Twitter Handle

The Football Club, AS ROMA asked fans to vote the best Jollof rice after some arguments earlier on. And the Nigerian Jollof Rice got the highest number of votes.