Aviation
Qatar Airways begins flight operation to Chicago, USA
By Oyise Oghene
Qatar Airways has announced an expansion of its USA route network with the introduction of daily passenger flights to Chicago from April 10 next year.
The non-stop service from Doha, capital of the State of Qatar, will be the carrier’s fourth USA gateway, following already successful daily operations to New York (JFK), Washington (IAD) and Houston (IAH).
The carrier, which already operates twice-weekly cargo flights to Chicago O’Hare, will use its flagship long-haul Boeing 777-300 Extended Range passenger aircraft on the Doha – Chicago route with an approximate flying time of 15 hours.
The announcement follows this summer’s fifth anniversary launch celebrations of both the New York and Washington, D.C., services.
Qatar Airways’ expansion to Chicago O’Hare, the world’s second busiest airport handling 70 million passengers a year, has long been earmarked by the airline as a key traffic route that would appeal to travellers from across its passenger network.
Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said: “As Qatar Airways will continue its aggressive expansion, we are pleased to finally offer another gateway in the United States, this time to the ‘The Windy City’ of Chicago, five years after we began operations to North America.
“Chicago is a key route for business and leisure travellers alike, connecting them from destinations across India, Africa, Middle East and Asia Pacific with a one-stop service via Doha to the Midwest”
“For the people of Chicago and the Midwest, we look forward to offering a great travel experience on the world’s best airline to cities across our network with one-stop convenience through our Doha hub.
“Our onboard experience is distinct and provides an unparalleled commitment to service quality, reinforced by the recent accolade from Skytrax, naming Qatar Airways the world’s best airline for the second consecutive year,” added Al Baker” he stressed.
The Air Nigeria Airline project has been indefinitely suspended by the Federal Government.
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace, Festus Keyamo, made the announcement during a Ministerial briefing to commemorate the first year of the Tinubu administration on Monday.
Keyamo clarified that the project, which was branded as Air Nigeria, was actually a partnership with Ethiopian Airlines to operate under the Nigerian flag.
He said, “It remains suspended and it was never Air Nigeria. It was only plated Air Nigeria. It was Ethiopian Airlines trying to fly our flag.
More to follow………….
Emirates Airlines has announced plan to resume flight operations to Nigerian airports on October 1, 2024, after a two-year hiatus.
The news was shared by the airline on its verified X handle on Thursday.
It stated, “We’re back Nigeria! We’ll be resuming services to Lagos from 1 October 2024, and we can’t wait to offer unrivalled connectivity to Dubai and beyond to over 140 cities.”
The development was hinted at earlier by Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Keyamo disclosed that he met with the Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Nigeria, Salem Saeed Al-Shamsi, in Abuja on Tuesday.
He stated that during the meeting, Al-Shamsi handed him a correspondence from Emirates Airlines confirming the flight resumption date.
The Minister wrote “Yesterday (On Tuesday), I paid a working visit to the Ambassador of the UAE to Nigeria, His Excellency, Salem Saeed Al-Shamsi at the UAE Embassy in Abuja.
“He handed me a correspondence from the Emirates Airline indicating a definite date of their resumption of flights to Nigeria. That date will be formally announced by Emirates Airlines in a matter of days.”
The announcement signifies another step taken by the Nigerian government to reinstate flight operations between Nigeria and the UAE.
In November 2023, Minister Keyamo had announced that Emirates Airlines would soon disclose the exact date of their return to Nigerian skies.
The flight suspension between the two nations had been amidst a broader diplomatic dispute, primarily concerning the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA).
Visa restrictions further exacerbated the situation, impacting numerous Nigerian migrants and tourists, given the UAE’s popularity as a destination.
Recall that Emirates Airlines suspended its flights to Nigeria in 2022 due to challenges in repatriating funds trapped in the country.
Despite a meeting in September 2023 between Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi, where there were rumors that the UAE had lifted its visa ban on Nigerian travelers, the ban still stands.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga later clarified that the UAE had not lifted the visa restrictions on Nigerians.
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has taken action by suspending the permits of three private jet operators due to their involvement in commercial flights.
Chris Najomo, the Acting Director General of the NCAA, issued this suspension during a briefing to all airlines on Tuesday.
Additionally, Najomo ordered a re-evaluation of all PNCF permits within a 72-hour timeframe.
The head of the NCAA stated that Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, had instructed the discontinuation of private jets’ commercial use in 2023.
Despite this directive, the operators persisted in their commercial activities.
Najomo said “Subsequently, in March 2024, the NCAA had issued a stern warning to holders of the permit for non commercial flights, PNCF, against engaging in the carriage of passenger cargo or mail for hire and reward.
“The Authority had also deployed its officials to monitor activities of private jets at terminals across the airports in Nigeria.
“As a consequence of this heightened surveillance, no fewer than three private operators have been found to be involved in violation of the annexure provision of their PNCF and Part 9114 of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations 2023.
“In line with our zero tolerance for violation of regulations, the Authority has suspended the PNCF of these operators.”
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