Qatar Air Bloacked From Plying Kano Route -

Aviation Minister Stella OduahThe
Ministry of Aviation has blocked
Qatar Airlines from flying the Kano
route, Daily Trust learnt lately.
This makes it the fourth foreign
airline to be so barred from the
Malam Aminu Kano International
Airport.
Qatar Airlines had applied to be
permitted to fly to Kano and the
Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport
Abuja, Daily Trust has learnt.
Earlier in the year, the ministry had
blocked three foreign airlines -
Emirates, Turkish and Etihad - from
extending their commercial flights to
Abuja and Kano, apart from Lagos
where they currently operate.
Though Qatar Air officials declined
comments, documents obtained by
Daily Trust show that Qatar Air had
sought additional landing permits
from
Nigerian aviation authorities to
extend its flight operations from
Lagos to Kano and Abuja since the
past four months but the ministry
declined the request, and instead
advised it to consider flying to
Enugu and Port Harcourt airports as
alternative entry points in Nigeria.
Joe Obi, the media assistant to the
aviation minister said he had no
comment to make on the matter.
However, details of a Bilateral Air
Services (BASA) negotiation meeting
between Qatari officials and Nigerian
aviation officials held between June
24 and 25, 2013 in Doha on review
of the existing BASA agreement
obtained by Daily Trust indicate that
the Qataris presented two options to
the Nigerian side to be granted
additional landing permits in Kano
and Abuja.
The meeting comprised 10
representatives from each side with
the Nigerian delegation led by Mrs.
Precious P. Mbukpa while the
Qataris were led by Mr. Saleh
Abdullah Al-Haroon, the director of
Ari Transport Affairs department of
the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority.
The first option involves the
adoption of an open skies policy
which will provide unlimited
passenger, freight and cargo
services with full freedom traffic
rights on any immediate and beyond
points while the second request was
for 21 weekly frequencies to Lagos
and 14 weekly frequencies to both
Kano and Abuja.
However, the Nigerian delegation led
by Mrs. Mbukpa, a deputy director
in the aviation ministry rejected the
request, arguing that the existing
BASA agreement between Nigeria
and Qatar made provision for the
designated airlines to operate 14
weekly frequencies to Lagos but
instead, asked them to reduce the 14
weekly flights to Lagos to seven while
the other seven should be routed to
Kano.
“The Nigerian delegation informed
the Qataris that additional
frequencies could be grated to
Qatar Airways on BASA rights if they
operate to Enugu and Port Harcourt
as entry points,” the document read.
“We asked for 39 additional landing
permits apart from the existing 14
which we operate on the Lagos route
to enable us extend flights to Kano
and Abuja, making it 49 weekly
flights into Nigeria but the Ministry
of Aviation denied us the permission
and instead they asked us to go to
Enugu and Port Harcourt. But we
told them that we accept the offer of
Enugu and Port Harcourt as
additional entry points only for
future use”, an official of the Qatari
embassy in Nigeria said.
During the meeting in Doha, it was
equally agreed that the Nigerian
delegation communicate with their
Qatari counterparts after further
consultation with their principals
within a period of 90 days as the
deadline but the Qataris said they
were yet to be communicated to the
by the Nigerians.
The Qatari official who does not
want to be named because he was
not authorised to speak on the issue
said, “How can we be asked to
reduce our 14 weekly landings in
Lagos to seven and take the
remaining seven to Kano? We were
categorical in our request that we
need additional 39 slots, 21 in Lagos
and 14 to Kano and Abuja each. But
they are telling us that if we agree to
go to Enugu and Port Harcourt, the
permission could be granted.”
http://dailytrust.info/index.php/top-
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air-from-kano

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