General News
Domestic Markets Driving Aviation Passenger Growth- IATA
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced global passenger traffic results for November 2014 showing a continuation of the healthy demand trend of recent months.
Total revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs) rose 6.0% compared to November 2013, which was ahead of the 5.7% year-over-year growth recorded in October as well as the 10-year average growth rate of 5.6%.
November capacity expanded by 5.4%, leading to a 0.5 percentage point rise in the load factor to 76.7%.
Growth was driven primarily by domestic markets which experienced a 6.9% increase in demand over the previous November (an acceleration over the 5.3% year-to-date average for domestic travel).
Chinese domestic travel (which rose 15.4% over the previous November) was the main contributor to this growth. International travel, meanwhile, experienced a slight deceleration in growth towards the end of the year.
“November demand was healthy, but the overall picture is mixed. For example, strong traffic performance within China and India has not carried over into international demand for Asia-Pacific carriers. And while lower oil prices should be positive for economic activity, softening business confidence is having a dampening effect on international travel,” said Tony Tyler, IATA’s Director General and CEO.
International Passenger Markets
November 2014 international passenger demand was up 5.4% compared to the year-ago period, which was below the 6.1% year-to-date growth trend.
Capacity rose 5.9% and the load factor dipped 0.3 percentage points to 75.1%. All regions except Africa recorded year-over-year increases in demand.
However, compared to October, most regions reported slower demand growth for November.
European carriers’ demand for international services rose 5.6% in November 2014 compared to the year-ago period in spite of the region’s economic frailties and risks.
Robust travel on low cost carriers is behind much of the growth. Capacity climbed 4.9% leading to a 0.5 percentage point rise in the load factor to 77.7%.
Asia-Pacific airlines recorded a 4.9% demand increase compared to November 2013 amid signs of a slowdown in regional production activity.
Trade volumes have remained strong, however. With capacity up 5.6%, the load factor slipped 0.5 percentage points to 74.6%.
North American airlines saw demand rise 2.0% over the 2013 period. This was an improvement over growth of 1.6% in October. November capacity rose 3.1%, causing load factor to fall 0.8 percentage points to 76.8%.
The US economy is a notable bright-spot among developed economies, and recent gains in trade volumes bode well for business-related travel.
Middle East carriers had the strongest traffic growth at 11.7%.
This was the fourth consecutive month of double-digit year-over-year growth and the region’s economies are comparatively well-placed to withstand plunging oil revenues. Capacity rose 13.9% and load factor fell 1.4 percentage points to 70.1%.
Latin American airlines experienced a 4.9% rise in demand in November. Capacity increased 5.7% and load factor fell 0.6 percentage points to 78.8%. Despite the decline, the load factor was the highest for any region.
Although major economies in the region have been weak, the strength of the US economy has supported traffic carried by the region’s airlines.
African carriers were the only ones to see a decline in demand: November traffic fell 2.5% compared to the same month in 2013.
Capacity fell 3.1%, causing load factor to rise 0.4 percentage points to 63.8%, the lowest for any region. Passenger volumes for the region’s carriers are back at late 2012 levels.
The recent weakness appears to reflect adverse economic developments in parts of the continent including Nigeria, which is highly reliant on oil revenues.
The impact on traffic owing to the Ebola outbreak is largely restricted to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone (markets that comprise a very small proportion of overall African traffic).
Domestic Passenger Markets
Demand for domestic travel rose 6.9% in November 2014 compared to the year-ago period, an acceleration of the October increase of 5.9%.
Total domestic capacity was up 4.5% and load factor climbed 1.7 percentage points to 79.3%.
China’s domestic traffic soared 15.4% compared to November 2013, the strongest performance for any market.
In fact, two-thirds of the total increase in domestic RPKs over the last few months is attributable to gains in the Chinese domestic market.
This is occurring in spite of ongoing signs of a slowdown in the Chinese economy and industrial activity, although consumer surveys and retail sales data remain robust.
Australia’s domestic demand was virtually flat year-over year and traffic volumes have largely remained stagnant since mid-2013. The economy is struggling to rebalance away from mining investment-led growth.
The Bottom Line:
Aviation is a vital driver of the global economy. Last month IATA issued an updated outlook forecasting industry earnings of $25 billion in 2015.
While this appears large, at the global level, on revenues of $783 billion, a $25 billion profit represents a margin of just 3.2% or around $7 per passenger.
And it is spread over a highly-fragmented and hyper-competitive industry with many hundreds of players, some of whom are making sustainable returns and many of whom are struggling.
“Nonetheless, the industry is investing to improve the passenger experience.
This year we expect to see some implementation of the New Distribution Capability, giving travelers the ability to view and purchase all of an airline’s products and services wherever they shop for air travel.
And more passengers will have access to Fast Travel options such as self-boarding and self-tagging of luggage that offer convenience and time-savings and give them greater control over their journey,” said Tyler.
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has announced that, from January 1, 2026, all local airports and airstrips operating without valid permits will face sanctions.
Speaking at the maiden Airstrip Owners/Operators Stakeholders’ Engagement in Lagos on Monday, Godwin Balang, Director of Aerodrome and Airspace Standards, said only a few of Nigeria’s 92 airstrips currently hold valid operational permits. These include operational, non-operational, and airstrips under rehabilitation or construction.
Balang stated that the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has been informed that, from 1 January 2026, local airports under its management without proper permits will be sanctioned. “FAAN has been apprised that effective from 1st January 2026, local airports without appropriate permits under its management would be sanctioned accordingly. This is not a threat but a collective resolve,” he said.
The NCAA noted that 68 of the 92 airstrips are federal government properties managed by the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, while 24 are owned by individuals and private organisations. The authority to enforce these measures comes from Section 71 (3) & (4)(a) of the Civil Aviation Authority Act 2022, which empowers the NCAA to certify aerodrome operations and set safety standards.
Balang addressed stakeholders’ pleas to review the N30 million permit fee and other charges to encourage investment. “I completely agree with you because by doing that it would look like the government will be making less money, but we are actually going to be making more money.
“We have a population of over 200 million people with conservatively less than three million people who are actively flying. So, it is also a big opportunity that if we are able to charge less, more people will be able to fly,” he said.
NCAA Director General, Capt. Chris Najomo, outlined the engagement’s goals: to improve communication with state and private airstrip operators, clarify regulatory requirements, address challenges, and promote global best practices.
“It is my fervent hope that these objectives will be fully realised and airstrip operations in Nigeria will, henceforth, be conducted in strict compliance with all regulatory provisions and global best practices,” he said.
General News
Afe Babalola University Partners with New Horizons to Integrate 4IR Skills into Academic Curriculum
The institution has been lauded for its rapid ascent in academic rankings and its dedication to producing socially relevant graduates since its establishments in 2009 by legal luminary Aare Afe Babalola. It has consistently demonstrated excellence in education and research, and has been recognized as Nigeria’s best university for three consecutive years.
Deputy Director, ICT, Afe Babalola University (ABUAD), Ado Ekiti, Muyiwa Oladimeji (left); Vice Chancellor,
Prof. Smaranda Olarinde; Managing Director, New Horizons Nigeria, Tim Akano and the University Bursar,
Pastor Dupe Babatola, during the signing of Memorandum of Understanding between New Horizons and the varsity for the integration of 4IR skill sets into ABUAD’s academic curriculum in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State.
Afe Babalola University has entered into a strategic partnership with New Horizons Nigeria to integrate Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) skill sets into its academic curriculum. This collaboration aims to empower ABUAD students with globally relevant competencies in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), Blockchain, 3D Technology, and the Metaverse, Web 3.0, Full Stack, Cyber Security among others. By embedding these cutting-edge technologies into its programs, ABUAD reinforces its commitment to producing graduates who are not only job-ready but also poised to be innovators and wealth creators in the global tech ecosystem.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Prof. Smaranda Olarinde, Vice Chancellor of ABUAD, and Mr. Tim Akano, CEO of New Horizons Nigeria. The University Bursar Pastor Dupe Babatola, and Mr. Muyiwa Oladimeji, the Deputy Director of ICT were also present at this meeting.
According to Prof. Olarinde, she stated that the partnership aligns with ABUAD’s vision of fostering innovation and excellence and by integrating 4IR skills into the academic curriculum, students are being prepared to meet the demands of the modern workforce and to drive technological advancement.
Also, Mr. Akano asserted that “New Horizons is proud to collaborate with ABUAD, an institution that shares its commitment to technological empowerment. Together, we will provide students with the tools and certifications necessary to excel in today’s digital world. It could be recalled that in the first three global industrial revolutions, Africa was not present at the parties of Agric revolution of the 17th century, Industrial revolution of the 18th century, and Information Communication revolution of the 20th century, Africa got late to the party. This explains the large-scale hunger, poverty, and diseases that Africa is battling with today. We are in a new era, the age of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). AGI will determine the trajectory of every profession, going forward. Regardless of whatever course or profession one chooses, there is a component of AGI in it that will decide who is a modern lawyer or obsolete lawyer, who is a modern Doctor or Obsolete Doctor, who is a modern Engineer or obsolete engineer, and who is a modern art student or obsolete art student. Any university today that produce graduates without relevant 4IR skills and certifications attached during their undergrad years is producing obsolete graduates. The four major global challenges confronting humanity are not permanent problems but rather TECHNICAL/Technological problems. A case in point was smallpox, which had killed over 400 million people worldwide. However, when Edward Jenner invented a vaccine, using technology, smallpox got killed itself. Therefore, all the key problems in the world today: hunger, poverty, disease, Climate Crisis, Youth Unemployment are all technological problems that need technological solutions. This is why ABUAD’s partnership with New Horizons is necessary, critical and urgent with a view to ensuring that going forward, the ABUAD graduates have what it takes to compete with the Chinese, Americans and Japanese when it comes to 4.0IR innovations”.
This strategic partnership with New Horizons Nigeria signifies a pivotal step in ABUAD’s mission to remain at the forefront of educational innovation, and to ensure that its students are well-equipped to navigate and lead in the evolving technological landscape.
New Horizons Nigeria is Africa’s largest ICT training organization with over 200 training centres in various universities, high schools, and retail locations across Nigeria, empowering over 100,000 students yearly. New Horizons Nigeria is a franchise of New Horizons International, the world’s largest ICT training institute with Head Office in California and offices in 90 countries worldwide. The institution pioneered the integration of International ICT certification into the Nigeria academic curricular twenty years ago and some of the students that passed through New Horizons training in their respective universities are managing global corporations today in Silicon valley and working with global IT giants like Microsoft, MasterCard, Oracle, Google and Amazon among others.
United Bank for Africa (UBA) celebrated its 75th anniversary during its 65th Annual General Meeting, highlighting decades of resilience, innovation, and commitment to service.
Mr. Tony Elumelu, Group Chairman, reflected on the bank’s journey, emphasizing its ability to adapt and transform over three-quarters of a century.
He announced UBA’s impressive financial performance for 2024, including a gross revenue of ₦3.2 trillion and profit after tax of ₦767 billion.
The bank’s total deposits grew by 42% to ₦24.6 trillion, while its loan book expanded by 35% to ₦7.5 trillion.
Mr. Elumelu also addressed UBA’s efforts to meet the Central Bank of Nigeria’s directive to increase the minimum capital requirement for international commercial banks.
Following a successful rights issue, UBA’s capital now stands at ₦355.2 billion, with plans to raise the remaining ₦144.8 billion later this year.
GMD/CEO, Mr. Oliver Alawuba, reiterated UBA’s commitment to enhancing customer experience through digital banking.
He highlighted the bank’s focus on leveraging artificial intelligence and advanced technology to serve its 45 million customers across 24 countries more effectively.
UBA’s dedication to environmental stewardship and social progress was evident in its 2024 initiatives, including planting 4,550 seedlings to offset carbon emissions and distributing over 13,000 books through the Read Africa Initiative.
The bank’s efforts were recognized with multiple awards, including “Bank of the Year” in five African countries.
As UBA continues its journey, Mr. Elumelu and Mr. Alawuba expressed gratitude to shareholders, customers, staff, and regulators for their unwavering support.
The bank remains committed to innovation, financial inclusion, and driving economic growth across Africa and the globe.
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