Emirates adds Guangzhou to its global list of A380 destinations

Guangzhou will be the third A380 destination in Mainland China after Beijing and Shanghai

Emirates, voted the World’s Best Airline 2016 at the Skytrax World Airline Awards, announced today that it will operate its flagship A380 on services between Dubai and Guangzhou from 1st October 2016, the 67th National Day of People’s Republic of China. This follows the airline’s recent announcements of A380 deployment on its Milan and Johannesburg routes.

Guangzhou will join more than 40 destinations on Emirates’ extensive global network served by its highly popular A380 aircraft, including Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taipei, London, Paris, Sydney, Toronto, Auckland, Bangkok, and Seoul.

Since the route’s inauguration in 2008, Emirates has been flying a two-class Boeing 777-300ER aircraft on its daily flights between Guangzhou and Dubai, and the airline has seen steady growth for its service on the route. Once the A380 service commences, it will increase capacity by 15% to meet the growing travel and trade demand from Southern China to Dubai and beyond.

Emirates will deploy its three-class A380 on the Guangzhou route, offering a total of 491 seats, with 14 private suites in First Class, 76 mini pods with lie-flat seats in Business Class and 401 spacious seats in Economy Class. Flight EK362 will depart Dubai at 10:20am and arrive in Guangzhou at 22:05. The return flight, EK363, will depart Guangzhou at 12:15am and arrive in Dubai at 03:50*.

Emirates was named the World’s Best Airline 2016 and the airline with the World’s Best Inflight Entertainment at the prestigious Skytrax World Airline Awards recently. All Emirates customers travelling on the A380 can access more than 2,500 channels of on demand audio and visual entertainment, which includes Chinese content on its ice entertainment system, featuring the latest movies, music, TV programmes, podcasts and games, as well as free Wi-Fi to stay in touch with family and friends during flights.

In addition, First Class and Business Class customers can comfortably socialise or relax in the renowned Onboard Lounge on the upper deck of the Emirates A380. Emirates EK362/363 offers First Class customers the exclusive service of the on-board shower spas during flights, which makes Emirates the only airline in the Guangzhou market offering this premium customer product on an A380.

Emirates is keen to support China’s economic, trade and connectivity ambitions as China looks to connect the world through the Belt and Road Initiative. With its wide network across Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia, Emirates serves 56 cities in 31 of the 65 countries identified as part of the Initiative and is a ready-made connector of people and trade. The Emirates A380 service from Guangzhou will provide leisure travellers with ideal connectivity to popular destinations such as Prague and Warsaw. It also connects traders conveniently for business trips to cities such as Cairo, Kuwait, Doha, Amman, Al Medinah and Riyadh.

The double-decker A380 is the world’s largest commercial aircraft in service, and it is extremely popular with travellers around the globe, with its spacious and quiet cabins. Emirates is the world’s largest operator of A380s, with 81 currently in its fleet and a further 61 on order. Guangzhou will be the third destination in Mainland China for Emirates to deploy its flagship aircraft, after Beijing and Shanghai. Emirates currently operates flights to five destinations in Mainland China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Yinchuan and Zhengzhou, connecting Chinese travellers to Dubai, and onwards to more than 150 destinations around the globe.

*Flight times are as per summer schedule.

Red Star Express Plc. posts N6.6 Billion turnover

                                   …Declares dividend, Changes Management Structure…

            L-R: Chief Executive Officer, Red Star Plc, Mr Obabori Olusola ; outgoing Chief Executive Officer, Red Star Plc, Mr Sule Bichi and  Chairman, Dr. H. Koguna, Red Star Plc and Company Secretary/Legal Adviser, Mrs Frances Ndidi Akpomuka during the 23^rd AGM of the company held recently in Lagos.

A leading logistics Company, Red Star Express Plc, today announced a total sum of N6.6 billion turnover for the financial year ended March 31, 2016 and a profit after tax of N334.4 million. This was stated at the 23^rdAnnual General Meeting (AGM) of the company held recently.

Speaking at the AGM, the Chairman, Dr. Mohammed H. Koguna noted that in spite of the challenges of decline in oil prices, immense pressure on the Naira, rising inflation, volatility and uncertainty in the foreign exchange market, regular flight cancellations and upsurge in general cost of living, the staff and management worked assiduously to ensure that the company achieved a satisfactory result.

"In spite of the challenges outlined, our company posted a turnover of N6.6 billion in the year under review. Our company has maintained its commitment in the creation of wealth for shareholders. To this end, the Board of Directors is recommending a gross cash dividend of 35kobo for every 50 kobo share translating to N206.3million. We demonstrated our commitment during the financial year to the Red Star Foundation policy by awarding 20 additional scholarship to secondary school students from the Eastern, Western and Northern part of Nigeria", he reiterated.

With a view to optimizing emerging opportunities in the domestic and international business environment, there have also been changes in the company's management structure. The former Executive Director, Mr Olumuyiwa Olumekun, and Group Managing Director/CEO, Mr Sule Umar Bichi, both had their contracts expired on August 31^st 2015. After one year of extension for Mr Bichi to facilitate smooth transition to new leadership for the company, the company made new appointments which took effect from April 1, 2016.

The Board appointed three (3) Executive Directors, and four (4) Divisional Managing Directors. Mr Sola Obabori assumed the position of the Deputy Managing Director (and will take over from the outgoing Group Managing Director from September 1), Mr Victor Ukwat assumed the position of Executive Director Sales and Marketing while Mr Auwalu Babura assumed the position of Executive Director Finance and Admin. Other appointments were Mr Charles Ejekam who became the Divisional Managing Director of Red Star Express, Mr Ocholi Etu became the Divisional Managing Director of Red Star Logistics, Mr Enoma Ojo assumed the position of Divisional Managing Director Red Star Support Services and Mr Tonye Preghafi assumed the position of the Divisional Managing Director of Red Star Freight.

L-R: Chief Executive Officer, Red Star Plc, Mr Obabori Olusola ; outgoing Chief Executive Officer, Red Star Plc, Mr Sule Bichi and  Chairman, Dr. H. Koguna, during the 23^rd AGM of the company held recently in Lagos. 

Sir Sunny Nwosu, Rep Obuchi Limited in his statement, commended the outgoing management for building a positive financial statement which the incoming management should take note of. In his words “to whom much is given, much is expected”.

Speaking on these appointments, Dr. Koguna thanked the outgoing staff for their contributions towards the growth and success of the company, while also wishing the new management the best in their performance in the years ahead.

On future outlook, he pointed out that the Company is committed to ensuring sustained and steady growth of its operations and returns on investments. "Regardless of the volatile economy, we will continually invest in our resilient employees, optimize our processes, refine our strategies, engage in cost efficiency, focus on new initiatives and increase our market share across the emerging economic sectors. We believe our commitment will give us the thrust we need to achieve maximum benefits for our esteemed shareholders", he added.

Red Star Express Plc has four subsidiaries – Red Star Freight Limited; Red Star Logistics Limited and Red Star Support Services Limited, as well as Red Star Express, a licensee of FedEx, world leading air express company with over 650 aircrafts and more than 270 delivery destinations globally. FedEx has consistently been rated among the top 10 most admired companies in the world over the past 10 years.

JSP's Phil Osagie Wins PR ICON of the Decade Award

Representative of the MD of Wetherheads Advertising Group, Jennifer Onose, presenting award to the Executive Director, JSP Communications, Mrs Aderonke Adebule on behalf of Dr Phil Osagie,, recently at Nigeria Brand Awards 2016

 

The Global Strategist of leading Nigerian PR agency, JSP Communications, Dr Phil Osagie has emerged PR Icon of the Decade 2016 within the Public Relations industry. This award was bestowed on him by the International Brand Award Nominees and HSBS Global, at the “Nigeria Brand Award”, event held recently in Lagos.

 

Speaking at the event, the organizers of the Brand Award explained that Dr Phil Osagie stood out amongst his peers taking some giant strides and showing a great example to the PR industry. "He was one of the industry leaders that moved from one conquest to another with seeming ease despite the challenging environment. and business obstacles. He clearly raised the bar in being value and purpose driven and remaining consistent and creative. He has made PR an art and his Jsp agency has set a benchmark for professional, passion and integrity."

 

The Former Director General of Oyo State Signage and Advertising Agency (OYSAA), Dr Yinka Adepoju, reiterated that "any leader that can stand like an oak tree that weathers the storm and adversities  with roots deeply imbedded, is a success worthy of recognition, and emulation."

 

He charged businesses in the country on the need to leverage on branding in further enhancing the fortunes of their brands in their respective market segments. He pointed out that the trying economic times facing the country,  had made it imperative for local and multinational brands operating in the country to deepen their differentiating traits and consistently deliver on their brands promises, in order to win the confidence of today’s consumers.

 

“In a trying and challenging economy such as ours, there will always be that increasing  need for brands to differentiate themselves from the pack and highlight those unique selling points that give them the competitive edge and advantage over others,” he canvassed.

 

The Managing Director, JSP Communications, Dr Phil Osagie, expressed his gratitude towards the organizers of the award ceremony while reiterating that the company is proud to have been associated with the success story of Nigeria. His words: “I feel greatly honoured to be presented with this award. I’m most importantly proud that JSP Communications was identified as one of those who contributed to the recent success stories of Nigeria. We attribute our success to the special  favour of God, the attitude of excellence of our amazing clients and the unparalleled commitment of our staff. It is the team that makes Jsp tick. 

 

We shall remain committed to the pursuit of continual improvement and the delivery of PR values in excess of clients expectations."

 

JSP Communications is a specialized Public Relations agency in Nigeria that provides value added public relations and marketing communications services in Nigeria to some of the world’s most admired brands and multibillion dollar corporations.

 

The Nigeria Brand Award is an annual event organized by International Brand Award Nominees and HSBS Global aimed at identifying the ICONIC Brands, Pillars of industries and outstanding achievements of brand personalities across different sectors of the Nigerian economy. The Award was instituted in 2011 to call the attention of both local and international opportunities in Nigeria.

 

Some other awardees at the event include:  former Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel; Pepsi Cola, StarTimes, Insight Communications, Brooks and Blake among others.

 

Do more for less this summer with 'My Emirates Pass'

Emirates passengers can experience more of Dubai this summer by enjoying deep discounts and exclusive offers across the city with My Emirates Pass, launched jointly with Department of Economic Development in Dubai. Passengers flying on the airline to or through Dubai between 1 June and 31 August 2016can take advantage of a range of offers at some of Dubai's best known hotspots by simply showing their boarding pass* and a valid form of identification.

Special discounts and offers at over 65 restaurants and hotel dining outlets, 10 leisure experiences ranging from desert safaris, golf course packages and helicopter tours in addition to a range of spa experiences can be accessed for less with My Emirates Pass in Dubai.

Mohammad Ali Rashed Lootah, Executive Director Commercial Compliance & the Consumer Protection Sector said, "The Department of Economic Development in Dubai ensures that Dubai's visitors enjoy a memorable shopping experience, and we want to make Dubai their preferred destination to shop, dine, sightsee and so much more. The joint initiative between the Department of Economic Development and Emirates aims to provide tourists and consumers with the best that Dubai has to offer."

My Emirates Pass is one of a series of collaborations between Emirates and the Department of Economic Development to help visitors discover more of Dubai. To see all My Emirates Pass offers, please click   here.

Emirates passengers can experience more of Dubai this summer by enjoying deep discounts and exclusive offers across the city with My Emirates Pass

Red Star Express Boosts E-Commerce With ‘Saddle’ App

A first of its kind industry solution to manage “Pay-On-Delivery” transactions for online businesses and e-transactions has been deployed by Red Star Plc, a leading courier and logistics organization with decades of service delivery experience. The application, known as “Saddle”, allows instant payment on delivery reconciliation, enable customers monitor and track the movement of ordered products until items are delivered and at the same time, allows e-platforms/partner companies to seamlessly receive notifications when orders are placed.

Jayson Oyarekhua, Head, Projects and New Ventures, Red Star Plc, said that, the application has been customized in such a way that it enables organizations especially those in e-commerce, track orders from clients, monitor activities prior to delivery and generate report after delivery or as at when due. "The application will enable a transparent solution on all sides of the e-commerce chain; Red Star Express PLC, the E-commerce platform and the end user who ordered the product”.

He disclosed that subscribing to the Saddle application will provide several features that will be beneficial to e-Commerce platforms across the country. "The features are meant to change the way e-tailing is executed; it will impact on logistics management tool, provides cash and card payment solution, it will act as front-end app for delivery agents, back-end tool for dispatch, monitoring and reconciliation, provide pick-up and drop-off tools, provide tracking information for consumers and provide industry solution for multiple e-commerce sites/platforms”.

This solution is flexible enough to suit individual business models. The application could be customized to fit the business need of the back end user of this product. “And the good thing about it is that the storage of the massive information is absolutely free because it is stored in the cloud".

Explaining how it works, Jayson said a customer (an e-commerce Platform provider) receives an API to integrate Saddle into their website. Once integration is done, the customer will have visibility to the Saddle logistics management. When an order is made on their platforms, the transaction is sent and logged in Saddle where it becomes available for pick-up and delivery. For delivery, Saddle will be linked to a mobile POS solution which every delivery agent can use to receive payment upon delivery. Payment (cash, card) will be logged into the account of the merchant with proper reconciliation and settlement process in place.

"The app starts with the integration of an e-commerce website. So when an order is ready to be fulfilled, the e-commerce website feeds into saddle and the Logistics partner will be able to see orders that are ready to be picked up. This solution will significantly organize the current e-commerce delivery process by assigning pick-ups to agents within a certain geographical location. For example, when an agent needs to pick up from merchants located in Victoria Island. The algorithm built into it will assign the pick-up info to agents in Victoria Island. So this app puts sanity to an otherwise chaotic system that is currently in place. The MPOS allows the customer the ability to pay on delivery. By integrating MPOS with Saddle, it creates a real time payment notification".

The customer is able to see when their order has been picked up from the merchant. Then the order is tracked from when it gets on the vehicle until the last mile customer signs that the order has been received. Dates at various touch points progression are visible. Daily, weekly or monthly report can be generated for reconciliation purposes.

Red Star Express Group is a premium logistics solution provider in Nigeria with an unrivalled local network coverage and a large market share in the domestic and international market. It enjoys a domestic strength of over 240 offices in Nigeria, delivers to additional 1,800 communities, with over 2,400 highly trained personnel and over 600 delivery vehicles in its fleet. The company has four business units including The Red Star Express which is a licensee of FedEx, the world’s largest express transportation company. There is the Red Star Freight, Red Star Logistics and Red Star Support Services.

Olashore Alumnus Wins 2016 BET Awards

An Olashore International School Alumnus, Mr Folarin Falana, popularly known as Falz, has just won the 2016 Best New International Act for BET Awards under the Viewers’ Choice category. This was presented at the weekend ahead of the main event which is to take place at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles in the United States of America.

Falz had been nominated earlier in the month of June, amongst peers in South-Africa, France, Australia, and UK. The Nigerian Comic Rapper and fast rising entertainer slugged it out with other talented up and coming artists around the world to emerge the best. He was nominated at award shows winning Best Actor in a Comedy Movie/Series at the 2016 Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice Awards for his role as ‘Segun’ in Funke Akindele’s TV series ‘Jenifa’s Diary’. The 2016 BETS Award was hosted by Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross. The BET Awards recognizes artists, entertainers, and athletes across 20 categories. The nominations are selected by BET’s Voting Academy, which is comprised of fans and an esteemed group of entertainment professionals in the fields of television, film, music, social media, digital marketing, sports journalism, public relations, and the creative arts.

While at Olashore International School, he started out with a music group by friends and released a compilation mixtape titled ‘Shakara’ in 2009. By 2011, he released another album titled ‘Waz Up Guy’, ‘High Class’ and ‘Currency’ which gained him grounds in the Nigerian Music Industry. Later in 2015 he released ‘Stories that touch’.

Recently, Falz also won the award of the ‘Most Influential Personality’ at the Friends of Olashore Event organized by the Alumni of the school and concerned personalities.  He got this award based on the fact that he had shown exemplary strides in his profession and in life generality, and has been able to shape how people act or how things occur in their sphere of influence and beyond. Receiving the award on his behalf, his father, a legal luminary and Human Rights Activist, Femi Falana (SAN) spoke, “We are glad our son has carved a niche for himself on the sands of time through passion. We actually sent him to school to study Law but he went ahead to marry his passion with his course having been nurtured to his full potential by the Olashore International School which he attended then. He chose to go into music and today he is doing well for himself. I’m proud of him. I also appreciate Friends Of Olashore for giving him this award”. 

At the Friends of Olashore Event, several awards were given out to those who deserved it for their contributions and impacts.  One of those who also won awards was the Chairman, Board of Trustees of Olashore International School, Prince Bimbo Olashore. He won the Significant Achievement Award for his outstanding performance in service and accomplishment of his profession and industry that has a positive effect on humanity. He spoke concerning this, “I’m happy that I’m being recognized today. It’s interesting to find our ex-students come back again to unite under the umbrella of an Alumni association. It is far more interesting to see that our alumnus and alumna are doing great wherever they are. Folarin Falana, popularly known as Falz has made us proud, same goes with others. This is a validation of what we do at Olashore International School. We train the students academically based on standards, but we also believe that there’s a need to nurture a child to his or her full potentials knowing fully well that some students may grow into becoming an admirable brand outside their profession, just like Falz did. So we teach them a whole lot of music, dance, leadership projects and many more. We hope that more graduates of this school joins the alumni. We hope to see many more stars emerge having had the best education from our school. I’m glad once again that I was recognized for my impacts, and I hope to keep doing more for the betterment of humanity.”

On his part, the Chairman Committee Friends of Olashore, Mr Ladi Smith, said “I’m happy that we were able to organize the first edition of the Recognition Nite Awards of the Friends of Olashore International School. We believe that we have a duty to start a movement in honour of Olashore which binds us all. Olashore International School has produced young leaders who have gone to do great exploits in their chosen careers, and the graduates are distinct in all they do. These young individuals who see needs and diversify ways to meet the identified needs in their immediate community. Some of the alumni have gone on to be top students in various higher institutions worldwide obtaining even two or more degrees, created startups and so on. Some of them have also seized the opportunities of the extra-curricular activities to be in fore-front of the entertainment industries. Indeed Olashore has produced world class disciplined leaders. We are proud of them. With God on our side, we all promise to try our best to surpass the achievements of our founding father”.

Friends of Olashore is a group of people made up of Parents, Staff, Old Students, Organizations or any group of people with common interests geared towards the preservation of the legacy that is Olashore International School in all its different facets.

Fun Times For Kids On Emirates Air with Toys

                    

 Children will always be who they are. They enjoy companion a lot. They love to play and at least have something to play with. To this end, airlines provide companion for kids which ranges from movies to music, and the likes. Toys have also been introduced to keep them busy. That way, they wouldn’t have to disturb their parents or relatives they are travelling with, but rather concentrate on the playing with their new found love.

One of Emirates offerings on air is the toy. Emirates has got lots of toys, and now the ‘Fly with me Animal toys’. The toys are light in weight, and soft in nature like a teddy bear, appearing in various shapes and colours as it will appeal to children, with eyes, ears, hands and legs. It’s lovely to behold. It’s soft nature will endear children to want to play with. It’s not harmful either. The blanket located inside is equally soft enough for baby use, thus playing up an added advantage.

In less than a year now,  Emirates launched a set of Fly with Me Animal toys, which made their debut on board the Emirates flight as soon as it was launched for use. The set of toys included, Lewis the Lion from Africa, Peek U the Panda from China, Enrico the Monkey from Latin America, and Leila the Camel from the Middle East.

Appearing in various colours, these newest range of Fly with Me Animal toys were made for infants and toddlers while the Fly with Me Lonely Planet activity was specially designed for those aged between six(6) and twelve(12) years old Emirates’ young flyers have got lots to benefit, as Emirates is out to make their trip a memorable one, given that young travellers are one of the most important customers of the brand. These toys are made available to kids at the kids play area at both First Class and Business Class lounges in Dubai.

The beauty of these toys is that they come with extra features in it for children’s play time. These toys in the pictures below, have blankets in them for cuddling babies. However, infants and toddlers when playing with these toys as though they were babies will have something to cuddle their babies while keeping them entertained. Also, parents can make use of this blankets to cuddle their new born babies.

Emirates’ Fly with Me Animals is a replacement of the popular Fly with Me Monsters for both entertaining and educational purposes. The animals were designed with unique features - The Travel Buddy which comes with a plastic toggle allowing the toy to be hung in the car, on a pram or in the cot; the Carry Buddy, a dual purpose toy and blanket; as well as the Magnetic Sketcher for young ones to express themselves creatively. It is hoped that four new Fly with Me Animals will be introduced every six months. 

During this summer, toying with kids toys will certainly be a reality, as they vacate for the long holiday period from school.