Chairman of United Nigeria
Airlines, Prof Obiora Okonkwo has urged state governments to utilize air
transportation as a catalyst to drive economic growth in their domains.
He said partnership between state
governments and local carriers will not only open their corridors for
investment opportunities, but facilitate the movement of people whose economic
and commercial activities will contribute to the revenue accruing to the states
Speaking yesterday at Benin
Airport during an inaugural flight to connect the ancient city with Abuja and
Lagos, Prof Okonkwo lauded the state for the reception accorded the carrier.
The airline has also commenced
flights into Kano and Sokoto as part of its strategy to unite the country through
air transport connectivity.
He said the reception accorded
the Airlines by Governor Godwin Obaseki, is sufficient evidence that
partnership between players in the air transport value chain will go a long way
to drive the economic development agenda of the administration.
He commended Obaseki for working
the talk about ensuring connectivity into Edo through air transport.
He said aviation is a major
catalyst to any economic growth and hoped that other state governments would
key into it and develop their states.
He said: “We are glad to be here.
It is not about whether we are eight or seven. We have to thank the governor
who took the initiative to invite us here. Discussion started in Lagos in 2022
and our team has visited Edo State and today, we have fulfilled the first
promise, which was to start flying here.
“I can tell you that we were
encouraged by his own commitment and persistence. Many people have been talking
about attracting investments only by rhetoric, but he matched his words with
action. Not many people understand the importance of air travel to the economic
development of any state. It is a catalyst.
“You can imagine a time you had
only one airline coming in, and the number of passengers coming in then. All
these things are what add to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of a state. So,
we think that until the time other governors understand the importance of
aviation, there is no other magic to grow the economy of a state. So, we thank
you, your excellency.”
He also appealed to the
government to make Benin Airport a 24-hour aerodrome for increased activities.
Prof Okonkwo said competition
would lead to improved passenger services and assured the airline was ready to
compete.
He also disclosed the plans to
commence direct flight from Nigeria and Italy, thereby becoming the first
carrier to fly the route.
According to him, the airline was
at the final stage of the agreement.
Obaseki called on the Federal
Government to upgrade air navigation equipment at Benin Airport to enable eight
carriers operating from the aerodrome to carry out 24 - hour flight operations.
With extended hours of operations
at the aerodrome, the governor said the facility would be at optimum
utilization.
Obaseki appealed to the Federal
Government through the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to take as
a priority the installation of night facilities like the Instrument Landing
System (ILS) which would make the airport operates for 24 hours.
Obaseki stated further that the
upgrading of the facilities would
further increase the passenger surge into the airport and the state, adding
that this would also boost the economic activities of Edo State.
He, however, assured that plans
had reached advanced stage for the installation of the equipment, assuring that
some of these facilities would be installed before the end of the year.
Obaseki also lauded United
Nigeria Airlines for joining seven other carriers to operate direct flights
into the airport, maintaining that this would further make the airfares more
competitive with arrays of choices for the travelling public.
He recalled that about seven
years ago when he came onboard, the airport had only one airline operating into
it, but the effort of the State Government to collaborate with private
investors and the Federal Government had further increased the airlines to its
present eight.
He said: “Let me remind all of us
here that when I came into office in 2016, late 2016 there was only one
commercial airline flying into Benin. Today, we have the eighth airline coming
into Benin and I heard that there is another one that we expect to start
operation soon.
“So, in seven years, we have been
able to attract seven new airlines into the marketplace and that has been made
possible because of the openness and collaboration with the aviation
authorities.
“I recall my meeting with the
former Minister of Aviation (Sen. Hadi Sirika) and the conversation at that
time was that we were ready to collaborate with the Federal Government to
increase the traffic flow into Benin City, Edo State.”
Besides, Obaseki further assured
of provision of topnotch security arrangements during the yuletide season for
all the visitors into the state, boasting that the state was the most secure in
the entire South-south region.
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