Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki
Ebonyi State will soon join states like Akwa Ibom in the air transport business as the state government has set machinery in motion to float its own airline.
Commissioner for Aviation and Transport Technology, Ngọzi Obichukwu, stated this on Tuesday.
Obichukwu spoke at the Chuba Okadigbo International Airport, Onueke, while conducting Journalists around the airport runway, which is undergoing an upgrade.
Though she did not give details of the plans to float the airline, the Commission assured that the Governor Francis Nwifuru is serious about floating an airline for the state.
“I want to announce to us that our dear Governor, Francis Nwifuru, is making all frantic effort to make sure we have our own airline,” she said.
The Commissioner said the upgrade of the runway has reached an advanced stage adding that flights to and fro the airport will resume in a few months time.
“Many have been asking questions, are we good to go? Are we able to deliver the road by May as we promised? With your eyes and your senses, you people have seen what we have done and the extent we have gone.
“Rt. Hon. Buld Francis Nwifuru has made a promise and he has kept to the promise. He is so committed that he is not sparing any minute and the people that he engaged, the contractors that won the bidding, have been up and doing. They work even on Sundays and they have been living up to expectations.
“Another thing is that by the grace of God, I said it yesterday when I got a call from the UK that a private jet wants to land here, I told him that they are free to land but we have a little challenge and that was that the runway has not been marked. When we mark the runway now, any type of plane no matter the size can land here and taxi to the terminal.”
“So, we are not afraid and we are happy. I have told you to challenge us. Ebonyi State runway is the best in the country, bearing in mind that before the asphalting, we had a concrete background.
“We had a very solid concrete lay, courtesy of our former governor , Engineer David Nweze Umahi. He made it solid and the asphalting has added to that and I want to appreciate all the players here, most especially my dear governor, His Excellency Rt. Hon. Buld Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru.”
“The kilometre is approximately 3.2. and because it is human done, we may not predict much but by estimation and by way of ensuring that what we did is correct, I will say the runway will last about 50-80 years.
“Before the asphalting, we have started witnessing the coming in of flights and you know like I have said before, it is both human and cargo airport. We are good to go in terms of exporting our food.
“Ebonyi State is good with production. We can export our rice, we can export our garri and even our salt. We will package it in a way that is acceptable and export it.”
“We already had an agreement and pact with some airliners. We have already collaborated with them before this facelift. So, we are already partnering with them.
“Yes, some of the aircraft skidded off the runway. That is the major reason we started this work. We have spoken to some airliners and they are already partnering with us,” she said.
