…Applauds airline’s commitment to growth of aviation sector
By Chinelo Obogo
Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki, on Tuesday, received United Nigeria Airline (UNA) as it commenced its first operations in the state capital of Benin.
The governor, who arrived at the airport before 10.am, welcomed the chairman of UNA, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo and the airlines’ team, expressing his joy at the airline’s decision to add Benin to its routes which was revealed is the outcome of many meetings he had had with the management. He also expressed confidence that with the entrance of UNA on the Benin route, there would be more ease of movement of people and goods which in turn will improve the GDP of the state. He promised to continue supporting investment of the private sector in the state and the upgrade of the facilities at the airport.
He said the entrance of UNA will make airfares more competitive with arrays of choice for the travelling public, recalling how seven years ago, Benin had only one aircraft operating into the aerodrome, but that the state government’s collaboration with private investors had further increased the number of operators at the airport. He assured of provision of security during the yuletide season, saying that the State is the most secure in the South South.
“When I came into office in 2016, there was only one commercial airline flying into Benin. Today, we have over six airlines coming into Benin and I heard that there is another one that we expecting to start operation soon. So, in seven years, we have been able to attract 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 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,” he said.
While fielding questions, Okonkwo, expressed appreciation to the governor for the ‘red carpet’ reception the state government gave to the airline and satisfaction at the successful launch of flight operations from Lagos and Abuja to Benin. He said that the launch of the flight would enhance competition on the route, stressing that the airline would operate twice daily to the airport.
He also commended Obaseki for working on the talks about ensuring connectivity into Edo through air transport, saying that aviation is a major catalyst to economic growth and urged other state governments to key into the sector for the development of their states. He revealed that the airline has also commenced operations to Kano and Sokoto and is at advanced stages of getting approval to commence direct flights to Italy, making it the first domestic airline to do so.
“We are glad to be here and 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. 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,” Okonkwo said.
He also appealed to the Federal Government to make Benin airport a 24-hour aerodrome for increased economic activities, highlighting the challenges airlines are facing due to the fact that many of the airports do not operate for 24 hours.