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By Chinelo Obogo
The Chief Executive Officer of United Nigeria Airline, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, has said that the airline will commence direct flights from Nigeria to New York before October this year.
Speaking during an interview on Channels TV recently, he said that the airline makes its decisions based on where there is passenger traffic and also revealed that by July, the airline will receive the aircraft it’ll use for the long haul trip to the US.
He said: “We’re planning to fly to New York. We’re looking at the numbers because we don’t fly for fun. We have our loans. We’re expecting more equipment in July. The first piece of equipment is coming in July and the second one will come in October for that trip. So any time from July, we should be ready to do summer flights. We’re working on it.
“We are also increasing our human capital capacity. We are employing more people to strengthen our base. So there’s a lot of work going on. That’s why we don’t need this distraction from the market.”
He further expressed hope that there would be improvement in the airport infrastructure across the country.
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“I’m hoping that infrastructure development within the aviation sector will also get a facelift. I’m hoping that something will be done about the infrastructure, because it is key for security, for landing, for baggage handling, and for passenger conditions and welfare. That is very key.’
On the issue of bird strikes, he said: “We have two aircraft grounded because of bird strikes. From January to date, we have had six. Last year, we had a total of 52 bird strikes and when that happens, it disrupts your schedule and your operations, and it costs you maintenance money. At the end of the day, we still pay what is due to all the agencies responsible for that.
“So look, we just don’t want to focus on all those negatives in this whole process. We’re in Nigeria; we can only operate from here. And we just have to continue moving forward and hoping that it will get better soon. But those continue to be some of the big challenges we are facing.
“I’m hoping because some of the causes of bird strikes relate to wildlife and aviation, and it can be environmental that we should start thinking about mitigating and preventing this kind of situation, considering what it costs. Clearly, when maintenance is not readily attainable here on the ground, but beyond that, safety is also very key.”
Okonkwo further spoke on the numerous challenges facing domestic operators, saying that most of them are noble operators who are committed and very patriotic and are not in this just for the money, but also to contribute to national growth.
“We understand that aviation is a deregulated sector. First and foremost, the action we should take is to give ourselves access to single-digit loans, because all over the world, our competitors, the carriers that a typical Nigerian traveller would like us to be like, all the legacy carriers, get their loans at two to three percent, sometimes for 20 years. But we, through Nigerian banks, though no fault of theirs, because it is within the regulations, cannot lend at that low-interest level because of the MPR. So we get loans at an average of 30%, which is huge. We don’t want free money; we want access to single-digit rates. And we would also like proper investment in airport infrastructure,” he said.
