Business
I Never Stopped Foreign Airlines –Oduah
The Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah, said that
she never stopped any foreign airline from operating into the Nnamdi Azikiwe
International Airport, Abuja, and Kano International Airport.
Oduah, in a statement issued by Mr Joe Obi, her Special
Adviser on Media, in Abuja said that at no time did she attempt to prevent
Emirates, Etihad and Turkish airlines in particular, from flying into the said
destinations.
She said she had been an advocate of allowing all the
international airports in the country to operate direct international flights.
“Emirates Airline has never applied for any permit to
operate into either Abuja or Kano international airports. Anyone, including the
airline, concerned with contrary documentation should make such available to
the public.
“Etihad that was supposed to commence operations from Abuja
in line with an old MoU of 2003 with the United Arabs Emirates (UAE) has
refused to do so.
“But it rather insisted on starting from Lagos, thereby
necessitating an amendment of the MoU in 2012 to accommodate their desire.
“Turkish Airline had in fact, applied to operate into Abuja
and Kano, an application which the minister approved without any hesitation.
“In fact, IRS Airlines was nominated on Aug. 1, to work with
Turkish airline in this regard,’’ the statement quoted her as saying.
She added that she had been making strenuous efforts to
convince KLM, in conjunction with the Kano State Government, to resume
operation into Kano airport.
The minister said that she had never given any directive
compelling airlines to fly into Enugu airport rather than Abuja or Kano.
She noted that her first tangible projects were the
rehabilitation of the Kano and Kaduna Hajj Terminals, adding that it was,
therefore, inappropriate to insinuate that she was a tribalist
“The terminals have since been completed, commissioned and
put to use. The Sokoto Hajj terminal is currently undergoing rehabilitation
too.
“Moreover, out of the 11 airports currently being
reconstructed and remodelled simultaneously across the country, five are
domiciled in the northern part of the country.
Our correspondent reports that the 11 airports include local
and international terminals of the Muritala Muhammed International Airport
(MMIA), Lagos, Port Harcourt, Benin, Enugu, Owerri, Calabar, Abuja, Kano,
Kaduna, Yola and Jos airports.
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