Enugu Airport: Business community excited as Ethiopian Airline commences operation operation
Our Reporter August 16, 2013 27 Comments »
Enugu Airport: Business community excited as Ethiopian Airline commences operation operation
By LOUIS IBA
The South East, South South business community, have continued to laud President Goodluck Jonathan over the ongoing airport remodelling project that is bringing more aviation facilities to global limelight.
The commendation is coming as Africa’s leading airline, Ethiopian Airline plans to commence direct flight from Addis Ababa into the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu as from next week Saturday, a move many analyst consider very critical and laudable in opening up the south-east and south-south part of the country to markets in Africa, Europe, America, and Asia where the bulk of passengers from the zones visit regularly for trade and commerce.
National President, Greater Awgu Forum, Chiedozie Ogbonnia, said international flight operations out Enugu Airport will give “immence impetus to development by erasing the monumental economic loses that the absence of direct link to the world are created for the Eastern people and its international business partners over the years.”
“Flying directly into Addis Ababa from Enugu will certainly save cost and time for hundreds of businesses from the South Eastern and South-South markets which hitherto would have to first get to Lagos before connecting flight to the outside world particularly Dubai, India, China, Japan,” said Paul Chukwura, who plies his trade between Nigeria and India.
The liquidation of Nigeria Airways, which for years had remained Nigeria’s national carrier had put an end to so many bilateral flight agreements between Nigeria and other countries it had trade ties including India, Brazil, China, Japan, United Arab Emirates, Singapore and Malaysia, among others.
Chukwura who spoke with Daily Sun at the Lagos International Airport said the absence of a Nigerian carrier in the last one decade forced most passengers with trade and commerce deals from the eastern part of the country patronising Asian and African carriers like Emirates, Qatar and Etihad as well as Kenya Airways and even Ethiopian Airlines.
“I do restaurant business in India and I buy things from Nigeria to India and also bring in goods from India. Originally I should be flying Nigerian Airways, but it is liquidated. So I use Qatar to Doha and then to India and i have to come to Lagos. I know how much i will save, and many others like me, if i now have to be taking off from Enugu to Addis Ababa and then i connect to New Delhi without going through Lagos,” Chukwura added.
Another passenger who identified himself as George Ekpuk, who owns a boutique in Akwa Ibom State and buys his wares from Dubai said a direct flight out of Enugu and connecting Asia and other African countries was “timely and commendable.”
“It will boost so many businesses both for imports and exports in the Eastern part of the country,” said Ekpuk. “This is very timely and highly commendable. You only appreciate this better when you look at the large markets in Aba, Onitsha, Asaba, Uyo, Abakiliki, Calabar, Warri, where you have so many Nigerian traders and they are buying and selling outside Nigeria and they now have to fly out of Enugu without going to Lagos. It opens up the Eastern part of the country to more businesses and development,” he added.
Daily Sun learnt that negotiations between Nigeria and Ethiopia for the commencement of direct flight out of the Enugu airport had been ongoing for over a year. But it was sealed couple of months ago with the remodelling and upgrading of facilities at the Akanu Ibiam Airport to meet international standards and safety requirements.
The inaugural flight out of Enugu to Addis Ababa is scheduled for Saturday, August 24, 2013.
http://sunnewsonline.com/new/business/enugu-airport-business-community-excited-as-ethiopian-airline-commences-operation-operation/
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