The Federal Government on Wednesday gave
hope for a rejuvenated aviation industry with the announcement that it
would provide 30 new aircraft to private airline operators in the
country.
Making the disclosure in Benin, Edo
State, the General Manager, Corporate Communications, Federal Airports
Authority of Nigeria, Mr. Yakubu Dati, said the government had found
better ways to intervene in the aviation industry, including duty
waivers on imported aircraft spare parts.
Dati, who was on an inspection tour of
ongoing reconstruction work at the Benin Airport, also spoke of plans by
the government to rid airports across the country of abandoned aircraft
as part of plans to make Nigeria’s airspace safer.
Addressing journalists at the end of the
facility tour, Dati expressed government’s discomfort over the high
cost of domestic flights in the country and said the government was
working on ways to bring down airfares across the country.
He said, “Recall there is the Aviation
Intervention Fund put in place by the Central Bank Nigeria and the Bank
of Industry, but it has been abused. Some just collected money and
closed shop. The new arrangement is to make available aircraft as part
of intervention in the aviation industry.
“Government has concluded arrangements
to procure 30 aircraft as a way of supporting private airline operators
in the overall interest of bringing down airfares in Nigeria.”
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