Cross river govt to float its own airline

– The Cross River state government has
concluded plans to float an airline
– This is part of the tourism drive of the
state government
– Governor Ben Ayade revealed this in
Calabar when he hosted a consortium of
Indian investors
In order to boost the tourism potentials of
the state, the Cross River state government
has concluded plans to float its own airline.
According to the state governor, Dr Ben
Ayade, the airline to be called Cally Air
would be managed by Dana Group under a
Public Private Partnership (PPP)
arrangement.
Governor Ben Ayade is intensifying the
efforts of the Cross River state government
to sustain its tourism potentials
Dr Ayade stated that the airline was
expected to debut in November and would
fly Calabar, Obudu, Lagos and Abuja routes.
He noted that the state was in a haste to
get the airline started while Dana Airline
would serve as its technical partner.
Mr Jackies Hartmani, the Managing Director
of Dana Group, applauded the joint
partnership between his group and the state
government.
His words: “My company is very impressed
with what Govrnor Ayade is doing to transform
the state in terms of investment and we are
committed to ensuring the success of the
partnership.’’
Cross River state has been a major tourism
hub in Nigeria since the administration of
Donald Duke, a former governor of the state.
The state is home to the famous Obudu
Cattle Ranch, the Tinapa resport and hosts
Africa’s biggest street party every year,
Calabar Carnival.
Meanwhile, First Nation Airways has denied
insinuations that it has ended its operations.
The airline has promised to return to normal
scheduled flight operations by Thursday,
September 15.
The management says its current fleet is
undergoing engine maintenance for safety
operations.
There were fears that the airline might have
shut down its operations due to the
economic recession currently being
experienced in the country.
The rumours also came at a time another
airline, Aero Contractors announced that it
was suspending its operations.
In a related development, Fourteen (14)
airlines recently withdrew their services from
Nigeria due to low patronage and the bad
economy being experienced in the country.


Source :naij.com
Edited by DANIEL IKECHUKWU EKWUNIFE