The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo, on Monday, inaugurated Enugu Air, a state-owned commercial airline established by the Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah Administration with three Embraer airplanes for a start.
Recalling Mbah’s persistence and energy in bringing Enugu Air to reality, Keyamo described him as “an incredible, performing governor”.
This was even as Governor Mbah described the feat as a triumph of vision, and the beginning of Enugu’s journey to becoming a major aviation hub.
Keyamo said Governor Mbah “was coming to Abuja almost every week to press the button to make sure that a couple of things happen, and this (launch of Enugu Air) is just one of them.”
He commended the state’s choice of XEJet as partner and operator of Enugu Air, describing XEJet as a highly competent and 100 per cent Nigeria-owned key player in the nation’s and Africa’s aviation industry.
“XEJet is not only supporting Enugu Air, it is running the Sierra Leonean National Airline. That is what the Renewed Hope Agenda is all about,” he said.
The minister dismissed the misgivings over the federal government’s plan to concession the Akanu Ibiam International Airport and lauded Mbah’s effort to ensure the completion and operationalisation of the airport.
He said that despite being of a different political party from the governor, he could not hide the fact that the governor had performed and would be difficult to defeat in any election.
He urged the governor and the CEO of Enugu Air to ensure that the airline was run professionally like a business, while also urging the people of Enugu State to patronise their aircraft.
Speaking, Governor Mbah described the launch of Enugu Air as “a triumph of vision, a testament to Nigeria’s immense aviation potential and economic renaissance.”
He explained that Enugu Air would expand beyond the present routes to various other Nigerian cities and beyond.
“We are starting with three Embraer aircraft – efficient, elegant birds made for our terrain. Our routes begin with a powerful golden triangle: Enugu to Abuja to Lagos. From there, we stretch our wings to Port Harcourt, Owerri, Benin, Kano, and across various other cities.
“But we are not stopping there. In the next phase, we will fly beyond Nigeria, into other African countries, China, Europe, the UK, the US, and other global business hubs,” Mbah said.
He said that Enugu Air was established to create jobs and career paths for the young people; a faster and more reliable access to markets, clients, and capita by business people; a simpler and more dignified access to home for the diaspora, and a ready gateway to collaboration and opportunity for investors interested in Enugu.
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