United Nigeria Airlines has said it plans to begin cargo operations at Ekiti Airport in January, and hopes to introduce daily passenger flights to the state soon after.
This was disclosed by the airline’s Executive Chairman, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, at the unveiling of Reeve Energy Limited aviation fuel tank farm facility at the airport recently.
Okonkwo said cargo aircraft could begin moving goods out of Ekiti to other parts of Nigeria and to international destinations such as London, adding that the airline will be the first to carry commercial cargo once the state is ready. He also said the airline would soon begin daily flights to the airport.
He revealed that United Nigeria remained the second-largest consumer of aviation fuel in Nigeria, after Air Peace, saying that this would benefit the new fuel facility, since a steady supply of fuel would serve the airline’s growing operations at the airport.
On how they started operation in Ekiti, Okonkwo said that the airline had not applied for or lobbied for the partnership, and that it had not paid any bribe. According to him, the state government conducted its own due diligence, compared the airline with others in Nigeria, and approached it because of its fleet and operations. He also said the airline had accepted reduced passenger loads, carrying 40 passengers rather than 50 on some flights during a period of low demand, which he described as a sacrifice made out of trust in the partnership and the government’s commitment.
“We did not apply for this partnership. But if the government did their due diligence, found us worthy and capable of serving them, and approached us, I was very touched. And thank God the deal worked. And thank God we are part of what is happening today,” he said.