Aviation Minister Denys Withholding Landing Rights from Airlines

There has being rumors stating that the aviation minister made a call not to allow certain airlines landing rights into the north specifically Kano State. She was even summoned by the Senate to defend herself of such allegations. She explained on her Facebook page that denying landing rights to Ethiad and Emirates would go against UAE BASA contract.

PUTTING THE RECORDS STRAIGHT ABOUT THE ALLEGED MARGINALISATION OF THE NORTH

Recently, the media has been inundated with misinformation and deliberate falsehood alleging marginalisation against the Northern part of the country by the Aviation Minister, Princess Stella Adaeze Oduah with regard to the citing of Cargo Terminals as well as landing rights by some foreign airlines into the Malam Aminiu Kano International Airport, (MAKIA), Kano. Nothing can be further from the truth.

On the alleged refusal to grant landing rights to Emirates and Etihad Airlines, we make haste to state that the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) between Nigeria and the United Arad Emirates (UAE) clearly grants and entitles these airlines to operate flights into Lagos, Abuja and Kano International Airports. By the agreement, the airlines are equally entitled to operate cargo services to the said destinations. It is therefore inconceivable that anyone, including the Aviation Minister would unilaterally deny them rights and privileges already conferred by the BASA.

It is instructive to point out that as at today, both Emirates and Etihad have since commenced operations into Lagos. However, the point has to be made that neither Emirates nor Etihad has indicated its intention yet to take up the opportunities provided by BASA to commence operations into MAKIA, Kano.

Ethiopian Airways, like Emirates and Etihad also has landing rights to operate into Lagos, Abuja and MAKIA, Kano. The airline has since commenced passenger operations into Lagos and Abuja International Airports. It is yet to commence its cargo operations into Kano as provided in the BASA.

With regard to the Turkish Airways, the Ministry of Aviation on the 1st of August, 2012 granted approval to the airline to also operate into MAKIA, Kano. The approval also enjoined the airline to partner with the local Carrier, IRS on the Kano route. It is therefore totally misleading to suggest that the airline was denied entry into MAKIA, Kano.

Another foreign airline allegedly denied entry into Kano is Skyline Limited. To be sure, the Ministry of Aviation does not have any record of any foreign Carrier by the name Skyline. This allegation, like the rest, is spurious, unfounded, false and ultimately misleading.

The charge that a Cargo Terminal meant for the North East geo-political zone was diverted to Asaba, the Delta state capital is also incorrect, misleading and false. For the records, all originally proposed designated cargo terminals are as follows: Cargo terminal at Port Harcourt Airport, Cargo terminal at Kano airport, Cargo terminal at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Cargo terminal at Lagos airport, Cargo terminal at Asaba, Owerri and Calabar airports.

Others are Cargo terminal, Yola, Cargo terminal, Jos airport, Cargo terminal, Makurdi airport, Cargo terminal, Jalingo airport, Cargo terminals at Maiduguri, Ilorin and Akure airports. From the foregoing, it is clear that whoever is peddling the rumour about attempts to deny the Norh East of the infrastructure of a Cargo terminal in the zone is clearly misinformed.

The Ministry hereby enjoins the general public, especially stakeholders in the aviation sector to take deliberate care to cross-check facts on any/all issue(s) before going public in the media as this is capable of not only misleading the general public, but also unnecessarily heightening tensions between and amongst different sections of the polity.



Joe Obi, SA (Media) to the Hon. Minister of Aviation.