Arik, Kaduna State seek partnership boost flight operations.                            

Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai is seeking more daily scheduled flight operations into the state airport as part of measures to boost trade and commercial activities in the state.                                                                   The Governor over the weekend flew into Lagos with top officials of his economic where he held a meeting with the management of Arik Air on the possibility of having the airline not only increase its daily frequency out of Kaduna from one to two, but also commence night flights out of the airport.

El-Rufai who briefed aviation correspondents after the meeting said the economy of the state was beginning to peak as the government had introduced some tax incentives and other initiatives  that had encouraged the growth and prosperity of new and existing businesses.

The Governor however said  that business owners and other citizens were lamenting their inability to link faster with other states for trade and even bureaucratic purposes, especially with Lagos state due to fewer flights coming into the state “We are trying to reduce the burden to businesses and the aviation sector has the potential to assist. In Kaduna state we need more airlines like Arik to increase their frequency into the Kaduna airport and that is the reason we came to Lagos to meet with Arik because we have this high traffic in the state, but then few airlines operating,” said el-Rufai.

“Transportation is very important for the economic and government must assist aviation with the right environment to operate. We are not a rich state and so we own no private jet as we all fly commercial airlines. Arik Air is the last man standing as far as indigenous carrier is concerned and must be supported to remain in business and serve Nigerians, ” added el-Rufai.

According to the Deputy Managing Director of Arik Air, Captain Ado Sanusi, both parties will be setting up a team to work out modalities to ensure that daily flights are increased to the Kaduna airport with even some form of special rebate on air tickets sold to the state government.   ‎

Sanusi said the airline was working hard to serve Nigeria and Nogerians and appealed for improved patronage noting that at this moment when the naira was sliding against the dollar, it paid to patronise  indigenous airlines and stem all forms of capital flights out of the country. “Aviation is the catalysts for the growth of any economy. We must help the economy of Nigeria by utilising indigenous carriers so that we can strengthen the naira,” Sanusi added.