Shettima assures airline operators of better working environment

•Signing of CTC practice directions will transform Nigeria into Africa’s economic powerhouse – Onyema

By Egena Sunday Ode

Vice President Kashim Shettima has assured stakeholders in the country’s aviation sector of the federal government’s commitment to creating a more conducive and better operating environment for airlines.
This assurance is comi g barely a week after the signing of the Cape Town Convention (CTC) Practice Directions.
The VP lauded last Thursday’s signing of the CTC Practice Directions, describing it as a major boost for ease of doing business in Nigeria’s aviation industry, his spokesman, Stanley Nkwocha, said in a statement.
Senator Shettima gave the assurance on Tuesday during a meeting with stakeholders in the aviation sector under the aegis of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, according to the statement.
The meeting was part of the federal government’s bid to address Foreign Exchange issues and the backlog of payments with the Central Bank of Nigeria, the National Hajj Commission and the Airline Operators of Nigeria, the statement said.
Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, noted the fragile nature of airline operations, saying “Airlines are exceptional, and any little thing can take an airline out of the market.”
The Air Peace boss stressed the need for continued support for airlines in line with global practice to ensure the sector’s sustainability and growth. “All over the world, airlines are supported to support the economy. It is not elitist,” he pointed out.
Onyema particularly praised the federal government’s bold step in signing the CTC Practice Directions last Thursday, which he said will have far-reaching effects.
“What you did on Thursday is going to open up this country to become an economic powerhouse,” he declared, just as he said the move would enable airlines to “start inter-connecting everywhere” and expand their reach across Africa.
“Even within Nigeria, you have just empowered the nation by doing that alone. In fact, the ease of doing business in the aviation sector is back,” the Air Peace CEO added.