19th August, 2013
Simon Ateba/Aviation correspondent
Ethiopian Airlines will begin Addis Ababa – Enugu flights on 24 August, Nigeria’s aviation authorities disclosed on Monday, saying it will spare south-easterners the headache of travelling to Lagos or Abuja to fly abroad.
Authorities said the new international route gives every zone in Nigeria an opportunity to grow to its full potential in economic and social development.
“This marks the first international flight operation from the Akanu Ibiam International Airport since it was designated by the Federal Government as the only international airport in the South East zone and as part of the aviation master plan of this administration,” the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, said in a statement.
FAAN said Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, has written a letter to President Goodluck Jonathan, informing him about the historic flight which will arrive the Enugu airport by 12.30 pm and depart by 1:30 pm local time in the four times weekly operation from the Coal City, largely regarded as the capital of the South East zone.
“The operation of Ethiopian Airlines into Enugu will be the satisfaction of an enduring call from the people of the South East who have for many years clamoured for an international airport for the zone, which they believe will reinforce the resourcefulness of the people, who are known for their entrepreneurship and trade,” said Yakubu Dati, FAAN mouthpiece.
Dati said from now on henceforth businessmen and other travellers from Enugu, Aba, Abakaliki, Onitsha, Owerri, Umuahia and as far as Asaba and Benin will be saved the distress of travelling for hours to Lagos and Abuja to catch international flights, trips that are sometimes fraught with problems.
“Many of the passengers have lost their goods on transit as they convey them from these cities to their final destinations on their arrival from their overseas trips,” Dati said.