Senator Smart Adeyemi, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Aviation says Overland Airways has continued to demonstrate consistency and professionalism in its services as an airline. Overland Airways has continued to lead as the shining example in air transport business and management in Nigeria, having served non-stop for the past 20 years as a scheduled and charter airline in the region.
Sen. Hadi Sirika, Minister of Aviation
Sen. Adeyemi, who spoke at the 25th Annual League of Airport and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC) conference Themed Nigeria Aviation Industry: Management, policy & regulation which took place recently in Lagos, says the airline has set an exemplary standard for others to follow in the industry. “Overland airlines is an airline I like to talk about its professionalism and consistency in its routes. I travel to Ilorin frequently and whenever I travel with them to Ilorin it’s always fantastic. This is a very good attribute that other airlines can adopt,” Sen. Adeyemi notes.
The Minister of Aviation Sen. Hadi Sirika, who was represented by the CEO of Accident Investigation Bureau Nigeria (AIB-N) Engr. Akin Olateru, says the Covid-19 has put the global economy to the test with air transport being undoubtedly the hardest hit by the pandemic.
“Covid-19 economic impact on Nigeria has led to a revenue loss of $994 million in 2020 and in terms of employment at risk in Nigeria, it is 125,370 and loss of contribution to the GDP is $885 million. The federal government was able to cushion the effect on COVID-19 by providing intervention of funds of five billion Naira to domestic airlines,” Sen. Sirika states.
According to the Minister, the achievements so far in the industry were possible with the cooperation, constructive criticism and great understanding of everybody in the industry, noting the commitment to complete outstanding projects in line with the vision to improve safety in the industry.
Furthermore, Hon. Nnoli Nnaji, Chairman House Committee on Aviation, also says policies must be consistent with the standard practices for the industry to have a standard air transport system.
Capt. Musa Nuhu, DG, NCAA
For Capt. Musa Nuhu, Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), who reveals that the Minister has also been very helpful in the pushing forward the aviation industry, equally expresses commendation to Senate and House of Representatives for their cooperation over the years in passing of bill and helping in fast-tracking the growth of the sector. He says industry must work together to achieve full industry recovery.
Capt. Musa Yadudu, the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), also states that the last year has been very challenging, and the industry has to start policies’ reengineering and needs the financial industry to support. He also calls for policy implementation especially in the area of security.