The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, has said that the sector is losing millions of Naira over the continued suspension of the International flights, at the Mallam Aminu Kano Airport, shut down for nearly a year for health and security reasons.
Sirika made this known his office in Abuja, when he received a kano state delegation led by governor, Abdullahi Ganduje.
The minister noted that such losses do not make economic sense to the government which spent so much money, as it was done on the airport, and leaving it inoperative with the attendant degeneration on infrastructure, redundancy amongst operational staff, revenue losses, hardship to travelers, amongst others.
Sirika told the Kano delegates that the untold hardship users of the airport, passengers, and service providers are experiencing, promising that all the needed facilities for the resumption of international flight operations at the airport, will be fast-tracked in place, to ensure smooth resumption soon.
He, however, challenged the Kano indigenes, to also create activities capable of making the airport more viable through increased passenger traffic to boost the state’s economy.
Read Also: Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero Pledges Support To Reposition Nigeria
Responding, Governor Ganduje says his delegate was in the Ministry, to show appreciation to the Federal Government of President Muhammadu Buhari, for the completion of the International wing of the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, and to also appeal for the resumption of international flight operations.
The governor who expressed concern over the continued suspension of international flights to and from the airport assured that his Administration has also put in place all the needed measures to make the state healthy for flights, including the mobilisation of the populace for the COVID-19 vaccinations.
The kano Airport air operations was shut down during the spike in cases of coronavirus in the state, when Enugu and Port Harcourt airport operations were also suspended to enable Govt to curb the spread of the virus.
Edited by Tunde Orebiyi.
