COMMERCIAL AVIATION: OSUBI AIRPORT RE-OPENS FOR DAILY FLIGHT OPERATIONS.

…As Air Peace, Aero Contractors Increased Daily Flights To Asaba Airport.

The swift and fruitful intervention by the governor of Delta State, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa between federal aviation authorities and Osubi Airport Management has paid off, resulting in the prompt resumption of daily commercial flights.

The airport was closed for commercial flights due to irreconcilable differences between the Nigerian Airspace Management Authority (NAMA) and the airport management over alleged unpaid fees put at several millions of Naira.

Subsequently, the Delta State House of Assembly (DTHA) recently passed a resolution urging the state government and the governor to wade into the crisis with a view to restoring airlines service operations in and out of the Osubi Airport under the management of a corpoerate entity not related to Delta State Government.

Executive Assistant to the Governor of Delta State on Communications, Dr Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe in a statement said Gov Okowa’s intervention resolved the prolonged interface between the parties, adding that registered commercial airlines on the Osubi-Lagos-Port Harcourt-Abuja scheduled round trip flight frequencies have restored services, going forward.

He further disclosed that commercial activities at the Asaba International Airport has increased tremedously as AirPeace and Aero Contractors Airlines now operate daily two return servicces with Overland Airways planning to increase it’s Lagos-Asaba-Abuja operations before Christmas peak season.

Oghenesivbe noted that government huge investment in the aviation sector particularly the upgrade of Asaba Airport is paying-off steadily as can be seen from increased revenue for airline operators as well as taxes and fees accruing to the state government.

The EA Communications assured Deltans and the travelling public of safe flights in and out of Asaba Airport due to the highly sophisticated Instrument Landing System (ILS) equipment coupled with smooth landing and take-off; occasioned by runway reconstruction and upgrade carried out by Setraco Nigeria, after Ulo Consultants Ltd was blacklisted and yanked by government for gross incompetence and alleged unscrupulous transactions.

Oghenesivbe further disclosed that while Air peace Airline operate its Bombadier CRJ jets, Aero Contractors operates Dash 8-300 series, adding that flight time on Airpeace is 45 minutes as against AERO contractors 60 minutes flight time; Asaba-Lagos, Lagos-Asaba direct flights in that order.

Upon inspection and full upgrade certification of Asaba Airport by federal aviation authorities, wide bodied aircraft such as B-737 series shall operate in and out of the airport including cargo flights, adding that the full certification shall be completed in the near future.