Cross River State governor, Sir Ben Ayade, has taken delivery of yet another Boeing 737 aircraft at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos for the state’s commercial airline, Cally Air.
The arrival of the second aircraft is coming barely three weeks after the first one was received on April 6, 2021.
On ground to receive the second aircraft at Arik Air hanger in Lagos were the trio of the state Commissioner for Finance, Auquo Ekpeyong Jr., Director-General of Due Process, Alphonsus Ogar, Director-General, Bureau of Public Private Partnership, Udiba Udiba.
The two Boeing 737 aircraft have a carrying capacity of 142 and 144 passengers respectively.
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Ayade while announcing the floating of Cally Air, early this year, had decried the prohibitive air transport cost in the country, particularly the Lagos-Calabar and Calabar Abuja routes, querying why “a passenger would pay over N70,000 to fly to Calabar? The route to Calabar either from Lagos or Abuja is the most expensive in Nigeria.”
The governor explained that the outrageous charges were due to “the fact that there is no corresponding surplus of airlines coming into Calabar. So it is the responsibility of the government to respond to the challenge of our people, recognizing that they are being extorted as a result of monopoly.”
He said he created the Ministry of Aviation to bring into realisation the birth of Cally Airline. We are constructing an airport in Obudu to support the patronage of international tourists coming to Obudu cattle ranch.
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“We need to take advantage of the massive climatic condition suitable for the growth of ornamental plants for export in Obudu cattle ranch.”
Additionally, the governor said “it would increase the state Internally Generated Revenue and also generate employment opportunities for teaming unemployed youths in the state.”
Ayade said the airline would fly Lagos-Calabar Obudu and Abuja- Calabar-Obudu-Lagos-Abuja routes.
Meanwhile, Governor Ayade has assured that the airport is inching towards reality with the lightning speed of work at the project site in Obudu.
Ayade, who was impressed with the progress of work, spoke on the many benefits of having such an airport and the fact that it will be ready within time given the number of contractors engaged on the project.
“The contract was only awarded earlier this year and they moved to site about two months ago and they have achieved about 35% in terms of job completion. We are passionate about this project, we are very aggressive about this project, you can see the number of equipment and different sub-contractors on site.”
He stressed that the Obudu international Cargo and Passenger Airport and the state owned airline, Callly Air are primed to change the sordid economic narrative of the state by revving up its tourism potentials.
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