Keyamo inaugurates Enugu Air, demands professionalism

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo (SAN), has inaugurated Enugu Air, astate-owned commercial airline established by the Enugu State Government led by Governor Peter Mbah.

Speaking on Monday, Keyamo described Enugu Air, which started with three Embraer aeroplanes, as incredible. He urged the governor to ensure that it is run professionally and ensure it does not fizzle out like Nigeria Airways.

“What is left to advise is, do not let Enugu Air go the way of Nigeria Airways. Run it professionally, and do not let bureaucracy kill Enugu Air. Be prompt in your departure and arrival,” he said.

Keyamo commended Mbah’s leadership style and development strides.

“I want to mirror what the president said the other day while he was in Enugu to commission projects. Dr. Peter Mbah, you’re in PDP, but we’re scared of you. The way you’re going, we don’t know what will happen, and we don’t know how to drop a scheme to defeat you, but we will be planning,” Keyamo added.

null

According to him, beyond party lines, the Enugu governor has a progressive spirit and has done well for his state, making him one of the best-performing governors.

“Governor Peter Mbah was the first governor to visit me immediately after I was sworn in as a minister. I said this man will not even allow me to settle down first. The governor was relentless, persistent, and pushing to the extent that I asked, ‘This private sector experience you are bringing into Enugu, do you want Enugu to explode?’

“It was incredible. He was not even waiting for us to come to him. Dr. Peter Mbah was coming to Abuja almost every week to press the button to make sure that a couple of things happen, and this (launch of Enugu Air) is just one of them,” he said.

He commended the state’s choice of XEJet as partner and operator of Enugu Air, describing XEJet as a highly competent and 100 per cent Nigerian-owned key player in the nation’s and Africa’s aviation industry.

“XEJet is not only supporting Enugu Air, it is running the Sierra Leonean National Airline. That is what the Renewed Hope Agenda is all about,” he stated

Speaking at the event, Mbah said that since he took over power, the airline had been among the key objectives he had outlined in his pledge to make Enugu the premier destination for investment.

“Today, we have our airline, and with it, we’re opening doors to a sector that once felt out of reach. Enugu Air has given more wings to our dreams, and today, we take that first flight together,” Mbah stated.

He described the project as a giant leap for the state, a gold standard for government and private partnerships.

Mbah described the launch of Enugu Air as “a triumph of vision, a testament to Nigeria’s immense aviation potential and economic renaissance.”

He explained that Enugu Air would expand beyond the present routes to various other Nigerian cities and beyond.

“We are starting off with three Embraer aircraft – efficient, elegant birds made for our terrain. Our routes begin with a powerful golden triangle: Enugu to Abuja to Lagos. From there, we stretch our wings to Port Harcourt, Owerri, Benin, Kano, and across various other cities.

“But we are not stopping there. In the next phase, we will fly beyond Nigeria into other African countries, China, Europe, the UK, the US, and other global business hubs,” Mbah said.

He said that Enugu Air was established to create jobs and career paths for young people; ensure a faster and more reliable access to markets, clients, and capita by business people; provide a simpler and more dignified access to home for the diaspora, and a ready gateway to collaboration and opportunity for investors interested in Enugu.

He thanked President Bola Tinubu, Keyamo, and various agencies under the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, as well as Fidelity Bank, among others, for their significant support towards the realisation of the state carrier.

The Managing Director of Fidelity Bank PLC, Dr. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, and the CEO of XEJet, Engr. Ayuba Emmanuel, described Mbah as a visionary and courageous leader and assured the state of their continued partnership to actualise his dreams for the state.