President Umar Musa Yar�adua has said his administration will encourage Nigeria airlines to have a positive impact on Africa by creating an enabling environment for their services and eliminate impediments in the aviation industry.
Speaking at the first anniversary dinner of Arik Air, held at the Sheraton Hotel, in Lagos at the weekend, Yar’adua who was represented by his Special Adviser on Aviation, Captain Shehu Iyal, said Arik Air had become a pride of the black race by the nature of its fleet, which comprised some of the most modern aircraft in the world.
He promised that the Federal Government would continue to lend its support to the airline, adding that government would encourage other airlines to also endeavour to make the nation proud.
Yar�adua, who stated that his administration always had a listening ear, assured the airline operators that nothing would be spared to take the industry to its highest level of safety.
Also, African Airlines Association (AFRAA) showered praises on Arik Air for its strides in its first year of operation.
The Secretary-General of AFRAA, Mr. Christian Folly-Kossi, who conveyed the association�s position at the event, said that with Arik Air, Nigeria was bouncing back to global reckoning in the airline industry.
With an airline like Arik, Folly-Kossi said, the African continent was poised to take its rightful place in the global market, which it had surrendered to the foreign airlines in the face of globalisation.
“Foreign airlines now carry over 75 per cent of traffic in Africa and the question now is: will we repossess this gold mine of ours?�� he queried.
He said airlines such as Arik offered hope for the realisation of this objective.
He urged African governments to support and protect indigenous airlines to help them overcome the domination by foreign airlines.
The Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr. Harold Demuren, in his remarks, said it was gladdening that Arik was bringing back the days of brand new aircraft in the nation�s aviation industry.
He said the Federal Government�s designation of the airline on international routes was due to its confidence in the airline, noting that as long as Arik complied with safety regulations, it would soon become a global name in the aviation industry.
Demuren said Boeing, the aircraft manufacturing firm, would support Nigeria financially in the International Aviation Safety Assessment category one audit coming up soon.
The Chairman of the airline, Joseph Arumemi-Johnson, said the airline faced a lot of challenges in the last one year, but expressed gratitude to God for keeping it sailing.
He said the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had investigated the airline only to be given a clean bill of health.
He, however, canvassed more support from the Federal Government to make the airline perform better, saying he hoped it would be able to fly Nigerians to all parts of the world in the next one year.