The Federal Government on Wednesday gave hope for a rejuvenated aviation industry with the announcement that it would provide 30 new aircraft to private airline operators in the country.
Making the disclosure in Benin, Edo State, the General Manager, Corporate Communications, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Mr. Yakubu Dati, said the government had found better ways to intervene in the aviation industry, including duty waivers on imported aircraft spare parts.
Dati, who was on an inspection tour of ongoing reconstruction work at the Benin Airport, also spoke of plans by the government to rid airports across the country of abandoned aircraft as part of plans to make Nigeria's airspace safer.
Addressing journalists at the end of the facility tour, Dati expressed government's discomfort over the high cost of domestic flights in the country and said the government was working on ways to bring down airfares across the country.
He said, "Recall there is the Aviation Intervention Fund put in place by the Central Bank Nigeria and the Bank of Industry, but it has been abused. Some just collected money and closed shop. The new arrangement is to make available aircraft as part of intervention in the aviation industry.
"Government has concluded arrangements to procure 30 aircraft as a way of supporting private airline operators in the overall interest of bringing down airfares in Nigeria."
