Chairman of United Nigeria Airlines, Professor Obiora Okonkwo on Wednesday said multiple charges by government agencies in the country’s aviation sector remains domestic operators’ nightmare and called on the federal government to urgently address the challenge.
He however said the forex policy of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been of tremendous advantage to the airline industry and provided some relief adding also that the domestication of the Cape Town Convention helped reduce cost operations in the industry.
Speaking at an event to mark the 4th anniversary of the airline on Wednesday in Abuja, Professor Obiora said “I think that the foreign policy of the Tinubu administration has been of tremendous advantage to the airline industry.
Before he came into power, it was a nightmare for us to be able to convert naira to foreign currencies to pay our obligations.
“We lost a whole lot of contracts. We lost a lot of vendors. Because you have your money stuck in naira in the bank, and you don’t get the forex that you need.” “You can’t even go and help yourself somewhere.
So, it’s a different story. You don’t need to track funds like l mentioned for the foreign operators, the government has cleared that, almost a billion US dollars.’
He said that has opened up a new window for better relationships, adding that the carrier reputation and integrity in the international aviation industry is better now.
