Cross River State Governor Moves to Ease Air Travels

The Governor of  Cross River State in southern Nigeria, Bassey Otu has made arrangements with the management of Aero Contractors to resume flights to Calabar, the state capital to ease air travel for residents, visitors and tourists.

Governor Otu has also started moves to increase the Cross River State government-owned airplanes popularly called ‘Cally’ from two to five under the management of Aero Contractors.

One of the aircraft, Boeing 737 – 5N BYR, arrived at the Margaret Ekpo International Airport in Calabar and was received by the governor, who commended his predecessor, Senator Ben Ayade for having the foresight to venture into the aviation industry, noting that the two airplanes would enhance daily flight schedule to Lagos State and Abuja, Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory.

Otu stated, “we have about three aircraft that would be added to the fleet in no distant time. Calabar has been an international airport and we want to raise it to that standard.

“Permit me to thank the officials of the Ministry of Aviation and the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) for making it possible for flights to commence landing here at the Margaret Ekpo International Airport till 9 pm. The lighting is being restored and the airport is returning to optimal functionality as an international airport,” he remarked.

He welcomed investors and fun seekers into the state, urging them to take advantage of the Cally Aero reintroduced flight plan to visit Cross River for business or leisure, saying, “to all our guests, we are expecting all of you from December 1, 2023, when we will flag off the 32 days Calabar festival. By the time the festival begins, one can only imagine what the temperature is going to be like.

“I thank Aero Contractors, our partner in this business. We have agreed to build even stronger ties and make sure that this partnership becomes a very viable business for the state, he said.

Responding to the gesture, the Chief Executive Officer of Aero Contractors, Captain Ado Sanusi praised the vision of Governor Otu for ensuring that the two airplanes resume flight operations to and fro Calabar, describing the governor as a man “poised to promote tourism and repositioning Cross River into an economically viable state.”

Continuing, Sanusi stated, “now the two aircraft are flying and we will cover the Carnival Calabar International Festival edition of ‘Season of Sweetness’ fully. We thank the governor for his visionary leadership in allowing us to achieve this aim. We thank the Almighty God for the privilege to be part of this success story.”

Dominica Nwabufo