The Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, has said that the federal government is bent on ensuring that the local aviation sector meets the demands of modern day capabilities.
According to him, the Federal Government was currently establishing a business model that will make the industry self-sustaining through Public Private Partnership (PPP) programmes.
Sirika who made the disclosure recently at the 4th Aviation Stakeholders’ Forum in Abuja, said the vision of the government was to develop an industry in such a way that it runs transparently and efficiently.
He added that the government was determined to provide all aircraft maintenance needs of the country, thereby reducing the multi-billion naira capital flight incurred annually.
The Minister is confident that government would ensure optimum utilisation of its numerous Bilateral Air Services Agreements (BASA) and Multilateral Air Services Agreement (MASA) to the advantage of indigenous airlines.
“We also hope to build an industry with improved infrastructure and quality service delivery to maximise the contribution of the sector to the socio-economic development of the Nigerian economy through increased trade and in-flow of Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) with resultant job creation opportunities.
“The Federal Ministry of Transport (FMoT) remains committed to making air transportation the preferred and safest means of travelling by developing a hub to take full advantage of our potential,” he explained.
Sirika added that the government was poised to build requisite capacity and manpower especially aviation business managers and scientists to engage in research and development.
Sirika disclosed that the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport would not be concessioned until after the construction of the second runway.
