Delta State government, Wednesday, attained another milestone in its quest to develop the state’s economy, as it proved that the state is ready for investors and open for business. This followed the taking off and landing of another international flight at the Asaba International Airport.
Max Air from South Africa was the first international flight to the airport since the construction of the runway last year, and now Egypt Air.
The Egypt Air, Boeing 737-800 category flight landed at the airport at 8am and airlifted the Pharaohs of Egypt back to Cairo, the capital of Egypt.
The Pharaohs’ departure Wednesday was after they had an international friendly match with the Super Eagles of Nigeria at the Stephen Keshi Stadium, Asaba, Monday evening.
The captain of the Egypt Air, Ramy Mansour, shortly after landing, narrated his experience to newsmen at the airport: “Driving into Asaba was a very good experience. The controls were very professional and the landing was very good. The hills were nice to us and everything was okay,” he said, as he expressed hope of landing in the airport again.
Speaking with journalists also, the state’s commissioner for information, Patrick Ukah, said the feat was an attestation to the good work of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s administration.
“As you are aware, this is the second international flight that is landing and taking off from Asaba. I think that sends a very good message that we are ready for investors, and for those who want to just visit for tourism, it shows how peaceful the nature of Asaba and Delta State is. We can see the smiles on the face of the crew. Everybody is happy landing here,” Ukah said.
Continuing, he said, “We’ve just come out of elections, and just one week after, the state has moved on. That sends a message to the world that we are very happy. We are happy that they have very good things to say about our airport and we look forward to having many good things to say about it.”
According to Ukah, the state government is still working to ensure the airport meets all the needed standards to make it truly international.
The airport manager, Austin Ayemedejor on his part, said the airport was strategically located as a major gateway to the Eastern part of Nigeria where there were lots of businesses.
“One of the largest markets in West Africa is in Onitsha, 15 minutes from Asaba. So, it is easy for passengers and also for cargoes,” he said.
The Federal Government has commenced work on the cargo wind of the airport, he said, saying that the presence of the airport has made possible the various international friendly matches at the Stephen Keshi Stadium Asaba.
BusinessDay reports that three international friendly matches held in the stadium from the weekend till Tuesday.
