Stakeholders in the aviation sector in Kano State have called on the Federal Government to consider re-opening Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport for international travels.
Speaking after an emergency meeting held at the premises of Kano Chamber of Commerce, Mines, Industry and Agriculture (KACCIMA) on Thursday, the stakeholders said the continued closure of the airport to international operations which began since the first lockdown is impeding business and the state’s economy.
The stakeholders’ meeting had in attendance representatives of the Customs Clearing and Freight Forwarding Agents, Association of Hajj and Umrah Operators of Nigeria, and National Association of Travel Agencies, as well as the leadership of KACCIMA.
They said the closure of the airport is escalating the cost of doing business in the state.
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Speaking to BusinessDay on the sidelines of the meeting, Muhammadu Sanusi, who is the managing director of Musawa Freight and Logistic Services Limited, stated that they met several times with the officials of the Ministry of Aviation on the matter to inform them about the need to re-open the airport but without positive response.
“This meeting was called to enable us have a common position on the need for the Federal Government to re-open Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport which is the gateway to all aviation-related businesses in northern Nigeria for international travels. We are of the view that re-opening the airport has become imperative as the Lagos and Abuja airports have since been re-opened,” Sanusi said.
“From the information available to us, we learnt that the government is preparing to open the newly constructed international wing any moment from now, but there is no information about it being re-opened for international operations. That is why we are calling on the government to, as a matter of urgency, consider our plea because of the negative implications that the closure is having on businesses and the economy of the state,” he said.
Also speaking on the issue, Abubakar Dalhatu, president, KACCIMA, said businesses, particularly international air travellers in the state, are suffering tremendously as a result of the closure.
He added that business and individual travellers have been incurring additional expenses whenever they have to make international travels, as they have to make a journey to either Lagos or Abuja to connect flight.
