The Kano Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (KACCIMA) has described the on-going move by Federal Government to reopen Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport Kano (MAKIA) to international traffic, as a positive step that will impact on the Ease of Doing Business in the state, as well as the overall economic development of the country.
According to the body, one of the specific aspects of doing business that the re-opening of the airport to international operations will impact is in reducing the extra cost of air travel which passengers, particularly, businessmen from the state, doing international travel have to pay as a result of the closure of the airport to foreign airlines, a decision taken by the Federal Government to curb the spread of Covid-19.
Making the position of the Chamber on the issue known to BusinessDay weekend in Kano, Usman Darma, who is the 1st Deputy President of KACCIMA, said the re-opening of the MAKIA) was overdue, as the state has been recording almost zero incidences of Covid-19 in recent times, which makes it imperative to reconsider the decision to close the airport.
“KACCIMA is glad to about the move being made by the management of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to open the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport for international operations. The move is a direct response to the several advocacies that we made to the Agency, and the Federal Government on the need to reconsider the re-opening of the airport, in view of its attendant cost on Ease of Doing Business in the state.
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“Over time, the Chamber has mandated me, and other members who are players in the Aviation Industry to lead a delegation to government officials, and to let them see the reason why the airport should be considered for international travels, since from health record available, the state seems to be gradually overcoming the challenge of Covid-19 which was the reason for its closure, in the first instance.
“If we have to compare Kano, to places, such as Lagos and Abuja, you will agree with me that the state has continued to record almost zero percent incidence daily. So it is on this bases, that we approached the Federal Government to re-open the airport to foreign travels which are definitely going to impact tremendously on the ease of traveling for passengers traveling outside the state for either for business and other purposes”, Darma explained.
The Director-General of Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, Nuhu Musa, had last Thursday during the daily briefing of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on Covid-19, made the Agency`s decision to report the airport known.
Musa disclosed that the move was aimed at decongesting Lagos and Abuja international airports and facilitate ease passage for passengers that usually travel outside the country through the Mallam Aminu International airport Kano and the Port Harcourt International airport, who have to now travel through Lagos and Abuja as a result of the closure.
During the PTF briefing, Nuhu noted that the resumption of international operations in the two airports are going to be predicated on reconciliation of issues that have to do with ICT infrastructure, and provision of adequate number of health care personnel at the two airports.
Re-opening the airport, Darma noted that the opening of the airport will go a long way in stimulating international investment into the state, as well as put life back into businesses operating in the aviation industry that is affected by the shutdown of international travel in the state.
