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FG Keeps Emirates, Turkish Out Of Kano - ...despite Minister’s Pledge - Nobody S - Politics - Nairaland

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FG Keeps Emirates, Turkish Out Of Kano - ...despite Minister’s Pledge - Nobody S by ARROBA(m): 11:36pm On Apr 02, 2013
The Ministry of Aviation has continued stalling over the request by some foreign airlines to expand their operations to Kano, in spite of assurances given by the minister two weeks ago that this would be achieved by the end of March.
Emirates and Turkish airlines were among those that applied for approval to fly the Kano and Abuja routes a year ago, but the ministry initially blocked them and asked them to go to Enugu instead.
Under pressure from the National Assembly after a report by Daily Trust in August last year, the ministry agreed to approve the airlines’ requests.
On March 15, Aviation Minister Stella Oduah said in Kano that the two airlines would begin their Kano operations by the end of last month.
But investigations by Daily Trust show that despite those assurances, the ministry is still stalling over approving additional landing slots which the airlines would use to expand their operations.
When she appeared before a House of Representatives committee in November last year, the minister told lawmakers the necessary agreements would be signed on December 3 to give the airlines additional slots.
“The minister has continued to foot-drag on signing the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) on increasing the number of landing slots for the airlines,” a source who is privy to the matter told Daily Trust.
Our correspondent’s checks in Kano revealed that none of the airlines have established offices at the Kano airport as yesterday.
Mrs Oduah’s pledge on March 15 was made at the commissioning of the remodeled Malam Aminu Kano International Airport, when she said also that the coming of the foreign airlines to Kano was part of her ministry’s attempt to revive the lost glory of the historic airport.
Airport officials told Daily Trust that they consider the minister’s statement as merely “political” because there was nothing ground to indicate Turkish and Emirates airlines will come to Kano any time soon.
Our correspondent gathered that the remodelled international wing itself had not been put to any use, two weeks after its commissioning. The place was locked immediately after dignitaries left from the commissioning event, an airport official said.
When contacted, the airport’s information officer Musa Hassan Shawai said he had no idea when the foreign airlines will start operating in Kano.
On the unused renovated terminal, he said the airport’s management was trying to “make it operational” and will put it to use this week.
‘We can’t force them’
When asked why Turkish and Emirates have not commenced flight operations in Kano as earlier indicated by the minister, her spokesman Mr. Joe Obi said the airlines should be the ones to answer the question and not the ministry.
Obi said the ministry has approved that the airlines should fly into Kano but when they would start flying would not be determined by the ministry.
“We can’t force the airlines to start operations in Kano,” he said.
But Turkish, Emirates and Etihad airlines, which the ministry said were given clearance to expand to Kano, have consistently declined to comment on the matter.
When contacted at the weekend, Mr. Ariyo Akinfenwa, media consultant to Turkish airlines, said the airline’s management would not want to comment on the matter for now.
He said the process is not entirely complete and so the company would not make any comment until all issues around the Kano route expansion were cleared.
Emirates airlines could not be reached for comments.
Media consultant to Etihad, Sessema PR, promised to get information from the management and revert back to our correspondent. But they were yet to provide any response by last night.
In the beginning…
The controversy over some foreign airlines wanting to expand to Abuja and Kano came up in August last year when it emerged that the minister had asked the airlines to go to Enugu instead.
When Daily Trust was doing the story in August, at first the minister’s media assistant Mr. Toyin Okpaise confirmed the airlines were asked to re-route to Enugu, but the ministry days later changed its tune and denied this.
Later on, the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation opened an investigation of the matter, and at a hearing in November, the minister said she would sign agreements on December 3 last year to allow the airlines’ requests.
But on December 2, the aviation ministry run a newspaper advertorial where it insisted that under the existing BASA with the United Arab Emirates, the Emirates and Etihad airlines had enough landing slots to expand to Kano, and so they “do not need any extra approvals from the minister.”
Speaking to Daily Trust on the issue, a member of the House Aviation committee Rep. Mukhtari Mohammed Ciromawa (PDP, Kano), said the committee had submitted its report to the House but he did not disclose the contents.
Reacting to the inability of the aviation ministry to fulfill its promise, Kano-based industrialist and international businessman, Alhaji Sa’idu Adahama, said they will continue to appeal to the minister to keep to her word.
He said allowing the foreign airlines to come to Kano “is not a favour, but a right for the development of the economy of northern Nigeria.”
He said the minister’s announcement had been received by the business community as a “booster” because going to Lagos to connect flights was a great burden to them.
“The abandonment of Kano airport is really harmful to the economy of Kano and northern Nigeria which has already deteriorated,” he said.
“If we have to import things by air, we can’t import them to Kano airport, we have to import them to Lagos or in some cases to Abuja before they come to Kano at an extra cost.”

http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/index.php/top-stories/53772-fg-keeps-emirates-turkish-out-of-kano-despite-minister-s-pledge-nobody-stops-them-ministry
Re: FG Keeps Emirates, Turkish Out Of Kano - ...despite Minister’s Pledge - Nobody S by ARROBA(m): 11:38pm On Apr 02, 2013
Don't blame the minister...with the level of insecurity in Kano, which airline will like to fly their.
Re: FG Keeps Emirates, Turkish Out Of Kano - ...despite Minister’s Pledge - Nobody S by kabarancy(f): 1:30am On Apr 03, 2013
Some people are fools .do u guys think deep,y before posting in this forum?who created d insecurity u taking about in d first place?where d u think is safe in this country?kidnapping and robbery in south east,kidnapping of oil workers,oil bunkers in d south south,deadly armed robbery and kidnaping in d south west.so where else d u think is safe in d country?stop deceiving your self man and face d reality...,,,,,,,,no any fucking place that is safe in Nigeria..........,,,Nigerians are no longer safe in their cities,villages,roads,working places,homes and even rooms.ical, on u to p,s think deeply before making or posting a meaningless and baseless comment.
Re: FG Keeps Emirates, Turkish Out Of Kano - ...despite Minister’s Pledge - Nobody S by naijaking1: 2:40am On Apr 03, 2013
Oh the minister must be taught a lesson: never disrespect the NORTH!
She must 'bring foreign airlines to Kano, sharp sharp!
Even if she has to drive, sorry, fly the airplanes to Kano herslf, it must be done, oh. The north wants it so!
We have no time to waste, the woman must bring foreign airlines to Kano, now.

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