… AHOUN says move geared to forcing down cost of air ticket
FLYADEAL, a Saudi Arabia-based private international airline, has made a debut in the Nigerian Aviation industry, with the inauguration of fourthnightly-chartered flight into three airports in the country.
The airline which has made the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), one of its global destinations, will also be operating into the Namadi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, and the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, in Lagos.
Speaking exclusively to BusinessDay, while receiving inaugural aircraft of the airline into Kano, on Monday, Sabitu Abdulaziz Mohammed, deputy president, Umrah, Association for Hajj and Umrah Operators of Nigeria, (AHOUN), northern region, said that coming of the airline was one of the initiatives of his association aimed at crashing the exorbitant prices of flights in the country.
Apart from stimulating reduction in the price of flight tickets, he said that the commencement of the operations of the airline, will also help scale up competition in the aviation industry in the country, as it will increase number of international airlines flying the Kano route.
“The inauguration of the airline is another milestone in the history of aviation in Northern Nigeria. The region has been suffering for quite a long time because of insufficiency and scarcity of aircrafts that are convoying our passengers, most especially, those that usually go to the Holy Land in Saudi -Arabia.
“We started this arrangement with different airlines, for all most five years now, but to God be the glory, we are able to go into contract with this airline, FLYADEAL, the airline, is a Saudi based airline, with its head-office in Rayadi, and they are operating into different parts of the world.
“In the last two years, like, we were able to sign an MoU with them, under the umbrella of our association that they will start operating their aircraft mainly for our members, they going to be flying into three airports, into Abuja, Lagos, and Kano, respectively.
“To God be the glory we have started Umrah operations with them, the arrangement with them is that the flight will be coming on chartered basics every two weeks, in conformity with the rule and regulations of Saudi Arabia.
Read also: Unruly passengers: A threat to aviation safety, security
“Now that they have introduced new policy that all intending Umrah passengers, should be traveling to Umrah for religious purposes, not for leisure tourism, so they set aside a system that we should be going in groups, and come back in groups, and reside in the same Hotels, and the same transport system we be arranged for us, so that is why we aligned with the airline.
“And, our arrangement since we begin this operations, is that it is going to be a continuous operations, the airline will be coming to Kano, every two weeks, up till the time of Ramdan, and we are planning for the Hajj operations as well, and one of the remarkable thing that we enjoy is that, by introducing this new aircraft into the region, automatically the price of airline ticket for the route will be crashed down, so this is a remarkable achievement.
Apart from the price reduction of tickets for Umrah and Hajj that the coming of the airline will bring, as I told you earlier, the Saudi Authorities have introduced a new policy that they want all the intending Umrah pilgrims to go to Saudi in groups, and going in groups, and coming back in groups, it will enable us have control, total control, we can have the number, concern number of the people going for Umrah, and by setting a competition, the exorbitant prices of air tickets will also go down.
“With the introduction of the aircraft, It is going to increase availability, as another available flight is being added, and our hope is that by God `s grace is that, after this successful Hajj and Umrah, we are going to explore other destinations, we are going to be the general sale agent of this aircraft, whereby, passengers going to other destinations, even Europe, because they also fly routes in Europe, will be patronizing the airline, to us this is a remarkable achievement”, Sabitu explained
Also, speaking to BusinessDay, on the sidelines of the inaugural flight, Shehu Wada Sagagi, Kano state commissioner for trade, Investment, and Industry, said that the commencement of the operations by the airline in Kano was a welcome development.
“As a government we distaste monopoly, and we are duty bound to encourage competition, so, we see the commencement of the airline `s operation in Kano, as a welcome development, as it will enable air passengers in the state to get value for money.
“I am very happy with the flight, and I have spoken with the passengers that came with the maiden flight and they told me that they are very happy with the crew, the other cabin staffs treated them in the course of the flight, and that they had a very smooth flight.
“We are not limiting our activity to just this airline, we want more and more airlines, be it local and international to patronize Kano airport. We are also very glad that the airline has made Kano, one of its global destinations, His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Kano state, Engineer Abba Kabiru Yusuf is very happy with that move, that is why when he heard about this inaugural flight.
“That is why he asked me to come and represent him, and to assure them the management of the airline that he is ready to give them all the necessary corporation. Definitely, it is going to be a win-win situation for the airline, the Kano state government, and for the business people that facilitated the coming of the company. We can assure them that Kano people are going to patronize this airline”, the commissioner stated.
