Foreign airlines free to operate in and out of our international airport – FG

Federal Government has said foreign airlines are free to operate into and out of the country’s international airports.

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Dr Ibrahim Kana, said this in Lagos at an event held to mark Ethiopian Airlines, ET, inaugural second daily flight from Addis Ababa Bole International Airport to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos.

Kana also pledged the ministry’s commitment to ensuring that MMIA becomes a hub, saying that vision would soon be achieved.

Speaking on ET’s inaugural second daily flight, he said: “We see Ethiopia as part of Nigeria, and Nigeria as part of Ethiopia. Therefore, for Ethiopian Airlines to fly out and into Nigeria and requesting for an increase in frequency at any point in time, we shall grant them that approval. I am personally happy that today, we have 14 flights a week getting out of Lagos and coming into Lagos. I think we can only ask for more.

“For us in Nigeria and the Ministry of Aviation, our dream is to see that Lagos becomes a hub and, in no distant future, I can guarantee that. All other airlines that want to fly into Nigeria are welcomed. Ethiopian Airlines is challengeable. Lagos welcomes everyone. We have Abuja, Enugu, Port Harcourt and Kano airports. They are wide open for all international airlines to fly in and out of Nigeria.”

Meanwhile, Area Manager of Ethiopian Airlines in Nigeria, Firiehiwot Mekonnen, who spoke at the event, said: “The arriving flight from Addis Ababa came with 114 passengers in Economy and 1 passenger in Business Class. The full load shows Nigerians’ love and support for Ethiopian Airlines.

“Ethiopian Airlines has been serving Nigeria since independence in 1960, which will mark our uninterrupted and committed operation to Nigeria 65 years in November 2025, and there will be a big celebration to mark this.”