Governor Oyebanji received top officials of the Ekiti Airport facility Management company Management Limited led by the Managing Director, Christophe Penninck,

Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji, has restated the state government’s commitment to ensuring that the operations of the Ekiti Agro-Allied International Cargo Airport meet international standards in terms of facilities, safety, and management, in order to make it attractive for both local and international air travel.

This, he said, informed the decision of the state government to engage the services of a renowned Airport Facility Manager for the management and operation of the new airport ahead of the commencement of scheduled commercial flight operations.

Governor Oyebanji disclosed this in his office while receiving top officials of the Airport Facilities Management Company, AAC Management Limited, led by the Managing Director, Christophe Penninck, in Ado-Ekiti on Tuesday.

He said his administration had deliberately taken aviation as a major catalyst for growth and development in the bid to actualise the shared prosperity agenda of his government.

The Governor said his administration thinks that aviation would make a significant impact on the economy of Ekiti State, the Southwest region and Nigeria at large, adding that the State has done well to attract one of the very best hands in Nigeria to manage facilities at the airport and bring it to international standard.

The Governor commended the Managing Director of the facility management company on the guidance he had provided the state, which, according to him, had assisted the state in achieving certification with ease.

Government, he said, was not unmindful of the teething challenges in the smooth operation of the airport. He, however, assured that such challenges were being handled, including getting the BEDC to place the airport on the national grid as well as partnering with a private institution to link the airport with its Independent Power Plant (IPP).

Speaking further, Governor Oyebanji said he is excited to have the airport as a hub for Hajj and Christian pilgrimage operations, and said the state was making concerted efforts to ensure the Instrument Landing System (ILS) is installed at the airport before the end of the year for effective night operations.

On the airport road, Governor Oyebanji disclosed that the Federal Government had already awarded the road and that the contractor will soon commence work. He also disclosed that the ring road linking the airport road would be completed by June this year.

“For us as a government, we are desirous of doing well, we are desirous of attracting investors and tourists to the state. So, creating access through transportation is key. The conception of the airport during the last administration was a deliberate action aimed at making it a game changer to reposition the transportation system in the state.

“We believe that access to Ekiti state is key to our shared prosperity agenda, we don’t want an airport in name but one that meets all conditionality for 24 hours access and that is why whatever its going to cost us, we are going to put an ILS in place because for the airport to be competitive, we must put in that place standard facilities that every airline will want to land there.

“We will build the traffic, we’ve done our traffic studies, as of today, we have close to seven higher institutions in the state. We can also have passengers from parts of Kwara, Kogi, Osun and Ondo states. We are deliberate about our action and we know that very soon the airport will fulfil its potential, He said.

Christophe Penninck, the Managing Director of the Management outfit, in his remarks, assured that the airport had the potential for rapid growth as the state was aggressively attracting investors and industrialists into the state who will invariably need the services of the airport.

Penninck, who disclosed that the airport was already generating revenue for the state, stressed the need to motivate interested airlines to the airport, adding that he is desirous of ensuring that the airport makes a profit for the state as well as develop the ability to run itself.