Allen Onyema, chief executive officer (CEO) of Air Peace, says the ease of doing business in the aviation sector is back.
Speaking during an interview on Arise television on Sunday, Onyema attributed the improvement to the efforts made by President Bola Tinubu and Festus Keyamo, the minister of aviation.
This comes weeks after the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) commended the policies of Keyamo, saying “he has a listening ear”.
“I told Mr. President when he invited me for Easter that the ease of doing business in the aviation sector has come back, thanks to the kind of appointments you made. Festus Keyamo is nothing short of awesome. Keyamo is causing a revolution,” Onyema said.
“I told Mr. president that at the end of the day, you will celebrate making this guy your aviation minister. Festus Keyamo has been in the trenches out there trying to get this thing sorted.”
Onyema defended Keyamo from critics who questioned his involvement in aviation matters when he was appointed, attributing much of the progress in the sector to his efforts.
“When he was appointed, people said what is a lawyer doing in aviation. You don’t have to be an aviator to run a successful aviation ministry. Look at what he is doing. He listens, he studies and he learns,” he said.
Onyema commended Tinubu for overseeing the signing of the Cape Town treaty, a move expected to boost the capacity of local airlines.
He said the Nigerian aviation sector has encountered various challenges, particularly regarding capacity issues, applauding the local airlines for the progress made despite the obstacles.
“Thanks to President Bola Tinubu, What he has done is nothing short of revolution. This is revolution, nothing short of revolution. It has never happened before to us,” he said.
“Midwifing the signing of this practice direction, he has kind of helped the airlines, the local airlines now to up their capacity.
“People have been talking about lack of capacity in the industry, but I give it to the Nigerian airlines. These airlines have been doing so well, considering the challenges, considering the circumstances they found themselves.
“Kudos to president Bola Tinubu, who mandated Keyamo to do this. We are very grateful to Keyamo. And one thing I like about this minister is that he listens.”
The Air Peace CEO said with the treaty’s signing, the aircraft leasing market will now start leasing more aircraft to Nigeria.
On September 12, the federal government signed the Cape Town Convention (CTC) practice direction to enable domestic airline operators to access aircraft on dry lease.
Keyamo said had the move would revolutionise airline business in Nigeria, boost investors’ confidence, and make it easier for local airlines to acquire aircraft at significantly lower costs.
Keyamo, on August 29, announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Boeing to facilitate the acquisition of modern aircraft.