Overland Airways has been commended for its consistency, uniqueness and on time departure over the years.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Aviation, Senator Adeyemi Smart who gave the commendation at the 25th Conference of the League of Airports and Aviation Correspondents LAAC in Lagos said, Overland is also one of the stable airline in the country according to his investigation.
He urged the management of the airline to keep up the good work for making the industry proud and never to allow the current challenges occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic to spoil its record of consistency and stability.
“In many occasions when I have the reason to take a look at the airlines I always talk of one unique airline, unique in the sense that to me, I stand to be corrected, I assume is one of the very consistent and stable airline in Nigeria and I do ask the experts that perhaps the kind of aircraft they use made it cheaper it made it easy to manage because they have been consistent within the routes they operate and this is the overland airline”.
He added, “When I was the NUJ President, I was based in Illorin and any weekend I come to Illorin and on Monday morning am at the airport and back to Abuja so it helped me a lot”.
Senator Smart said, aviation is key to the socio-economic development of a nation and one sector all must give support necessary to grow.
“I hold a strong view that whether the economy is depressed aviation is key and all efforts must be put in place to ensure that all efforts that is needed is provided for this industry there are so many reasons”.
The Senate Committee Chair, applauded the efforts being made by airlines operators to keep the industry and urged them to continue doing their best.
“I want to salute those of you who have been operating airlines and I hope that you will continue to give your best to our nation but for us, we would do all that is necessary”.
“If there is one sector or one agency of government that require palliative consistently, it is the aviation industry especially the airlines, it takes a man with a lion heart to go into the aviation industry”.
Senator Smart also salute the courage, professionalism and resilience of the Aviation Correspondents who have over two decades kept the industry on its toes and the path of growth and development through their reportage.
“There is no doubt that today, the aviation industry is far better than the way it was, there is no doubt about that and this is as a result of the role that is being played by our colleagues in this special arm of journalism. When you talk about the role of the journalists, the media in any specific area, we have been talking about how far they have been able to manage their professional responsibility and their social responsibility, their act of reporting is inter-woven with your social responsibility and am sure that this conference is part of what any committed arm of journalism should do, looking at the achievement of the past and coming out a vision for the industry so Mr. Chairman, I salute you and commend all members of the league”.
Mr Segun Koiki, Chairman, League of Airports and Aviation Correspondents LAAC; Captain Ibrahim Mshelia, Chairman, West Link Airlines and Chairman of the occasion and Engineer Akin Olateru, Commissioner/CEO, Accident Investigation Bureau representing Senator Hadi Sirika, Minister of Aviation at the 25th LAAC Annual Conference and Awards with the theme ‘Nigeria’s Aviation Industry: Management, Policy & Regulation’ held at Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos on Wednesday.
“The aviation industry is far better that the way it used to be, today we are proud of the modest achievements recorded and I want to commend all the directors general because your functions are interwoven and interlocking with each other, all the departments, all the agencies of aviation”.
On the six agencies bills before the National Assembly for review, Senator Smart promised that, on resumption of plenary, the committee would expedient action for passage into law.
“All the 6 bills have passed through the second reading and as soon as we resume, efforts will be made to ensure that we pass this bill into law so that, it will help to reform and to give us the kind of aviation industry we all require. We must work hand in hand to ensure that this industry is safe and secured and off course the National Assembly is doing all it can to give its support that is required all our side to the Ministry of Aviation”.
