Nigeria's Ebonyi State government has secured all necessary licences to operate a state-owned airline, Ebonyi Air, with an aircraft already procured and expected to commence operations on completion of final documentation, the state's commissioner for aviation and transport technology, Ngozi Obichukwu, announced on social media.
According to Nigeria's Daily Post newspaper, Obichukwu disclosed this at Ebonyi Chuba Okadigbo International Airport on February 3, stating that the creation of the airline was not politically driven.
She explained that the carrier's as-yet-undisclosed aircraft is not currently stationed at Ebonyi because the state lacks hangar facilities. Cargo and domestic and international passenger flights will commence once all outstanding documentation is finalised, she said, assuring residents that the state government would deliver on its plans without delay.
Obichukwu also confirmed that the airport is fully licensed for flight activities, with modern runway lighting enabling safe night operations.
"You will see cargo flights here. You will see commercial flights here. You will see domestic and international. They will all be here by the grace of God," she was quoted as saying by The Daily Times newspaper.
Obichukwu previously said that Ebonyi Air would avoid leasing and aimed to operate with 60-seater in-house aircraft.
In July 2024, the Ebonyi State government first disclosed plans to procure four aircraft for its own start-up to make optimal use of the new Ebonyi Chuba airport in the state capital, Abakiliki. The airport's 3.5-kilometre runway has been rehabilitated for NGN20 billion naira (USD14.65 million).
