The Vice President for Sales in Africa, at Airbus, Hadi Akoum, has announced that the European multinational aerospace corporation is enthusiastic about collaborating with the Nigerian aviation sector to enhance the operations of local airlines in the country.
This was revealed in a letter to the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, according to Nairametrics.
Akoum noted that the Minister’s recent visit to the Airbus facility in Toulouse, France, along with a delegation of government officials and airline executives, propelled the corporation’s enthusiasm to support the Nigerian aviation sector, enabling local airlines to cater for their market effectively.
The letter read in part, “At Airbus, we believe Nigerian airlines should cater for their market, hence we are enthusiastic about continuing our partnership with Nigeria to support the growth and development of its aviation sector.”
Furthermore, Akoum said that Airbus will take note of the proposals put forward by the Keyamo-led Nigerian delegation during their visit to France in the next few weeks. In particular, these proposals aim to facilitate access to foreign currency for Local Airlines acquiring new aircraft and to resolve the requirement for airlines to obtain local insurance for foreign-financed aircraft.
In the letter, it is noted that this approach would advance the common interests of Nigeria and Airbus by encouraging Nigerian air transport to take advantage of state-of-the-art eco-friendly aircraft while reducing operating costs for local airlines and minimizing environmental impacts.
Recall, it was reported that Festus Keyamo led a delegation of government officials and local airline executives to France for a four-day Nigeria-France Bilateral Business Forum, aimed at promoting cooperation and attracting French private sector investment to improve Nigeria’s aviation infrastructure.
The delegation visited Airbus facilities in Toulouse, France, to negotiate the terms for the provision of Airbus aircraft at very low cost to local airline operators in Nigeria.
