Lagos State has considered establishing an airline for passenger operations as it prepares to begin construction of its own airport in Lekki.
According to Arise News, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu disclosed the idea on Thursday during the Lagos West Senatorial District People’s Town Hall Meeting.
Sanwo-Olu said that the proposal had been in the pipeline for months, with the State already finalising the model for the project.
The Governor further stated that the airline’s operational contingency and approval from the federal government is still pending.
Citizens who attended the Town Hall meeting at the Balmoral Convention Centre on Sheraton Link Road, Ikeja, praised the initiative.
At the no-holds-barred meeting, Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, took the stage to solicit feedback from citizens, who posed difficult questions, applauded, and shared proposals for the future.
Sanwo-Olu listed initiatives and interventions done in Lagos West, noting that his administration had finished and opened 42 new road projects and two flyovers in the District, with the combined length of the infrastructure spanning over 72 kilometres.
He stated: “Over the previous five months, Mr. Deputy Governor and I have been working to develop a coherent strategy for the establishment of an airline, but we did not make the plan public due to the necessity to have adequate knowledge of airline operational procedures. The business model is viable, and there is no problem with finance.
“The conversation has progressed, but we need to gather more information about operations before moving forward with the proposal.
“In the Lagos West Senatorial District, infrastructure development has been a top focus since we took office. Over the last four years, we have built over 70 km of new roads and over two kilometres of bridges including the Pen-Cinema Bridge, Ikeja Flyover, and over 42 road we have completed in Alimosho, Ifako, Agege, Ikeja, Mushin, Amuwo Odofin and Badagry.”
According to the governor, there are also over 30 ongoing road projects which are at various stages of completion within the district.
Various stakeholders from the Lagos electorate attended the meeting, including civil society members, political party supporters, individuals with disabilities, youth activists, socio-cultural groups, craftsmen, traders, and religious leaders.
Members of the State Cabinet, leaders of the All Progressives Congress, and senatorial district Governance Advisory Council members were also in attendance.
