Cross River State-owned airline, Cally Air, managed by Aero, has resumed flight operations at Margaret Ekpo International Airport, to address the increasing air traffic to the state.
Receiving the Boeing 737 – 5N BYR Plane, Tuesday at the Margaret Ekpo International Airport, Calabar, the State Governor, Sen Bassey Otu commended his predecessor, Sen. Ben Ayade for initiating Cally Air and putting Cross River on the aviation map, saying with the 32-day nonstop fun to begin on November 30, the two planes have been made to fly from Lagos and Abuja, respectively, to Calabar.
“We have about three aircraft that would be joining the fleet in no distant time,” Otu promised, adding that “Calabar has been an international airport and we want to raise it to that standard.”
“Permit me to thank officials of the Ministry of Aviation and the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) for making it possible that flight, very soon, would be landing here by 9 pm. The lighting is being restored and the airport is returning to total functionality to exist as an international airport, he remarked.
The governor used the opportunity to welcome investors and fun seekers into the State, while calling on them to explore the option of Cally Aero as the plan to visit Cross River for business or leisure, saying, “To all our guests, we are expecting all of you from December 1. By the time the festival is on, one can only imagine what the temperature is going to be like.
“I want to thank Aero Contractors, our partner in this business. We have agreed to build even stronger and to make sure that this partnership becomes a very viable business for the state.
Also speaking, the Chief Executive Officer of Aero Contractors, Captain Ado Sanusi, lauded the vision of Governor Otu for graciously approving the return of services of both aircraft to Calabar, describing him as a man “poised to promote tourism and repositioning Cross River into an economically viable state.”
“Now, the two aircraft are flying and we will cover the Carnival Calabar International Festival edition of ‘Season of Sweetness’ fully. We thank His Excellency for his visionary leadership in allowing us to achieve this aim. We thank the Almighty God for the privilege to be part of this success story,” the CEO said.
While calling on air travelers to patronize Aero Cally, Sanusi informed that the State-owned aircraft operate the most pocket-friendly airfares in the country.
(Government House Press Calabar)
