The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) says about 30 out of the 150 private jets in the country are America registered.
A representative of the Director General of NCAA, Bello Akinola who disclosed this at the Murtala Mohammad Airport, Ikeja during the formal unveiling of Santos Aviation in Nigeria by representatives of the United States Federal Aviation Administration said the coming of Santos Aviation into the country’s aviation sector was a very big business for Nigerians, adding that jet owners always carry out their interior refurbishing in Canada, South Africa and America.
“We have facility but only for maintenance. It is a good thing for us in Nigeria, it will save us a lot of money from capital flight.”
Akinola noted that with the company in the country, more jobs will be created which will lead to more business for the youths.
“We so appreciate it. Thanks for 7 star global and Santos for bringing this to Nigeria. For FAA, we have been a partner for long. We want them to support too as it has been in the past. So, there are many companies too who want to seek FAA approval.”
The President of Santos Aviation limited, Segun Adesanya said the company specialized in the provision of maintenance and interior refurbishing services to both government and privately owned aircraft.
According to Adesanya, agents and employees of Santos aviation have professional and technical licenses issued by the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States and the licenses gave their staff eligibility to provide similar services on American made and registered aircraft.
Adesanya revealed that agents and employees of Santos have provided exceptional services on the US government owned aircraft, disclosing that they were presently negotiating with one of the leading Nigerian operators for the provision of services on aircraft interior refurbishing.
“Based on our knowledge and experience in the aviation industry, it is our opinion that this sector of the Nigerian economy has a lot of potential for growth. We are aware of the recent steps taken by the Federal Government of Nigeria and some state governments that will boost the growth of the sector .”
Santos Aviation Limited is a new entrant into the Nigeria aviation industry and intends to create employment for hundreds Nigerian youths and reduce capital flight.
Engr Isaac David Balami, Chief Executive of 7-Stars Global hangar said the unveiling of Santos aviation an outfit specialized in aircraft interior furnishing, will solve the problem of Nigerian aircraft owners from going abroad to have their aircraft interiors refurbished, saving money for the airlines.
According to Balami, over 100, 000 dollars will be saved annually by local airlines when carrying out interior refurbishing locally and 7- Stars global will work together with Santos aviation to give airlines value for their money with quality sourced materials overseas.
“It is a huge relief, it is going to create jobs, it will increase safety and also the comfort of our passengers,” he said.
Balami noted that with 7-Stars global hangar, working together with Santos Aviation, airlines from other West Africa countries will be attracted to Nigeria for patronage.
He commended the NCAA for being supportive of the project saying that over 50% of aircraft in the country came in from the United States.
Source: albinuschiedu.com
