Activities were temporarily stop at the Enugu Akanu Ibiam International Airport, as the latest passenger plane Boeing 787, 900 series belonging to Ethiopian Airlines landed at the airport on Saturday.
Passengers at the airport had expressed delight at the berthing of the aircraft, said to be less than two months ago.
The 350 passenger aircraft flown from Addis Ababa by Captain Mulatu Abebe landed at the Enugu airport at about 11.30 am amid cheers from residents who gathered to welcome the flight. It is the first time the two months old plane was landing on Nigerian soil.
Enugu State governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, who was full of smiles while receiving crew members and passengers that boarded the aircraft, said his administration would continue to partner the airline to make their stay conducive in the state.
He stated that the target of the government was to ensure that more international flights come into the state, stressing that since the start of the operation of the airline in Enugu, more passengers are trooping to travel through the state.
“This is not the target, this is a small plane compared to what we are expecting to be landing in this airport. We expect bigger plans and more aircrafts to be landing. I know Ethiopian will say it is a competition, but no matter the number of plane landing here, we still have enough passengers because a lot of people want to travel from Enugu. It is more convenience for us instead of going through Abuja or Lagos”, Ugwuanyi, who was represented at the occasion by his Special Adviser, Special Duties, Uwakwe Azikwe said.
Anglican Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Rev Emmanuel Chukwuma, urged southeast and south-south businessmen to use the opportunity provided by the latest aircraft to boost their businesses and warned against acts that could compromise security and integrity of the airport.
Ethiopian Airline’s Traffic and Sales Manager, Ato Biniam Addisu said the airline operates in more than 100 destinations all over the world, adding that it presently has several aircrafts and considers Nigeria as its second largest market.
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