LAGOS – Professor Obiora Okonkwo, the Founder of United Nigeria Airlines (UNA), on Wednesday said that President Bola Tinubu’s forex policy has impacted local operations positively and improved operations.

Okonkwo said this at an event to mark the airline’s fourth anniversary in Abuja.

According to Okonkwo, the policy brought some relief to operators and the domestication of the Cape Town Convention Agreement also helped to reduce cost of operations in the industry.

“I think that the foreign policy of the Tinubu administration has been of tremendous advantage to the airline industry.

“Before he came into power, it was a nightmare for us to be able to convert naira to foreign currencies to pay our obligations. We lost a whole lot of contracts.

‘We lost a lot of vendors. Because you have your money stuck in naira in the bank, and you do not get the forex that you need. You can not even go and help yourself somewhere,” he said.

Okonkwo, commending the president for his transformative policies said that paying trapped foreign Airlines’ funds opened up a new window for better relationships.

According to him, that improved our reputation and integrity in the international aviation industry.

Okonkwo also said that these policies and the new practice direction had helped to reduce the many burdens on domestic operators.

He, however, pointed out that operators biggest challenge were unruly passengers, who tend to react for no justifiable reason, beating up staff or destroying properties.

“The passengers whom we strive day and night to service and please are the same people who will turn around and become unruly for no just reason.

“They overemphasised the issues of delays. Delays happen in any part of the world but we need to work together with the press to educate the travelling public about their rights and obligations.

“We know what we owe them as operators, we overbend ourselves as operators to please them. We often do beyond what local flight operators do in any part of the world to satisfy our passengers,” he said.

He also reiterated the call for the government to create a window for airlines to access funds at a reduced rate and the need to reduce multiple charges.

He also hinted that multiple charges by government agencies in the country’s aviation sector was grappling operations but called on the Federal Government to urgently address the challenge.

“One thing that will help the growth of this industry will be for the government to develop the programme that will give the window access to local operators to a single-digit loan.

“Charges needs to be cut down, the operators pay different agencies of government, in all they are about twenty.

“The margin of this business is very low and if you have to meet all those charges to Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Nigerian Airspace Management Authority, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, you are left with nothing,” he said.

According to Okonkwo, it is difficult competing with their counterparts globally who have access to loans at 3.5 per cent interest rate.

The Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Airline, Mazi Osita Okonkwo said that the airline had opened more routes across the country stating that it has added Benin, Kano and Sokoto on its route.

Okonkwo said that UNA recently renewed its certificate while plans are at an advanced stage for commencement of its regional and international operations.

He said the airline’s engineers achieved a feat never witnessed in the industry by changing its aircraft landing and nose gears without any foreign assistance.

The ED added that its fleet expansion drive had yielded acquisition of some new planes while the airline plans to operate to 25 destinations by 2026.