Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno says the state’s maiden international flight from the Victor Attah International Airport to Accra, will help position the state as a tourism hub for West, Central and Southern Africa.

Speaking on Sunday immediately after the return trip to Uyo from Accra, the governor said the state is building a sustainable economy around tourism through strategic aviation expansion.

“We are priming our state as the tourism hub of our region from air, land and sea. We are meeting our benchmarks and our targets and we are sure we will get there. Today we are strategically building an economy around tourism,” he said.

He said the Accra route and other planned connections will strengthen Akwa Ibom’s position as a preferred destination.

“This maiden flight and subsequent flights to designated destinations across the West, Central and Southern Africa will help position us as a destination of choice,” he said.

The governor said the state has also invested in human capital to support its aviation and tourism ecosystem, noting that local professionals are being trained to meet long-term needs.

“So far to manage this ecosystem we have developed human capital. Just this afternoon we had the privilege of being flown by co-pilot that this state trained among the 20 pilots that were trained in Toulouse,” he said.

He added that 20 pilots and 20 engineers have already been trained, with 10 more currently studying at Ethiopian Aviation University.

“20 pilots, 20 engineers and currently there are 10 that are in the Ethiopian Aeronautical University all from Akwa Ibom state. This is to build capacity for the days and the years ahead.

“We will continue to develop this human capital to meet our specific needs not just for Ibom Air but even for the management of this ecosystem,” he said.

Governor Eno also outlined completed infrastructure projects within the aviation ecosystem, saying they support the state’s tourism ambition.

“So far we have 10 projects that we have done within this aviation ecosystem from the completion of this new hub to the second runway to the apron, the aviation village, the hospital, the security surveillance system, the entire construction of the fence around the perimeters of the airport, among others.

“This is a promise I made and I’m glad that by the grace of God this promise has been realized today,” he said.

He also highlighted the quality of infrastructure at the airport terminal, describing it as comparable to leading global facilities.

“This terminal is to say the least one of the best of its kind anywhere. Someone told me the other day that the ambience reminds him of the famed John F Kennedy International Airport in New York City.

“We have spent no expense to make this terminal a true marvel of beauty to behold and we should all be very proud of ourselves as a people,” he said. (AriseNews TV)

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