Ethiopian Airlines commends FG on rehabilitation of runway

Ethiopian Airlines on Thursday commended the Federal Government for the successful rehabilitation of the runway of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

Solomon Begashaw, General Manager, Ethiopian Airlines Nigeria, gave the commendation at a joint briefing with Singapore Tourism Board and Changi Airport in Lagos.

Begashaw noted that the decision of the government to close the Abuja airport for six weeks to repair its runway was a courageous move that had yielded a positive result.

He said, “We want to commend President Muhammadu Buhari, the Minister of State, Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika and the entire country for the successful completion of the runway.

“We are very happy for the support we gave to the country and being one of the airlines that diverted our operations to the Kaduna Airport during the six weeks period.”

Begashaw said it was the joy of the airline to connect the African continent together and beyond.

He announced that Ethiopian Airlines would start flight operations to Singapore from June 1, as part of its expansion plans of connecting Nigeria and other African countries to South East Asia.

According to him, Nigerians from Abuja, Lagos, Kano and Enugu can now travel to Singapore via Addis Ababa five times weekly.

He said the flights would be operated under a code-share agreement with Singapore Airlines and would give Nigerians the chance to explore the opportunities abounding in the Asian country.

Also speaking, Mohammed Abdulsalam, Area Director, Middle East and Africa, Singapore Tourism Board, said the board was very keen on attracting more Nigerians to Singapore.

He noted that despite having a population of 5.5 million, Singapore was able to attract 16.4 million tourists in 2016 due to its enormous tourism potential.