The government of Cross River State has launched a State owned airline known as Cally Air.
The “one aircraft fleet airline” whose ownership has been subject of controversies in all public discuss amongst Cross River State people who claim it’s the sole property HE. Prof Ben Ayade has been dismissed by the Governor who allayed the fears the citizens by guarantying them that the aircraft belongs to Cross Riverians.
While explaning all issues surrounding the airline and how it’s going to operate, Governor Ayade said:
“Aero contractors knows that this aircraft is given to them for six months in the first instance strictly, because we do not have an AOC, which is the licence to run an airline business. We only have a licence for the aircraft”.
The Governor explanation which is published by him on his official Facebook page monitored by 9NEWS NIGERIA reads as follows:
“Cally Air belongs to Cross River State. No loan, no facilities were obtained and it is one hundred percent a property of the citizens of Cross River State”.
“I don’t own it, aero contractors does not own it. No one has a percentage share. The recruitment was done by aero contractors, but we have a responsibility to ensure that the sensitivity and ethnic differences in Cross River is reflected”.
“Aero contractors knows that this aircraft is given to them for six months in the first instance strictly, because we do not have an AOC, which is the licence to run an airline business. We only have a licence for the aircraft”.
“It takes six months for the licence to come and if we have to wait for the licence, we will be losing money, so that is why we had to start early, using aero contractors with over 56years of flying without any accident. So on the basis of safety, we made a choice of aero contractors and against that background, we will continue with them until Cally Air has its full management team and a full AOC. So after the AOC, we can now commence a full direct independent airline. For those who imagine that aero has a hand in the procurement of this aircraft, it is absolutely false. No one, except Cross River citizens own this aircraft”.
Ben Ayade assured Cross Riverians.
