Cally Air: Upheave Cross River State IGR fortune in challenging skies

David Peter | Calabar

Challenges facing the aviation sector notwithstanding, the Cross Rivers State Government, is set to sky rock its state-own airline.

Governor Ben Ayade, will be floating an airline, “Cally Air’’, the state government has completed plans to pilots its own airline as well as an airlifts line, as part of its tourism investment drive, efforts to increase revenue and lower dependence on federal allocation.

Governor Ayade acknowledge that, Cross River is creating a new platforms, new business opportunities that “will open a fresh horizon for young people to exploits”. He added, "it would increase the state Internally Generated Revenue and also generate employment opportunities for teaming unemployed youths in the state".

_David Peter Interviewing,_ Hon. Alhaji Hassan Tanimu, Chairman, Cross River State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, he expressed his galactic  efforts towards attaining the limelight of Cally air skyrocketing.

Alhaji Hassan speaking, "I, treasure the Executive Governor of Cross River State, His Excellency, Ben Ayade, for his intellectual capacity and industrial driven evidence to channel the state invest on aviation to help boost the state IGR as we are optimistic to launch  -Cally Air". 

Hassan said, "I have contacted the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria for an Airlift agreement to airlifts South South and South East Pilgrims to Saudi Arabia and the quarterly Umrah activities".

On the interview, David Peter further asked, "Are there specific routes that have already been penciled down as the airline resumes operation? _Hassan,  responded in the affirmative “Yes._

"Initially, Cally Air will ply to Lagos, Abuja and even weekly flight to Malabor and Yaounde as this will leg up the state revenue" He said.

The Governor, Ben Ayade, who's optimism that the  state will become an industrial hub and lodestone on tourism and investors as keen a strong interest in the Airlift of South South/South East Pilgrims.

The Acting Chairman, CRS Muslim Pilgrims, Tanimu Hassan, distinct that, he shared reasonable values with Engr. Goni, The Director of Aviation, NAHCON, were he already assured the Cross River State Government on the possibilities in reference to the interest as desired.

On the peak to foster, Cross River State IGR, Alhaji Hassan, spoke with Mohammed D. Musa, Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, to operate the Calabar airport for airlifts as an addition. Hassan was advised to inform His Excellency, Ben Ayade to discuss with Alhaji Yadudu, MD FAAN for an airlift as it will ameliorate the state IGR pending the completion of the Obudu International Airport" Yadudu said. 

The idea behind the tourists’ Programme (Calabar Carnival), South South and South East Pilgrims airlifts is to intensely market the state as the ideal destination for all tourism, social and corporate events, while also offering superior leisure activities. Cally Air is here to provide the much needed capacity, as well as ease of access to facilitate both the visitors and industrialisation programmes of the state.

With the airline now to be in place, the airport becomes hugely more viable, the MRO facility gets activated and Cross River State is well positioned to become the “centre of excellence” in the air transport industry in Nigeria.”

Justifying government’s decision to venture on  Bakassi Deep seaport- Maritime and Cally Airline, Professor Ayade reasoned that with the seaport trade and connectivity along the region, his administration is confident that the return on the investment would definitely be huge and contribute immensely to the budget of infinite transposition.