•Enugu State governor, Peter Mbah
Governor Peter Mbah has given specific reasons why his administration launched an airline, Enugu Air.
The airline started off with three Embraer aircraft with routes beginning with Enugu to Abuja to Lagos, reports The Nation.
The governor said one of the reasons was for young people in the state, who would now see real career paths in aviation, logistics, tourism, and hospitality industry.
Mbah, who spoke during the launch and inaugural flight of Enugu Air yesterday at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, added that the airline was also meant for the state’s business community, who need faster, more reliable access to markets, clients, and capital.
The launch, he further stated, was, “For our diaspora, who deserve simpler, more dignified access to home.
“For global investors, who will now see Enugu not as a hidden gem, but as a ready gateway to collaboration and opportunity”.
Mbah, who expressed happiness at the fruitful launch of the airline, stated that Enugu Air had “given more wings to our dreams. And today, we take that first flight together – a giant leap for Enugu State; a gold standard for government and private partnership”.
While stating that the airline is more than just infrastructure, Mbah described it as an economic enabler, a job creator and a strategic platform for Enugu’s emergence as a regional hub for the South East, Nigeria and beyond.
“We’re starting off with three Embraer aircraft – efficient elegant birds made for our terrain. Our routes begin with a powerful golden triangle: Enugu to Abuja to Lagos. From there, we stretch our wings to Port Harcourt, Owerri, Benin, Kano, and across various other cities.
“But we are not stopping there. In the next phase, we will fly beyond Nigeria, into other African countries, China, Europe, UK, US, and other global business hubs.
“Enugu is home to one of Nigeria’s largest clusters of tertiary institutions.
For too long, our graduates dreamed of an aviation career with no clear pathway. That era is over.
“Our aviation strategy is pivotal to economic growth, supporting tourism and hospitality, and attracting over 3 million visitors into Enugu annually.
“This transportation revolution is creating numerous opportunities: from bus drivers to technicians, logistics workers.
“We are building an entire ecosystem that will create over 20,000 jobs across BRT, 2,000 hybrid city taxis, airport operations, ride-hailing and support services.
“A people as gifted, resourceful, and resilient as ours deserve a system that works – and moves. No economy can grow if it cannot move.
“There’s a saying that the economy walks on roads, flies on wings, and sails through ports. But here in Enugu, we don’t just say it – we are building it.
“Transportation is the lifeblood of any thriving society. It is the artery through which the energy of commerce flows.
“Like blood carries nutrients through the body, transport connects every vital organ of society – people to opportunities, goods to market, and dreams to reality – by road, air, or rail.
“Enugu Air (operated by XEJet)is no flight of fancy. It’s among the many connecting dots on a large canvas, highlighting our dreams, giving clarity and conviction to our defining goals: Achieving 7-fold GDP growth, and reducing poverty to the barest minimum.
“When we say Enugu State is open for business, it is not a hollow platitude. Moments like this lend credence to that bold claim,” he said.
