Yesterday, Mr. Festus Keyamo, SAN, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, announced that the Ekiti State Agro-Allied International Cargo Airport in Ado-Ekiti will soon be prepared for full commercial operations. Shortly after seeing the airport’s facilities with state Governor Biodun Oyebanji and a few other high-ranking government officials, the minister told reporters this.

Keyamo stated that the airport was 99.5% finished, confirming that full commercial operations would shortly start. The minister also revealed that the runway, which was of international quality, was sufficiently comparable to airports in the developed world because it had an apron big enough to park a lot of 737 small-body aircraft.

Ekiti Agro-Allied International Cargo Airport is 99.5% prepared for full commercial operations, as I stated yesterday. You have undoubtedly noticed that we have walked around.These are the prerequisites for an airport’s launch. You already have the tower, the fire station, the navigational equipment, and all of the security equipment set up.We have a runway that meets international standards. The apron’s size is clearly evident; it can accommodate numerous 737s with narrow bodies. Many slender bodies are able to anchor here. Ekiti is therefore prepared for the world as it is today.

And the governor’s enthusiasm for this initiative is demonstrated by the fact that he has invested a great deal of energy and money since taking office. The last step is to get the aviation regulatory bodies to issue the required approvals. “The reason Aviation 001 had to land here was so that I could demonstrate to the world that it is now safe to land. It proves that I trust the facilities available to the general public. The minister said that the commercial plane will begin arriving at any moment.

Oyebanji, in his comment, expressed appreciation to the Aviation Minister, Aare Afe Babalola, and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for making the dreams of the founding fathers and the entire Ekiti people come to reality with their unwavering support towards the completion of the airport project.

Oyebanji, who could not hide his excitement at the current status of the airport, said it spoke to the alignment of vision of the immediate past governor of the state, Dr Kayode Fayemi, who started the project, and that of the current administration, describing it as part of the numerous gains of continuity.

The governor also stated that the state economy stood to benefit a lot from the project as jobs would be created through agriculture, commerce, and tourism as well as added value to properties in the area because of the anticipated inflow of traffic in the area.

“Now that the Honourable Minister has landed here, it is a stamp of authority that the airport is ready for non-scheduled flight. So, anybody that has a chattered flight can fly into this place without any fear, and very soon commercial flight operations would commence.

“It is a dual-purpose airport, it’s going to serve agro-allied products as well as commercial passengers,” Oyebanji stated.