The Chief Executive Officer of British Airways (BA), Mr. Keith Williams, yesterday offered to partner the Federal Government to help it develop the country’s aviation sector and its transformation agenda.

Williams stated this while fielding questions from journalists after a closed door meeting with the Vice-President, Namadi Sambo, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He described Nigeria as an important market for British Airways, saying the company had operated in Nigeria for 76 years.

“The transformation programme has to grow the economy and British Airways is an airline that supports the growth of that economy through air travels.

“So, as the Nigeria’s economy grows, British Airways will grow with Nigeria.

“British Airways has served Nigeria now for 76 years and we get a great partnership with Nigeria which has been a long one and an important one and it will always continue to be an important one and the British Airways supports that,” the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the British Airways chief as saying to journalists.

According to him, Nigeria has huge domestic and international markets for the growth of aviation industry and BA will explore the market for the general good of Nigeria and airline. “Nigeria is a huge important country with a huge population. It has got important trade flows and the airlines need to support those important trade flows either through Nigerian airlines or International airlines,” Williams said.

He expressed satisfaction with the way and manner the aviation sector was being managed in Nigeria.

He, however, said that Nigeria needed to build its domestic and regional aviation industry.

Williams described the ongoing merger activities between world leading airlines as a welcome development for the global growth of the aviation industry.

Source : abdas.org