The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has approved the commencement of non-scheduled flight operations beginning from December 15, 2024 at the Ekiti Agro-Allied International Cargo Airport in Ado Ekiti, the state capital.
The approval which was contained in a letter addressed to Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji, permits operations under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) for six months, between December 15, 2024 to June 15, 2025.
This development was contained in a statement issued by Oyebanji’s Special Adviser on Media, Yinka Oyebode.
The statement reads as follows, “This approval is a welcome development and a justification for the state’s investment in the airport project designed to boost Ekiti State’s socioeconomic development by making the state more readily accessible.
“The government of Ekiti State welcomes NCAA’s approval for the non-scheduled flight operation, which allows private jets and other chartered flights to land and take off from the airport between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. (or sunrise to sunset), preparatory to the final approval for commercial flight operations.”
It should be noted that most new airports initially receives approval for non-scheduled flight to address compliance issues before receiving full operational permits.
Recall that the state government had previously signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) and Service Level Agreements with federal aviation agencies to support the airport’s development.
Earlier this year, Oyebanji had assured stakeholders that the airport would become operational before the end of 2024.