Martin Nwafor, the managing director of Chinua Achebe Airport, Umueri, Anambra, has called on airline operators using the airport to reconsider ticket pricing on the route.

Mr Nwafor made the call in an interview in Umueri, Anambra East council area on Wednesday. He said the differential pricing, which he described as prohibitive compared to nearby airports, was the major factor behind passenger apathy toward the route.

He said the airport currently operates eight flights every day with two service providers, adding that it could be more when it receives private jets that are non-scheduled.

Mr Nwafor also encouraged air transport passengers from Anambra and neighbouring states to use the airport to enjoy the cutting-edge facility and support its revenue base for greater transformation.

According to him, we need more flights, but the disparity in ticket pricing favours airports around here, which is essentially why they get more flights than us.

“For instance, while a ticket to a nearby airport is N115,000, it is as much as N200,000 here. It is discouraging people from coming to our airport,” he said.

Mr Nwafor said the Chinua Achebe Airport was aeronautically complete and fully functional, even though it lacked other necessary ancillary facilities such as hangars, shops, and malls that private investors could invest in.

He said the airport was over 90 per cent complete when it was inaugurated for commercial flight operations, adding that management had overcome some restrictions through continued improvement.

(NAN)