By Sade Williams
All things being equal, Nigeria’s aviation industry will welcome a new carrier, K-Impex Airlines, which is targeting what its promoters see as opportunities in the country’s domestic cargo transportation business.
Although it is preparing to begin operations in the first quarter of 2022 with scheduled passenger, cargo and charter flights across the country, Abel Ozigi, its managing director, said it would operate local cargo aiming to airlift perishable and non perishable goods.
The attraction driving this strategy is driven by what Ozigi said were the insecurity and decaying road infrastructure that have made the transportation of goods and services by road very difficult and unfashionable.
Abel Ozigi, managing director, K-Impex Airlines
The airline is now shopping for the model of aircraft of between 15 to 20 tonnes capacity to develop the local cargo operations, Ozigi said, adding that he was personally concerned about the huge losses being incurred by distributors of perishable goods resulting from frequent accidents and attacks by bandits on highways. The airline’s planned freight services would eliminate such unforeseen circumstances, he assured.
“The initiative, I believe, will equally ensure that perishable items are delivered fresh to consumers. It will eradicate delays and multiple taxations incurred by distributors who usually pay rates from state to state as they truck their goods,” said Ozigi.
The chief executive would not be drawn into naming the type of aircraft model the airline is procuring for its planned different operations it is mulling, but said: “We are quite aware of the implications of using the right model of aircraft for domestic operations, so we are ordering the most suitable airplanes for our local and regional operations.”
The managing director further disclosed that K-Impex Airline would start operations locally but would eventually extend to regional routes within the first six months.
The airline, according to him, is targeting to start with four airplanes for scheduled operations, two twelve seaters for charter and one freighter by the first quarter of 2022.
