Umza Xpress (Umza Aviation Services) has invested five aircraft in Aero Contractors, and one of the aircraft has been delivered to Aero in Abuja.
The first aircraft arrived from Canada to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on Thursday. The additional four more Q400 are being expected.
The new investments into Aero, is part of Aero’s several strategies to rre-commence scheduled flight operations. Recall Aero has suspended schedules flight operations in response to the current harsh operating environment in the aviation industry.
Speaking to newsmen shortly after taking delivery of the aircraft, Captain Abdullahi Mahmud, the MD/CEO of Aero Contractors said “this is part of our recovery strategies since most of our aircraft is undergoing maintenance and we want to make sure that when we are coming back as we promised, we come back very strong.”
He said Umza’s investment is “a strategic business alliance” that we see both companies share in the profits the aircraft will make.
“If you look at the aircraft, it is not like a wet lease because is a Nigerian registered aircraft, so it is our crew that are going to operate it. Our pilots, cabin crew are going to operate it. We have finished signing the agreement with them. There are five aircraft coming in and this is the first” he said.
“We are getting prepared to resume operation as soon as possible. I don’t want to give exact date that we are resuming but we are going to resume as soon as possible. So, we are working day in day out because we don’t want to rush coming back” he noted.
Hon..Mahammed Abubakar, the owner of Umza Express said the decision to invest in Aero is strategic.
“We are diversifying to aviation despite the troubling situation because some people have to take the risk. So, we are taking the risk” he said.
He said the aircraft to be brought are “all Q400 because of the prevailing time and issue of fuel and the rest, I think it is the best for now because of the fuel efficiency.”
He said the is not about the profit but how they can also add value to the Industry.
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