20101204
africanews

President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria says Nigeria is opening to the world with the increase in direct flights between the populous West African country and the United States.

''When I took office on the 6th of May, 2010, we had only one airline operating direct flights between Nigeria and the U.S...I have now been briefed that two airlines, Continental and United are to commence direct flights bringing the number of airlines connecting Nigeria direct from the U.S to 3.,'' President Jonathan said on his facebook fan page on Saturday.

''By the end of the year, persons wanting to visit Nigeria from the U.S can hop on direct flights from New York, Atlanta, Houston and Washington DC.''

He said the latest development was due to the improvements made in the nation's aviation sector with the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria Project (TRACON) and the Category 1 certification of Nigeria's airports.

Economic implication

President Jonathan said with the break through, government would earn billions of Naira in taxes and fees and Nigerian travellers will save billions annually in monies they would have spent on connecting flights to other countries en route to the U.S.

''These are funds that will now be ploughed back into the Nigerian economy to generate jobs and stimulate production,'' Janathan said.

According to the Nigerian leader ''this might appear to some to be a drop in the ocean, but remember that a country becomes great by consistently making progress in both small and big areas.''