Aircraft furnishing company, Santos Aviation Ltd has been unveiled to save local airlines the cost of ferrying their equipment abroad for interior refurbishing.
Speaking at the event held at the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, the chief executive officer of 7-Stars Global Hangar, Mr. Isaac Balami said the company would save Nigerian airlines over $100, 000 annually for carrying out interior aircraft refurbishing locally.
He said 7- Stars will ll work with Santos to give airlines value for their money.
“It is a huge relief; it is going to create jobs for Nigerians and reduce capital flight,” he added.
He also said 7-Stars working with Santos will attract patronage of airlines from other West Africa countries.
He commended the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) for supporting the project.
Inhis remarks, a representative of the director general of NCAA, Mr. Bello Akinola described as “a big business” Santos’ entry into the country’s aviation sector.
Akinola stated that out of 150 private jets operating in Nigeria about 30 are American-registered
He said private jet owners always carry out interior refurbishing of their aircraft in Canada, South Africa and America
“We have a facility but only for maintenance. It is a good thing for us in Nigeria; it will save us a lot of money from capital flight,” he said.
“We so appreciate it, thanks for 7-Star Global and Santos for bringing this to Nigeria. For the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), we have been a partner for long; we want them to support us…there are many companies which want to seek FAA approval,” he added.
For his part, the president of Santos, Mr. Segun Adesanya explained that the company specialises in the provision of maintenance and interior refurbishing services to both government and privately owned aircraft.
He said agents and employees of Santos have professional and technical licences issued by the American FAA.
He added that the licences make their staff eligible to provide similar services on American made and registered aircraft.
Adesanya also disclosed that agents and employees of Santos have provided exceptional services on the US government-owned aircraft.
He also said Santos was negotiating with one of the leading Nigerian operators for aircraft interior refurbishing service.
“Based on our knowledge and experience in the aviation industry, it is our opinion that this sector of the Nigerian economy has a lot of potential for growth.
“We are aware of the recent steps taken by the federal government and some state governments that will boost the growth of the sector,” he said.
