By DANIEL ETEGHE

The Federal Government has been charged to improve on the level of infrastructure in the nation’s airports and also step up the pace of work on the current remodelling exercise embarked upon by the Ministry of Aviation. The charge  was given by the Managing Director, West Africa, Lufthansa German Airlines and Swiss International, Claus Becker, on Thursday in Lagos.

Speaking at a press briefing to mark the airline’s 50 years of operating into the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, he said if the government is really interested in making the aviation industry viable  and growing the economy through the sector, it should be prepared to reduce the number of levies being charged in the sector.

According to him, reduction in the number of levies being charged by regulatory authorities in the aviation sector will help the operators to grow. He stated that the airline declared a profit of over 30 billion Euros in its group network and about 60 million Euros in the Nigerian aviation sector pointing out the airline could have made more profit but for the number of levies imposed by regulatory authorities in the sector.

“We all know that an efficient airport structure determines the success and the economical prosperity of the country. I think you are also committed as a country in putting this in place. And the minister of aviation is doing a great job of really supporting whatever is needed in order to implement these infrastructure in this country.

“But I can only say follow that path, continue to really support it because lowering taxes  is key to international airline market, and is key to supporting and strengthening infrastructure and finally bringing wealth and prosperity to the country. And I believe that is something which is well underway in the country. Building infrastructure and airlines being part of that is something very critical for the economic development of the country.”

He said the airline is committed to deploying its best personnel to the Nigerian market and delivering quality services to its customers in the country adding that the country is a strategic market for the Lufthansa Group.

He said the passenger traffic of the airline’s network has increased from 1.5 million passengers annually when it operated two services weekly from Nigeria, affirming that the group now transports over one hundred million passengers annually.