To say that the maiden international flight from the Akanu Ibiam Airport, Enugu, was a successful one is to state the obvious. For Ethiopian Airlines, which this afternoon made history as the first to operate international commercial flights to and from the airport, it was a bumper harvest as it departed for Addis Ababa with 153 passengers.

The out-bound flight capped a memorable day that began with the touching down of the same aircraft from Addis Ababa to mark the beginning of commercial international flight operations in the South-East of Nigeria in fulfillment of the promise made to Ndigbo by President Goodluck Jonathan while seeking their votes for the 2011 presidential ballot.

As reported earlier by News Express, among those on board the in-bound flight were Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu and Enugu State Governor Sullivan Chime. Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, Governors Peter Obi of Anambra, Martin Elechi of Ebonyi and Theodore Orji of Abia were there live to welcome the flight but Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha was nowhere to be seen.

Other dignitaries present included the minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah; Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo; and Health, Dr. Onyebuchi Chukwu.

It was jubilation galore as the aircraft arrived and as it departed. The development is expected to usher in a new era of economic development for the South-East.