Cross River State’s Cally Air

“Even if I, as the governor, am late for boarding by one minute, the planes have to shut their doors and leave me on the ground. It is a commitment that I give that no one single Cross Riverian will have the right to keep this aircraft on the ground for one second. Leave as soon as it’s due. What I want is Cally on the dot,”
– Governor Ben Ayade

Cally Air, Cross River State commercial airliner, (the dream began in 2016), actually made its maiden landing at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International airport, Abuja, on Thursday, 15 July 2021.

That day, Governor of Cross River State, Ben Ayade, said with eclat: “This is the beginning of Cross River state’s emancipation and complete decoupling from dependence on the federal government. My strong conviction is that Cally Air is the beginning of the privatization process of actually creating a private sector that never existed before. It is also the beginning of creating an alternative economy that never existed in Cross River state”.

Ayade further said that the Cally Air reality was, according to a Leadership report, a strong message that sub-nationals could actually become fully independent, observing that the Airliner was “going to increase passenger traffic to Cross River state and the Obudu international airport which he disclosed would be completed by December, 2021.”

He added: “Let the people know today that anything your mind conceives can be achieved. Cally Air will also be flying Obudu and Obudu cattle ranch will have its huge traffic.

The CallyAir Boeing 737-300, as reported further by Leadership, comes with special GPS system, “best of its kind in use, and state-of-the-art communication system. It is the most successful aircraft type in the Boeing history and is renowned for having the highest safety record.”