The Chairman of United Nigeria Airlines (UNA), Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, has been conferred with a gold medal award by the Institute of Nigerian Aeronautical Engineers (INAE), in recognition of the airline’s safety culture, capacity building and rapid growth despite a turbulent economic climate.

A statement by the Communications Department of UNA said that the award, presented by the National President of INAE, Dr Charles Ebitei at the International Conference Fellowship Conferment, held in Lagos earlier in the week, is reserved for individuals whose work has significantly advanced the field of aeronautical engineering.

In his comment, Ebitei said the recognition reflected a shared commitment to advancing safety standards, modernising infrastructure and building indigenous engineering capacity, priorities the institute said aligned closely with UNA’s ideologies.

He also explained that the council was appreciative of the airline’s internship programme for aeronautical engineering students, describing it as a quiet but impactful contribution to grooming the next generation of talent.

Ebitel further commended the airline’s rigorous safety culture and its role in inspiring resilience and professionalism within Nigeria’s aviation workforce, despite the difficult operating environment.

According to the institute, these efforts were helping to build the kind of specialised engineering capacity the aviation industry needed to optimise aircraft performance, cut the high costs associated with maintenance and secure long-term sustainability for Nigerian carriers.

In his comment, Okonkwo said he was honoured for steering UNA’s rapid expansion in the five years since its inception, especially at a time of a global economic downturn as a result of Covid-19 pandemic.

Okonkwo was represented at the ceremony by the airline’s Director of Continuing Airworthiness, Alex Iheuwa, and the Chief Pilot, Joan Obasi-Ibraheem.

He said: “This recognition is a validation of the United Nigeria Airline’s founding philosophy. The recognition affirmed everything we have worked for over the years to build, which is an operation rooted in safety and sustained investment in capacity.”

Apart from UNA, Arik Air and Xejet were also honoured by the institute.

Also, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development and the Director-General, Civil Aviation, Festus Keyamo and Chris Najomo, respectively, were conferred with honorary fellowships of the institute.

INAE is a division of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), and it is regulated by the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN).