…Second State-Owned Aircraft to Arrive Soon
Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has presented a state-of-the-art firefighting truck to the Bayelsa International Airport, assuring that the equipment would significantly strengthen safety and emergency response operations at the facility.
The 2026-model firefighting truck, procured from Germany, was formally handed over to the Managing Director of the Bayelsa International Airport, Air Vice Marshal Nelson Calmday (retd.), at the Government House, Yenagoa, on Thursday.
Diri said the modern equipment represented a major investment in the safety and operational efficiency of the airport.
The governor, while expressing confidence in the capability of the truck, said its sophisticated appearance could easily be mistaken for military equipment by an untrained observer.
“To those of us not technically inclined, we would have taken this to be some kind of war equipment. Seeing it from the ordinary eyes, you would not actually believe that it is a firefighting equipment.
“I know we have the best of the state-of-the-art firefighting truck.”
He said the equipment would enhance the airport’s emergency response capacity and contribute to safer flight operations.
Receiving the truck on behalf of the airport, Calmday said the facility had previously lacked an adequate water tanker for firefighting operations, prompting management to seek the governor’s intervention.
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He said Diri went beyond the request by providing the airport with a modern 2026 firefighting truck.
According to him, the airport has two fire tenders, but one had become unserviceable, creating the need for additional firefighting capacity.
Calmday explained that the newly acquired truck was superior to a conventional water tanker, as it carries considerably larger quantities of water and firefighting foam, making it more effective in responding to airport emergencies.
Second Aircraft To Arrive Soon
Meanwhile, Calmday disclosed that the delivery of the state’s second aircraft had been delayed by the procurement and installation of its main landing gear.
He said the aircraft would be flown from Morocco to Nigeria as soon as the installation was completed.
The aircraft, an ATR 72-600, is similar to the first aircraft acquired by the state and is expected to be delivered to Pioneer Airlines, the operator of the state-owned aircraft.
Calmday expressed optimism that the second aircraft would arrive soon, further strengthening Bayelsa’s aviation operations and connectivity.
