The Executive 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.
The award, presented by the national president of INAE, Dr. Ebitei Charles, at the International Conference Fellowship Conferment which held in Lagos on Wednesday, is reserved for individuals whose work has significantly advanced the field of aeronautical engineering.
The Institute said Okonkwo was honoured for steering UNA’s rapid expansion in the five years since its inception, especially at a time there was a global economic downturn as a result of covid-19.
Though, Prof. Okonkwo was not present to receive the award in person, he was represented by the airline’s Director of Continuing Airworthiness, Alex Iheuwa, and the Chief Pilot, Capt. Joan Obasi-Ibraheem.
Ebitei said the recognition reflects a shared commitment to advancing safety standards, modernising infrastructure, and building indigenous engineering capacity, priorities the institute says align closely with UNA’s own.
