FG Launches Nigeria Air, Claiming Private Sector Control

Nigeria Air is a national carrier that has been announced by the Federal Government. At the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Friday, the ceremony was officiated by the minister of aviation, Hadi Sirika.

Within the following five years, Nigeria Air’s fleet is anticipated to grow to thirty aircraft. But so far, only one plane has arrived.

Senator Hadi Sirika insists that the national carrier will be run by the private sector, with the federal government owning just 5% of the company and private investors owning the other 95%.

49 percent of the new airline is owned by Ethiopian Airlines.

The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) had criticized the outgoing Sirika’s plans to start Nigeria Air’s operations despite a court ruling prohibiting it.

Attorneys for AON asked President Muhammadu Buhari in a letter to halt the ministry.

Sirika, though, is adamant that he did not transgress the court’s ruling. He claimed that domestic airlines were offered the chance to participate in the auction for the national carrier’s ownership, but none of them were up to grade.

Sirika informed reporters that Nigeria Air will begin operations when a second aircraft arrives, despite having earlier stated that it will do so on May 29, 2023. He did not, however, provide a specific arrival date for the second aircraft.

He added that Nigeria Air Limited has applied to the Civil Aviation Authority for an air transport license to run scheduled and unscheduled passenger and cargo services inside the airport.

Twenty years after Nigeria’s former national airline, Nigeria Airways, ceased operations, comes Nigeria Air.

However, the minister promised that the airline would survive.

Nigeria Air is aiming for an investment base of roughly $1 billion, according to the management of Ethiopian Airlines.

Lemma Gudeta, the airline’s chief commercial officer, assured Nigerians of the effectiveness of service delivery when Nigeria Air starts flying.