Federal Govt unveils national carrier, Nigeria Air

The federal government of Nigeria has unveiled the controversial national carrier, Nigeria Air, less than three days before the inauguration of a new administration.

The national carrier aircraft was unveiled by the Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport premises in Abuja on Friday.

“When we came in 2015, we knew what to do. We commissioned consultants to give us a brief of what the sector would be…,” the minister said while addressing journalists at the airport.

He said the airline was an investment between entrepreneurs in Nigeria and an Ethiopian consortium.

The minister had hinted in March that the national carrier would commence operation before the swearing-in of a new administration on 29 May.

“Operation of local and international flights will commence soon. Before the end of this administration, before May 29, we will fly,” Mr Sirika said.

National Carrier

Nigeria Air, the nation’s proposed national carrier, was unveiled at the Farnborough Air Show in England on 18 July 2018.

The project was suspended two months after being announced as critics raised concerns over its relevance and sustainability.

The proposed airline was expected to gulp $8.8 million in preliminary cost and $300 million as take-off cost.

The national carrier idea was raised many years after Nigeria’s defunct carrier, Nigeria Airways, collapsed due to corruption and poor management.

READ ALSO: Aviation minister insists Nigerian Air will commence operation before May 29

Last July, the Federal Executive Council approved the leasing of three aircraft to enable the airline to commence operations.

In September last year, Mr Sirika said at a press briefing in Abuja that Ethiopian Airlines emerged as a core investor in Nigeria Air with a 49 per cent shareholding. This led to the suit filed by local airline operators, who say they can manage Nigerian Air better than a foreign airline.