Nigeria Aviation Finally Launches New Carrier Amid ‘Long, Daunting’ Delay

Nigeria has launched its new airline, Nigeria air after the government was cleared by the Federal court to go ahead with its plan.

The carrier was unveiled just before the inauguration of Bola Tinubu as Nigeria’s new President on Monday May 29.

At the event held at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, Nigeria’s Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika said the unveiling is proof of the Federal Government’s commitment to putting in place infrastructures which are cardinal to the growth and development of any government.

The west African nation has been without a flag-carrier for a decade and its government announced plans in 2018 to re-establish a national airline.

In recent years, the country’s airline sector has been dominated by private operators.

After a lengthy selection process, Nigerian Government chose Ethiopian Airlines – the continent’s consistently most successful carrier.

But this angered the private sector and thy launched a lawsuit against the government to halt the plan.

After the legal wrangling, the Aviation Minister announced at a forum that the “Operation of local and international flights will commence soon. Before the end of the Buhari’s administration.

“Negotiation meetings with the Ethiopian Airlines Group Consortium and the Federal Government of Nigeria is ongoing. Next step: Federal Executive Council approval of the Full Business Case.”

The minister emphasized that the benefits Nigeria stands to derive from the establishment of the national carrier include reduced capital flight from Nigeria, maximization of the benefit of Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement (BASA) and Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) and development of an aviation hub.