Nigeria Air will commence operation before May 29 – FG

The Federal Government says the new national carrier, Nigeria Air, will commence operation before the end of the current administration on May 29.

Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, disclosed this in Abuja on Thursday.

He spoke amid worry about a lingering court case instituted against the project by airline operators of Nigeria.

Sirika gave the assurances during the National Aviation Stakeholders Forum 2023.

He said the Federal Government was already taking measures to overcome the hurdles introduced by the indigenous airlines.

According to him, the project is 98 per cent completed.

“All of the road map items except, perhaps the airline, which in my opinion is at 98 per cent completion, and we will fly within the remaining two months by the grace of God,” the minister said.

“We will also finish the concessions. So, all those things we said we would do when we came in, we did them.”

The minister described as unfair the action of the local airlines, adding that the Buhari government had supported local airlines more than all previous governments.
He accused them of constituting a stumbling block to the actualisation of the national carrier expected to generate new jobs and better opportunities in the industry.

He said the Nigerian Aviation industry is the only one in the world where qualified pilots are without jobs.

He said 50 pilots had come to him complaining about their unemployment status, adding that the national carrier should be able to employ more pilots and create other job opportunities.

He said Ethiopian Airlines, the offered bidder for the national carrier, is highly competent and profitable enough to add value to the Nigerian aviation sector.