FG unveils Nigeria Air, targets 35 aircraft in five years

The Federal Government on Friday unveiled the country’s national carrier, Nigeria Air, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

The aircraft for Nigeria Air landed at the airport earlier on Friday.

The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, who unveiled the national carrier at its operation centre located within the airport, said more aircraft would arrive in the country until the airline reaches the 35-aircraft mark in the next five years.

He said the partnership with Ethiopian Airlines would connect the market of both countries.

The airline operators in the country had in 2022 challenged the federal government’s decision to sell the shares of Nigeria Air to Ethiopian Airlines at the Federal High Court, Lagos.

Justice Lewis Alagoa on November 11 last year strained the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, and Sirika from implementing the proposed National Carrier Establishment Agreement between the federal government, Nigeria Air Limited, and Ethiopian Airlines.

READ ALSO: Nigeria Air plane lands at Abuja airport

The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) litigation slowed down the airline’s take-off.

Sirika said: “This is one infrastructure that has been missing in general aviation in dynamics of the country; the airline that is equal to the size of dynamics of the market in Nigeria for its geography and fortune. Indeed, we do need the kind of infrastructure that we are having today in the name of Nigeria Air Limited.

“This Nigeria Air Limited is obviously an entity known to Nigerian laws and the partnership between entrepreneurs in Nigeria and entrepreneurs in the Ethiopia Airline consortium.

“The consortium is a company belonging to many partners and it is a very long journey that we started in 2016 and ended up today.

“There were challenges but we did not allow them to make us lose focus and today we are here. We pray that it will be good for our country, its people, its future, and humanity.”

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