Nigeria Air to Start Operations in Q1 – Minister

Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika says the proposed flag carrier will receive its Air Operating Certificate within two weeks.

An AeroTime report quoted the minister as saying that the flag carrier represents an opportunity for the country’s aviation sector and for Africa in general.

He said, ‘Well, Nigeria Air will be launched soon. There is a process of establishing an airline and that process is directed by the CAA of Nigeria, the Nigerian civil aviation authority, and it goes through stages: stage one, two, three, four and five. Those processes have to happen. But before those processes take place, because it’s a private-public partnership, it has to go through the Infrastructure, Concession Regulatory Commission, starting with setting up a transactional advisory firm to make a business case and see if it’s a viable financeable project. . And that’s done. Of course it took about two years to do.

“So you have to study the market in at least two cycles. That happened, the outline business case was made, which looked very good, and was approved by the ICRC. Then it was taken to the Federal Executive Council, [where it was] also approved. And then, for now, we went to [the] public to invite to tenders for bidders, which is the tendering process.

He added: “In that procurement process, Nigeria Air eventually had Ethiopian Airlines as a partner with 49 percent, and then five percent is for the Government of Nigeria, and 46 percent’; Nigerian Entrepreneurs and Businesses. come together to own the rest. This would now be the structure of the airline.

Sirika further explained, saying the carrier would start this quarter.

He said: “Nigeria Air has applied for the air transport license issued and now they are applying for an AOC. I believe it should be able to get the AOC in a week from today, or within two weeks at the most. And that will be the beginning of the creation of the carrier itself[die dan kan beginnen met vliegen]. So the airline is on its way, and it will be soon. It will launch within this quarter, it will fly within this quarter and it will provide Nigeria with the service it has so far eluded.[whichcanthenbeginflying)SotheairlineisonitswayanditwillbesonItwillbelaunchedwithinthisquarteritwillbeflyingwithinthisquarteranditwillgiveNigeriatheservicethathasbeeneludingit”[whichcanthenbeginflying)SotheairlineisonitswayanditwillbesoonItwillbelaunchedwithinthisquarteritwillbeflyingwithinthisquarteranditwillgiveNigeriatheservicethathasbeeneludingit”