The federal government on Friday unveiled the Nigeria Air, the national carrier, during a ceremony in the country’s capital city, Abuja.
The event took place at the airline’s operational hub, located at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) in Abuja.
The minister of aviation, Hadi Sirika, expressed his enthusiasm about the partnership with the Ethiopian Airlines (ET) consortium, which is the preferred bidder for Nigeria Air.
He emphasized that this collaboration will bridge the markets of the two nations.
Sirika announced that a demonstration flight is in the pipeline as part of the pre-operational procedures.
He highlighted the importance of this venture, saying, “This is one infrastructure that has been missing in general aviation in the dynamics of the country; the airline that is equal to the size of dynamics of the market in Nigeria for its geography and fortune.”
The minister also clarified that Nigeria Air Limited, a lawful entity in Nigeria, is born from the partnership between entrepreneurs from both Nigeria and the Ethiopian Airline consortium.
According to Sirika, the airline aims to expand its fleet to 35 aircraft over the next five years, with more planes expected to arrive soon.
“It is envisaged that it will hit the 35 aircraft mark but you do not come in one day to dump the airplanes and you don’t come in one day and start going to London. It is a gradual process and the aircraft will be coming one after another,” he explained.
The minister emphasized that Nigeria Air is primarily private sector-led with the government holding only a 5% stake. He also hinted at a potential sale of this stake to the public at some point in the future.
Regarding the airline’s initial operations, Sirika confirmed that local flights would commence first.
He also shared, “It is a Boeing 737 capacity aircraft”.