The Federal Government has unveiled a new Nigerian airline carrier called Nigeria Air.
This is to replace the now defunct Nigerian Airways which used to be the official Nigerian airline of choice before it went under.
The new airline was announced by the Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika on Wednesday at the Farnborough International Airshow in London.
Sirika also revealed the logo of the Nigerian airline at the airshow.
He stated that the National Carrier will be private sector driven and not a “social service”.
He also added: “This will be a National Carrier that is Private sector-led and driven.
“It is a business, not a social service. The government will not be involved in running it or deciding who runs it. The investors will have full responsibility for this”.
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Sirika also noted that the airline will be more geared towards the private sector and that not more than 5 percent of its shares will be owned by the Nigerian government.
He also revealed that the Nigerian Airline would be officially operational before the end of this year.
Sirika also spoke of the job-creating potential that the airline had saying: “We want to use this new private-sector-led airline to make a statement that, ‘Yes, Nigeria can do it!’ and we also want to promote our cultures and traditions. It will also create economic opportunities and jobs”.
He also stated that Nigeria Air is in negotiations as to what aircraft the airline will make use of.
“We’ve been talking to Airbus and Boeing (and they’re present at this event) regarding the aircraft for #NigeriaAir, and we will be making announcements very soon. We are currently negotiating”.