Nigeria Air

Nigeria Air[1] was a proposed airline and flag carrier in Nigeria. The name and logo was unveiled at the Farnborough Air Show in the United Kingdom in July 2018.

Nigeria Air
IATA ICAO Callsign
- - -
FoundedJuly 2018 (2018-07)
Ceased operationsEarly 2019 (plans scrapped before starting operations)
HubsMurtala Muhammed International Airport Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport
Fleet size0
Destinations0

History

Nigeria Air was announced at the Farnborough Air Show in 2018.[2] Operations are expected to begin in December 2018.[3] Ethiopian Airlines will have a stake in the company. In 2017, the Nigerian government announced it will invest US$5 million in the venture. However, the Minister for State Aviation, Hadi Sirika, insists that the airline will be privately-operated. "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."[2] According to a tweet by Tolu Ogunlesi, a Nigerian government communications official, the government will not own more than 5% of the airline.[4]

Fleet

The Minister for State Aviation announced that the government is in negotiations with Airbus and Boeing to provide a fleet for the new national airline.[5]

Destinations

Nigeria has bilateral air service agreements (BASAs) with 70 countries; however, only 30 are operating at the moment. Since Arik Air and Med-View Airline terminated their long-haul operations, no Nigerian airlines have been operating long-haul flights.[3] The airline is looking at 81 potential destinations[4]. However, Group Captain John Ojikutu, an expert in Nigerian aviation, stated that operation to just 15 of the 30 countries with which Nigeria has functioning BASAs would be an adequate start.[3]

Suspension

Barely two months after its proposal, the Federal Government on September 19, 2018, announced the suspension of the Nigeria Air, describing the move as a tough decision[6].

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References
  1. Press, Fellow (2018-07-18). "Nigerian Govt announces NEW NAME of national carrier - Fellow Press". Fellow Press. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  2. AfricaNews. "Nigeria unveils name and logo of new national airline | Africanews". Africanews. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
  3. "Nigeria Air: Let them not make it a govt airline, Nigerians react". Punch Newspapers. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
  4. Crabtree, Justina (2018-07-18). "Nigeria launches national carrier that it hopes will fly to China and India". CNBC. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
  5. "Breaking : Nigeria national carrier is Nigeria Air - Vanguard News". Vanguard News. 2018-07-18. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
  6. Press, Fellow (2018-09-19). "National Carrier: Nigerian Govt suspends Nigeria Air - Fellow Press". Fellow Press. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
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