The Federal Government announced on Wednesday that Nigeria Air, the country’s national carrier, would arrive on Friday, May 26, 2023.
Hadi Sirika, Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, announced this yesterday during a Channel Television program.
Sirika stated that President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration was committed and determined to stay on course, and she insisted that the aviation roadmap was fully implemented.
Sirika assuaged concerns about the National Carrier’s viability during the Buhari administration by stating that the project would take off before Monday.
On the question of Nigeria Air, on Friday in two days, Nigeria Air plane will land in Nigeria as part of the processes to commence operation. We will on that day unveil this aircraft, the livery and everything in Nigeria’s colours, belong to Nigeria Air, and we will proceed to go and do the retrofit and bring back those aeroplanes, the Aviation Minister said on the TV programme.
Some speculate that the said plane has already been painted in Nigeria Air colors and will arrive from Ethiopian Airlines for the proposed test flight.
However, it is unclear whether the airline will be cleared to begin operations or demonstration flights as part of the requirement to secure the Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC), amid industry concern about an alleged move by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to waive some requirements to allow the airline to take off.
In addition, the order of perpetual injunction issued against the airline in the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) suit has yet to be set aside, and the substantive motion challenging the shareholding structure has yet to be heard.
Earlier, the House Committee on Aviation, through its Chairman, Nnolim Nnaji, warned Sirika against undermining the NCAA’s authority in its push to get the airline flying by May 29, advising him to leave the matter to the incoming government.
While the airline has been granted an Air Transport License (ATL), which is a prerequisite for obtaining an AOC, it still has a long way to go in meeting the rigorous requirements of an AOC, particularly the requirement of 50-hour demonstration flights for any intending carrier.