From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, has said the new national carrier, Nigeria Air, may commence operation by the first quarter of 2022.
He stated this while addressing State House Correspondents after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja, yesterday.
Sirika described a national carrier for the country as a long overdue project assuring that the proposed private sector-run airline would bring down the cost of air tickets when it starts operation. He said the carrier would be viable and potentially poised to cater for millions of travellers in Nigeria and Africa.
The minister said the COVID-19 pandemic had forced the postponement of the establishment of the national carrier initially planned for the end of 2021. He said the Federal Ministry of Aviation would return to FEC in two weeks to submit a memo with an outline business case for the approval of the national airline. The minister had announced at the Farnborough Air Show in the UK in 2018 the formation of the new airline, but two months later, in September 2018, the Federal Government suspended the project.