"FG Asks Us To Paint Our Aircraft": Ethiopian Airlines Reveals Full Details on Nigeria Air Deal
- Ethiopian Airlines has finally reacted to several accusations on the Nigeria Air deal and its roles in the controversial launch
- The airline has also expressed its willingness to assist the Nigerian government in creating a robust national carrier
- Festus Keyamo, the aviation minister, recently ordered the suspension of the Nigeria Air project
Ethiopian Airlines (ET) management has denied misconduct allegations in the Nigeria Air national carrier deal.
Mesfin Tasew, the Chief Executive Officer of Ethiopian Airlines, stated that their primary role was to establish a strong national flag carrier.
Source: UGC
He also refuted claims that former Nigerian Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika paid Ethiopian Airlines billions to provide an aircraft repainted with the Nigerian Air logo for the launch at Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja, just days before the previous administration's exit.
The Sun reports that the CEO explained that Nigeria Air management requested Ethiopian Airlines to provide an aircraft painted in the Nigerian Air logo to facilitate the Air Operators Certificate (AOC), to which it agreed to paint its aircraft in the Nigerian logo and flew to Abuja for demonstration.
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His words:
“In May of 2022, a request came from the Nigerian government, asking ET to participate in a bid and help the government to set up a Nigerian flag carrier.
"Initially, we didn’t want to go into that, we said we had initiatives in other countries, and we were busy, but the Nigerian government insisted that ET is an African airline and it has to help it set up the national carrier. We had to respect the government, and we couldn’t say we would not help.
We submitted a proposal and we received the letter from the then minister of aviation saying that ET has been selected to be a partner to set up Nigeria Air. We said okay and the Nigerian government wanted only five percent share to ensure that they have a presence in the airline."
He also revealed that Ethiopian Airlines was ready to pull out of the deal, but the Nigerian government insisted.
"We engaged in numerous discussions and reached an agreement. However, while we were in the process of preparing the shareholder agreement, we learned that certain companies in Nigeria, including airlines, were raising objections to the establishment of the airline. They were also tarnishing the reputation of both the government and ET.
"At that point, we contemplated the possibility of withdrawing from the project since it seemed that neither the government nor the Nigerian people supported it. Yet, the Nigerian government insisted that this was a strategic matter for Nigeria and urged us to continue. Subsequently, a group of individuals initiated legal proceedings, obtaining a court order, and we found ourselves compelled to defend our position in court. As of now, the legal matter remains unresolved.
"The establishment of Nigeria Air had already begun before we became involved, and they had initiated the process for the Air Operators Certificate (AOC). When we joined the effort, our role primarily involved restructuring the ownership."
Tasew further clarified that they intended to provide support, not undermine Nigerian airlines.
He also revealed plans to establish an aviation academy and a Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) facility to bolster the aviation industry in Nigeria.
Ethiopian Airlines removes Nigeria Air painting from aircraft, resumes carrying passengers, live tracker shows.
Legit.ng earlier reported that Ethiopian Airlines removed the Nigeria Air painting from the aircraft initially unveiled as part of Nigeria Air's fleet.
According to a live tracker, Ethiopian Airlines uses the same aircraft for regular operations.
The aircraft, a Boeing 737-800, which has registration Number ET-APL, Mode S Q4005C, and serial number 40965/4075, was repainted and rebranded to represent Nigeria Air at the request of Nigeria's Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika.
Source: Legit.ng
