"No Local Airline": Keyamo Speaks on Scrapping Nigeria Air to Float Proper National Carrier
- Nigeria’s minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development has opened up on the choice of a Nigerian national carrier
- He said he has no plans to nominate a national carrier, although he said that it is setting up "a proper national carrier"
- The minister also stated that the previous deal with the former aviation minister was not in the best interests of the country
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Legit.ng journalist Zainab Iwayemi has over three years of experience covering the Economy, Technology, and Capital Market.
Festus Keyamo, the minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, has said that no local airline will be designated as the Nigerian national carrier or flag carrier.
Source: Getty Images
He said this during a television interview on Channels TV's Politics Today on Wednesday, January 31, 2024.
Wikipedia defined a flag carrier as a transport company, such as an airline or shipping company, that, being locally registered in a given sovereign state, enjoys preferential rights or privileges accorded by the government for international operations.
Proper national carrier in place of national carrier
Keyamo noted that it would be unjust to designate one regional airline as the nation's flag carrier in lieu of the other regional airlines that do business in the country.
He said his ministry is already setting up "a proper national carrier."
He said:
“I will push for one (national carrier) and am working on one. Let me say this publicly now: no local airline will be a national or flag carrier. So, whoever thinks I am working to promote one to be a flag carrier, I am saying it as a matter of policy, it will be unfair to all the local operators.”
“No local airline will be designated a national carrier; I will not do it. We will establish a proper national carrier, and people are talking to us, the Arabs are talking to us, the Chinese are talking to us, the Americans are talking to us on this already.”
Nigeria Air as a national carrier
Recall that the establishment of Nigeria Air as a national carrier was controversial when Hadi Sirika, Keyamo's predecessor, announced it.
Keyamo maintained that the deal was not in the country's best interests.
The minister questioned why the former minister had selected the agreement with Ethiopian Airlines when other offers were on the table.
He said:
“There were better deals on the table, why did we settle for this or why are we trying to settle for this? We have better deals on the table.
“It was not a deal that was good for Nigeria. The whole composition and the totality of that deal was merely Ethiopian Air flying a Nigerian flag; it was not a national carrier.
“There is a national carrier and a flag carrier. So, why we were thinking a national carrier was coming, it was not a national carrier; it was a foreign airline trying to fly the Nigerian flag.”
The minister added that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was looking into the controversial Nigeria Air agreement.
New airline NG Eagle commences flights in Nigeria
Legit.ng earlier reported that NG Eagle Airline recently launched its services, marking a significant advancement for the Nigerian aviation industry.
The commencement of the airline's operations, as revealed in a statement by its managing director, Capt. A.E. Dare aims to enhance connectivity and convenience for travellers.
He added that the airline hopes to address the gap in domestic travel by offering cost-effective fares and providing passengers with high-quality services.
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Source: Legit.ng
