The federal government of Nigeria has confirmed Ethiopian Airlines as the technical partner and core investor for the establishment of the planned Nigerian national carrier, Nigeria Air, according to Nigerian newspaper, ThisDay.
Nigeria Air was first announced four years ago in the summer of 2018 at the Farnborough Air Show in the UK, but the plan was suspended in November 2018. Fast forward to 2022, and the carrier is once again on the radar, with several players, including Qatar Airways, rumoured to have been lining up to run the new operation, reports Simple Flying.
In June, the airline received its Air Transport Licence from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, a precursor to the Air Operator Certificate. The next step was finding a partner to run the airline, which is now reportedly completed with Ethiopian Airlines' appointment.
The deal is a private-public partnership. Ethiopian’s share looks to be 49%, 5% will be owned by the Nigerian government and the balance by private Nigerian shareholders. According to Simple Flying, Ethiopian is sticking to its policy of not investing cash into a new airline business, rather providing technical expertise, equipment and management skills. Ethiopian is widely regarded as the best-run airline in Africa.
A start date for Nigeria Air is yet to be announced.
