Nigeria Air: Hadi Sirika say Air Nigeria go start April 2022, e go succeed wia odas fail?

Nigeria Air: Hadi Sirika say Air Nigeria go start April 2022

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Air Nigeria bin shut down in 2012 shortly after Richard Branson pull out of one joint venture.

Federal Executive Council don approve April 2022 as di take-off date of Air Nigeria, di proposed new national carrier.

Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika make di announcement on Wednesday afta FEC Meeting wey President Muhammadu Buhari, bin chair for Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Na private company go run di national carrier, Nigeria Federal Ministry of Aviation tok for statement.

But goment go hold 5% share, Nigerian entrepreneurs go hold 46%, di statement add.

While di remaining 49% go dey reserved for strategic equity partners wey dey neva assign yet, including foreign investors. E tok.

Oga Sirika say di national carrier, wen e begin operations, go create about 70,000 jobs for Nigerians.

Dis no be di first time di goment dey set out wit dis kain ambition.

Air Nigeria bin shut down in 2012 shortly after Richard Branson pull out of one joint venture.

Di kwesion now na weda Nigeria Air go succeed wia odas don fail?

Recall say na for December 2018 e suppose first take off but dem suspend di project for September dat same year afta e launch for Farnborough Air Show for London in July 2018.

Now dis go be di Nigerian goment fouth attempt at a national carrier.

Di Nigerian goment estimate say dia initial capital for di airline go range between $150m and $300m in di first few years of operation.

Dem dey hope to raise di money through private sector partner wey dem never identify yet.

Di original Nigerian Airways collapse for 2003 and one 2004 joint venture wit billionaire Richard Branson dem name Virgin Nigeria shut down shortly after e pull out five years later because of mismanagement.

Tori be say For 2004, one group of Nigeria investors and Virgin Atlantic Airways, wey ogbonge British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson own bin join hand create one new national carrier wey im name be Virgin Nigeria.

Nigeria Air: Hadi Sirika say Air Nigeria go start April 2022

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Nigeria Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika, na former pilot-turned-senator-turned-minister.

Sir Branson bin commot bodi for 2010, sake of say politicians and regulators dey chook mouth for dia.

Now, Nigeria Air plan na to take off wit 15 leased aircraft.

But dem plan to own 30 planes within three to four years flying to 81 domestic, regional and international destinations.

Di restart of di Nigerian flag carrier follow similar actions by goments of Uganda and Tanzania as well as several oda kontris.

Africa largest airline by revenue and profit, Ethiopian Airlines still dey fly, but who know wetin go happun now wey fight-fight dey shake di kontri.

Di Ethiopian national carrier, wey already own minority stake for Malawi Airlines, bin plan to re-launch Zambia equivalent, new airline in Mozambique as well as smaller offshoots for Djibouti, Chad, and Equatorial Guinea.

Nigeria Air dey hope to follow di flight path of Ethiopian Airlines wey dia growth and profitability don pass dia own projections.

However, competitors Kenya Airways and South African Airways still dey struggle to stay afloat.

Nigeria Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika, na former pilot-turned-senator-turned-minister.

So, may be Sirika experience on di job (as a pilot) fit play better role, dat one dey yet to be seen.

So weda Nigeria Air go succeed wia odas don fail, na time and political will go tell.

Nigeria Air: Rich man fit meet poor man – Hadi Sirika
The British Broadcasting Corporation