Nigeria Air: FG plan to start National carrier airline wit rented planes – Hadi Sirika

Nigeria Air: FG plan to start National carrier airline wit rented planes - Hadi Sirika

BBC

Minister of Aviation don assure Nigerians say di new national carrier, Nigeria Air go stand kakaraka wen e start operation for April 2022.

Hadi Sirika say dem go start di airline wit three rented aircraft (alias wet lease) from oda operators (wey be leasing company) most likely from Europe.

Dis go be di arrangement pending wen di owner of di business begin di order new planes.

Oga Sirika say di road map of Nigeria Air na to also set up leasing company as part of di airline – wen dem start operations.

Tori be say Nigeria at di moment no get any indigenous company wey dey rent aircraft.

Di Nigerian goment minister wey reveal dis one to tori pipo for Abuja, say to go buy new aircraft go take time.

And e go take six months to train Nigerian workers like pilots, engineers and oda experts to manage di business, e add.

Capt. Tilmann Gabriel wey be di Transaction Adviser on national Carrier, add say dis three rented aircraft fit come from most likely Europe.

Sirika say to avoid di delay and ensure say dem meet di April deadline, dem gatz rent di aircraft from leasing company.

Im add say di airline go acquire 30 aircrafts in total over a period.

But di owners of di business fit decide to increase di number of di plane in di future, di federal minister add.

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

Di minister say di goment no go get step-in rights and control di management of Nigeria Air wen e take off for April 2022.

Goment go hold 5% share, Nigerian entrepreneurs go hold 46% while foreign investors go get 49% and Nigerians go buy into di business wen dem buy shares od airline

E further explain give say even though Nigeria get five percent share for di business, di main concern of goment na to develop scheme wey go encourage investors to put dia moni for di business.

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.

How renting of aircraft dey work?

Aviation sabi pesin, Tilmann Gabriel wey be adviser to di project say e dey difficult for new airline to buy dia own planes immediately and dat di best tin na to use rented plane.

Professor Gabriel wey join aviation minister for press briefing, explain to tori pipo di structure and operation of di airline.

E say wit di wet leasing arrangement, di leasing company na dem go supply di aircraft plus crew members to run di Airline until dem train pipo to do di job.

Di reason for dis leasing arrangement na to reduce di finanacial burden of buying new airlines plus to get opportunity to use beta plane.

Oga Gabriel explain give say since di coronavirus, plane dey ground boku wey leasing companies dem get for di Nigeria Air to take opportunity of instead of buying new ones.

By di wet arrangement, di leasing company na dem go maintain and get insurance cover for di operation while di owner of di business go cover di airport fees, buy fuel and pay oda duties and tax.

Oga Gabriel also yarn give say di airline go dey managed by interim management and dem go be expert not necessarily from Nigerian.

But di adviser on di project say competent Nigerians go get first consideration.

“Competent Nigerians go get first consideration for employment for Nigeria Air’

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

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

Nigeria Air: Wetin dey for local investors

Di minister further explain give say di 46 percent wey Nigerian entrepreneurs go hold 46% dem go buy like shares and dat Nigerians gat ready to take advantage of di offer.

Hadi Sirika also say di goment don allocate 12 thousand hectres to build a maintenance facility for airplanes for di kontri for Abuja.

Sirika say dis dey important sake of say e dey very expensive to fly plane to outside kontri to go do maintenance.

E explain say di cost range from 250 thousand dollars and to fly am back, na the same amount.

Nigeria Air: Di National airline resurrection background

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.