Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) has reported 18 Nigerian airlines have submitted their Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) restart funds´ application documents to restart airlines amid COVID-19 pandemic, the company said.
Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) is the umbrella body of the airlines.
Some of the airlines have not operated for more than two years and call to question the reason for government´s assistance to them. Analysts say many of them still hold valid Air Operator Certificates (AOC) that still qualifies them to be regarded as airlines.
The documents had been submitted to the AON secretariat and Max Air office in Abuja for onward transmission to the apex bank.
Airlines that have submitted their documents for CBN restart funds include Dornier Airlines, OAS Helicopters, Omniblu Aviation, Quorum, Allied Air, Top Brass, TAL, ANAP Jets, West Link, Jed Air, Executive Jets, Kings Airlines and First Nation Airways.
Other airlines that have submitted include Dana Air, Max Air Limited, Skyjet Aviation Services Limited, Skypower Express Airways.
AON said many airlines may not come back to operations because of the impact the deadly disease and closure of airspace has done, not only to the aviation industry, but the entire sectors of Nigeria´s economy.
