FG names national carrier ‘Nigeria Air’ I

The federal government through the Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, yesterday revealed the branding and livery for a new national carrier as “Nigeria Air” .
Senator Sirika, who spoke at the unveiling of the airline to investors and participants at the ongoing Farnborough International Air Show in United Kingdom, said Nigeria is finally on track to launching a new national flag carrier “Nigeria Air”.
According to him, “We are all fully committed to fulfilling the campaign promise made by our President, Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.
We are aiming to launch Nigeria Air by the end of this year”.
He lauded the Transaction Advisers, led by AMG, and the special Task Force, who have worked diligently to achieve the results so far and overcome the challenges involved.
He further explained that they obtained the Certificate of Compliance from the Nigerian Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) two weeks ago and can now go into the investor search.
He said he is confident that we will have a well-run national flag carrier, a global player, compliant to international safety standards, one which has the customer at its heart.
We hope to establish an airline that communicates the essence of our beautiful country, an airline we can all be proud of.” The minister continued: “’Following extensive market research, the branding of our new airline, Nigeria Air, demonstrates a true flag carrier of our nation, soaring through the skies in the shape of our nation’s eagle.” In a press statement issued in AbujaDeputy Director, Media & Public Affairs, James Odaudu,said the branding and naming of the new national carrier comes on the back of a social media campaign undertaken under the auspices of The Ministry of Transportation (Aviation) which invited Nigerian youth and students for their input and creativity to come up with a name for the new Nigerian flag carrier.
He said the Ministry of Transportation (Aviation) is also currently running an aviation road map that includes airport concessions, Aerotropolis, an aircraft Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) Center, agro allied terminals, the National Carrier and an aircraft leasing company.
According to him, the Nigerian Government will support the launch of the new flag carrier with viability gap funding, in a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement to deliver a national flag carrier, guided by the international ICAO standards, that will stand the IOSA audit from the start, and lead to a fast IATA membership for international operation.