New National Carrier To Start Operations in 2021 —Sirika

Nigerian quest to own a new national airline will soon be over as the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, on Wednesday, announced that Nigeria’s new national carrier will start operations within the first three months of 2022.

Sirika said this while answering questions from State House correspondents at the end of the weekly meeting of the Federal Executive Council presided over by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The minister explained that the national carrier will be run in partnership with the private sector.

This way, he said, Nigerians will possibly fly at affordable rates.

According to him, the compulsory postponement of the launch of the National Carrier initially slated for the end of 2021 was caused by the outbreak of the coronavirus.

The Ministry of Aviation will, in two weeks, submit a memo bearing an outline business case for the council’s approval.

Nigeria has been without a national carrier since Nigeria Airways went under ground in the 1990s.