Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) has welcomed the government’s decision to suspended plans to relaunch its national airline.
Aviation minister Hadi Sirika said on Twitter that the country’s Federal Executive Council had made "the tough decision" to suspend the project in the interim.
Plans for Nigeria Air were unveiled during the Farnborough International Airshow in July 2018 and it was hoped the carrier could take to the skies before the end of the year. It intended to operate up to 40 domestic and 40 international routes.
The plan was for the federal government to own 5 percent of the airline in a public-private partnership.
AON chairman Nogie Meggisson welcomed the suspension. He said: “In our opinion, we believe the process was neither transparent, nor did it clearly define the role of private investors in the entire process.
“At this time of our national limited resources and struggle to recover from recession, AON will like to state that there are private Nigerian airline investors ready to invest.
“They are already investing heavily in the sector and only asking for a more friendly operational environment and infrastructure support.”
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