Nigeria Air to fly to 80 destinations and have a fleet of 30 aircraft supplied by Boeing and Airbus

NIGERIA'S newly-launched national carrier to be known as Nigeria Air that has just been unveiled will fly to 80 different destination and will have a fleet of 30 aircraft once it becomes operation in December this year.

Yesterday at the Farnborough Air Show in Kent, in the UK, aviation minister Hadi Sirika, revealed the name and logo of the new airline, following extensive negotiations with several international airlines and aircraft manufacturers. Over the last decade Nigerian government officials have made several attempts to launch a national carrier to replace the defunct Nigeria Airways which collapsed in 2003.

After lengthy negotiations with the likes of Boeing and Airbus as well as airlines like BA, Qatar Air and Ethiopian Airlines, the new project was finally launched yesterday. According to Mr Sirika, a majority stake could be available to an overseas backer as the government seeks know-how and cash to help the start-up avoid the fate of former national carriers.

At the moment, there is no cap on overseas ownership of the planned airline and it is believed the government would be prepared to offer more than 50% of the company to a strategic ally. Revealing details yesterday, Tilmann Gabriel, a consultant who is helping to coordinate the project, said other operators are also interested in the airline that will have a fleet of 30 aircraft and operate 80 routes, half of them international, within four years.

Me Sirika added that Nigeria Air, which will have a tail design featuring an eagle-like swirl in green and white, was launched because of the huge need and desire for a national airline. Former flag-carrier Nigeria Airways collapsed in 2003, with successor Air Nigeria, founded as a joint venture with Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, folding in 2012, leaving the country without a national carrier.

Private operator Arik Air, which filled the vacuum for a while, was taken over by the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria last year, leading to the suspension of long-haul flights by the domestic operator. Nigeria Air now plans to enter the fray in December with a fleet of 15 leased aircraft supplied by Airbus and Boeing.

These will include short-haul planes for local and domestic flights plus wide-bodied aircraft for flights to long-haul locations such as London and New York. Inter-continental services should begin in the middle of next year.

Ethiopian Air chief executive Tewolde GebreMariam said his company was interested in the Nigerian project too. Ethiopian Air, Africa’s only consistently profitable carrier, serves about 70 global cities and 60 across Africa from its hub in Addis Ababa and already owns stakes in carriers in Malawi and Togo and is seeking to establish holdings in Zambia, Chad, Mozambique, Guinea and Eritrea, while helping to manage existing operators in Equatorial Guinea and the Democratic Republic of Congo.