The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved April 2022 as the commencement date for the operations of the country’s national carrier, Nigeria Air.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, alongside the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi and the Finance, Budget and National Planning Minister, Dr Zainab Ahmed, in a meeting with newsmen after the FEC meeting on Wednesday.
The Aviation Minister revealed that 49 per cent of the Nigeria Air project will be owned by strategic equity partners and 46 per cent by Nigerians while the Federal Government will own five percent of the shares.
Sen. Hadi Sirika also revealed that the FEC approved N1.49 billion for the provision of Automated Civil Aviation Regulatory Equipment to be located at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
“Today in Council, Ministry of Aviation presented two memoranda. The first one is approval for the award of contract for the provision of Automated Civil Aviation Regulatory Equipment, including the software support and training, which will be located at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
“In summary, this is the software that will allow all of the activities of civil aviation regulations to be done electronically on one platform, including payments, follow-ups on personnel licenses, medicals, economic regulation of airlines, safety regulations of airlines and all other businesses within the envelop of civil aviation, will be monitored by this single software. So, that has been approved.
“This one also is the approval of the Outline Business Case for the establishment of the National Carrier. This is the sixth time the memorandum appeared before the council and the sixth time got lucky to be passed by council,” he said.
On the Nigeria Air structure, he said that 46 per cent would be owned by Nigerian entrepreneurs. He added that the operations of Nigeria Air would generate over 70,000 jobs, stating that the 70,000 jobs are higher than the total number of civil servants that we have in the country.
