Ethiopian Airlines has announced that the Nigerian government is no longer interested in the proposed Nigeria Air project, which was initially intended to establish a new national carrier for Nigeria.
The announcement was made by Mesfin Tasew, Group Chief Executive Officer of Ethiopian Airlines, during a recent event in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, as reported by Ethiopian Tribune.
“The Nigerian government has lost interest in partnering with a foreign airline,” Tasew was quoted as saying.
This development comes less than two months after the Nigerian Federal Government announced the indefinite suspension of the Nigeria Air project. On May 27, 2024, Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, disclosed the suspension during a ministerial briefing marking the first anniversary of President Bola Tinubu’s administration. Keyamo criticized the partnership deal with Ethiopian Airlines, arguing that the ownership structure was unfavorable to Nigeria.
Keyamo’s criticism was centered around the fact that the proposed arrangement gave Ethiopian Airlines a 49% stake in Nigeria Air, while the Nigerian government would hold only 5% and a consortium of three Nigerian investors would have a 46% share. He asserted that this structure would allow a foreign entity to dominate Nigeria’s aviation industry, which he believed would undermine the development of local businesses and was not in the best interest of the country.
The Nigeria Air project was initially unveiled in July 2023, just days before the end of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s term. The announcement of the project stirred controversy among various stakeholders who were concerned about the terms of the partnership and the extent of Ethiopian Airlines’ involvement.
In response to these concerns, the House of Representatives called for the suspension of Nigeria Air’s operations in June 2023, citing allegations of fraud and questioning the legitimacy of the project’s terms.
The recent statement from Ethiopian Airlines confirms the Nigerian government’s withdrawal from the partnership, effectively ending the proposed collaboration to establish Nigeria’s new national airline.
