, Nigeria Air, the proposed national carrier, has finally received on Monday, its long awaited licence from the National Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA.
Capt. Dapo Olumide, the Interim Managing Director, Nigerian Air, received the Air Transport Licence, ATL, on Friday in Abuja from Capt. Musa Nuhu, the Director-General of NCAA.
The ATL is a prerequisite for the airline to acquire Air Operator Certificate (AOC), which would enable it to commence operation as a scheduled carrier.
He insisted that the ATL had gone through all the necessary processes and hopes that the airline would be able to fulfill the AOC process so that the regulatory agency could eventually issue the airline AOC certificate.
He added: “As the regulator, we work with operators. That is a goal to promote the growth of the industry. It is important to have strong airlines in Nigeria in view of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM).
“Also, in view of African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) which can make significant contribution to the growth of Nigerian economy.”
Nuhu said Nigeria stood to get the best from the African Union Agenda 2063 Air Programme being one of the largest markets on the continent.
In his comment, Olumide lauded NCAA for the good job executed leading to present ATL to the airline.
Olumide assured that the team would double its efforts in order to fulfill all necessary processes to receive the AOC certificate from NCAA to commence flying.
“We already have aircraft identified because, that is one of the requirements for the NCAA. We are waiting for the terms of agreement with Provider of Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM).
“What we need now is to go through stages to get AOC certificate from NCAA. No magic in the process. It is not something that can be issued because they like your face.
“When you have an AOC and ATL, you can commence commercial scheduled operations. The date to start operation is largely based on the process one is following to get the AOC certificate”, he said.
The commencement date for the impending carrier had suffered numerous postponements since 2018.
He did say that the Nigerian government would hold a five percent stake in the proposed national carrier, while the Nigerian entrepreneurs would hold 46 percent.
Sirika said the remaining 49 percent would be reserved for yet to be assigned strategic equity partners, including foreign investors.
But, in March, Sirika once again said the airline would commence operations in July 2022, an announcement, which created disappointment in most stakeholders in the industry.
Recall that Sariki had shortly after coming into office in 2015, launched an aviation development roadmap that included a new national carrier and other interventions in the country’s aviation sector as priorities.
The project, a public-private partnership (PPP) is to replace the defunct Nigeria Airways whichceasedoperationsin2003.
In 2018, the national carrier and its christening in London set the minister on a collision course with the Nigerian public after it was reported that the design of the Nigeria Air logo gulped about N80 million.
However, Sirika denied the reports.
He said only about N10 million was spent on the design of the logo.