According to the latest FEC meeting, Nigeria Air, which is expected to launch before the end of April 2022, might face another delay.
Nigeria Air is a new airline that was built to replace Nigerian Airways.
Throughout its history, Nigerian Airways has been a leader in mismanagement and corruption. There was a lot of trouble with the airline at every airport abroad, and their check-in counters were often so far away. The airline was eventually closed in 2003, as the government entity that funded it lost tolerance for the corruption and resource drain.
As a result of an extended period without a working national carrier, the government began to encourage private participation. Virgin Nigeria Airways, was born from a joint venture partnership between Virgin Group and local investors in 2004 and later changed its name to Nigeria Air. The airline was originally set to begin in 2018 but faced delays.
Even now, there’s a possibility of another delay since the timing of the project appears inopportune to certain levels, due to the travel bans across the globe that have already been triggered by the emergence of the COVID-19 Omicron variant. This could dampen revenue expectations if operations begin in April 2022.
Furthermore, the April commencement is seen as not realistic given the stages required for the transaction process to be completed.
To ensure the airline’s future, the government must take comprehensive measures to identify and remove obstacles that have caused past failures.
