Nigeria is planning to launch a new national airline by next summer, and has just opened a tender process for investors. Contrary to reports of Qatar Airways being a favored bidder, the country’s Federal Ministry of Aviation has stated that it has yet to choose an airline, either internally or from abroad, to run the new flag carrier.
No preferred candidates
As Simple Flying reported last week, Nigeria Air hopes to get off the ground by June 2023. In the meantime, the government is looking to secure investment to provide the new flag carrier with the backing that it requires to thrive. The country hasn’t had a state-owned flag carrier since Nigeria Airways ceased flying in 2003.
Certain reports have hinted that Qatar Airways could be set to run the new carrier as a core investor. However, the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Aviation clarified that this was not the case in a statement released yesterday. Indeed, the government isn’t far enough down the line to have chosen a preferred bidder. According to Leadership News, the ministry’s Director of Public Affairs, James Odaudu, stated:
“For some time now, the name Qatar Airways has been coming up as the core investor of the airline in media reports, but we wish to state that no preferred bidder has been selected for the national carrier, Nigeria Air. (…) No corporate entity or individual has been appointed or selected, or even preferred for the project as the process for selection has just started with the Request for Proposal.”
It has been nearly a decade since Nigeria had a state-owned flag carrier. Photo: Getty Images
A matter of national pride
In its statement, the ministry also looked to emphasize its “unalloyed commitment to transparency and accountability [until] the end of the process.” The Nigerian government ultimately hopes to provide its people with a worthy new national airline, regardless of who runs and invests in it. Odaudu…