Nigeria Air, could take off in October 2023 with a fleet of eight aircraft, Bloomberg reports.
While speaking to Bloomberg, the airline chief executive, Mesfin Tasew revealed that the airline would initiate operations with two wide-bodied planes and six narrow-bodied aircraft. Tasew expressed eagerness to witness the airline bridging the local and international markets.
Ethiopian Airlines holds the majority stake of 49% in the new airline and also has a management contract to oversee its operations. Nigerian entrepreneurs and companies, including MRS, SAHCO, and the Nigerian Sovereign Fund, possess a 46% stake, while the Nigerian Federal government owns the remaining 5% stake in Nigerian Air.
Despite the hopeful prospects, the airline’s launch has faced resistance other airlines in Nigeria namely Azman Air, Air Peace, Max Air, Topbrass Aviation, and United Nigeria Airlines, who went ahead and filed a lawsuit in November 2022 opposing the partnership between Ethiopian Airlines and the Nigerian government. They argued that it would threaten Nigeria’s domestic airlines by opening the market to Ethiopian Airlines.
Tasew remained optimistic about the outcome of the lawsuit, expressing hope that it would favor the establishment of the new flag carrier. In April 2023, he stated, “We expect the court case will be closed in the coming few weeks in favor of establishing their line. We want to go there to enable Nigeria to have a strong national carrier that can provide a dependable service within the country and also an alternate service for Nigerians traveling to major destinations.”
Nigeria Air was initially announced in July 2018 at the Farnborough International Airshow in the United Kingdom. Initially, the airline planned to operate a fleet of five aircraft, including Airbus A330s and Boeing 737s, and had identified 81 routes, with an aim to expand up to 30 aircraft within five years of commencing operations. But strong opposition caused multiple delays in its launch.