Nigerian Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, has confirmed that the state is pressing ahead with plans to develop the process for creating a new national airline.
While the proposed national carrier would be private sector driven, the government would establish a world-class Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility in the country to service the national carrier and attract customers from all over the world. He added that the MRO would also manufacture spare parts.
Plans are also in motion to establish an aircraft leasing company, which will address the limitations national and African carriers have in accessing leased equipment due to inadequate risk profiles. All of these services would be priced in local currency to help negate the foreign currency risk that plagues airlines dealing in local currencies but paying out in US dollars.