Rano Air, Nigeria’s newest start-up airline is all set to resume commercial operations. The airline recently acquired its Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
“We are certified to provide scheduled passenger and cargo services, and charters,” the airline said in a statement of social media.
In a social media post, Musa Nuhu, Director General and Chief Executive Officer NCAA said: “We have issued the AOC to Rano Air, permitting them to start operations in Nigeria after the startup completed the five phases of the regulatory process and met all the requirements. The AOC process had taken more than two-and-a-half years as the Covid-19 pandemic had delayed the procurement of aircraft by about a year.”
“To start an airline is not an easy business. It takes a lot of resources, a lot of business know-how, a lot of technical know-how, and a lot of requirements. They have met all these requirements thoroughly, we have given them their AOC, and we hope they will grow to become a big airline in Nigeria,” Nuhu added.
The regulator also expressed confidence in the airline operations. “We are confident they will do well from what we see on the ground,” Nuhu added.
Meanwhile the airline is yet to reveal the date of launch of commercial operations. The airline has received approvals to start services to and from Lagos, Kano, Abuja, Kaduna International, Sokoto, Yola, Maiduguri and Asaba. The airline has about five EMB-145LRs in its fleet.