The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, said the new national carrier, Nigeria Air, will begin operations before May 29, 2023.
The minister stated this at the 10th Aviation Stakeholders Forum in Abuja on Thursday.
Sirika, who said the operation of the new airline has been hindered by the court cases, also revealed that all the Nigerian owned airlines were invited to invest in the Nigeria Air but they declined because they did not believe in the project.
He explained that Ethiopian Airlines came with a better proposal and were chosen as the preferred bidder because of the expertise it has shown and survived for a long time now.
The minister said, “Negotiation meeting with the Ethiopian Airlines Group Consortium and the Federal Government of Nigeria is ongoing.
“Next step: Federal Executive Council approval of the Full Business Case.