The minister of state for aviation, Hadi Sirika, has unveiled the name and logo of the new national carrier, Nigeria Air.
Speaking on Wednesday in London at the ongoing Farnborough International Airshow, Sirika said the government will not own more than five per cent of the airline.
“This is an important day for Nigeria. The largest economy in Africa, largest population, GDP of around half a billion dollars, and the only true aviation player in West and Central Africa.
“Nigeria has unfortunately not been a serious player in Aviation for a long time. We used to be a dominant player, through Nigeria Airways, but sadly not anymore.
“This will be a national carrier that is private sector led and driven. It is a business, not a social service. The government will not be involved in running it or deciding who runs it. The investors will have full responsibility for this.
“The Nigerian government will not own more than 5% (maximum) of the new national carrier. The government will not be involved in running it or deciding who runs it.
“New terminals in Lagos and Abuja Airports will add 11 million passenger capacity in each of the two airports.
According to the minister, the airline will have flights on 81 domestic, regional and international routes.
“Following the extensive market research, the branding of our new airline, Nigeria Air, demonstrates a true flag carrier of our nation, soaring through the skies in the shape of our nation’s eagle.
“The Nigerian Government will support the launch of the new flag carrier with viability gap funding, in a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement to deliver a national flag carrier.
“It will be guided by the international ICAO standards, that will stand the IOSA audit from the start, and lead to a fast IATA membership for international operation.”
Sirika assured Nigerians and the international community that government had learnt a lot of lessons from the experience of the defunct Nigeria Airways, and now determined not to repeat the mistakes that led to its demise.
This, he said, informed the decision to take the Public Private Partnership (PPP) approach.
He explained that the unveiling of the airline at the Farnborough International Airshow was due to the fact that it was the largest congregation of global aviation industry players.
The minister said the event gave the best opportunity to market the airline to prospective investors and register it in the minds of all stakeholders ahead of its formal launch billed to take place in Abuja soon.
“The branding and naming of the new national carrier comes on the background of a social media campaign.
The campaign was undertaken under the auspices of the Ministry of Transportation (Aviation) which invited Nigerian youths for their input and creativity to come up with a name for the new Nigerian flag
carrier.
The Facebook page and websitenameyourairlinenigeria engaged over 400,000 people up until the deadline for submissions, which was on June 25.