NIGERIA is one step closer to getting its proposed national carrier, Nigeria Air Limited, airborne after it received an air transport licence from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
The licence, which enables airlines to provide scheduled and non-scheduled services, was presented to the airline’s interim board at an event at the NCAA’s headquarters in the Nigerian capital Abuja.
The airline now awaits receipt of an air operator’s certificate (AOC), which fully guarantees it the right to begin air services.
Dapo Olumide, Nigeria Air’s interim managing director, appealed for patience noting that the management was working around the clock to ensure that the airline was getting the necessary certification to allow it to begin operating.
‘To meet those requirements (to get the AOC)…they are very stringent requirements, that is why the ATL that we have here today has taken very long to be issued, because there are processes to go through.’
‘When we have that certificate, we will commence operations.’
The opening date for the airline has been postponed several times since 2018, according to local media, but Aviation minister Hadi Sirika expressed confidence that it will eventually begin operations.
‘Commencement date of domestic operations will be announced in due course,’ Sirika said without giving any details.
Nigeria Air Limited, a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) will replace the defunct Nigeria Airways, which stopped operations in 2003.