Nigeria Air has been granted an air transport license by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) as it moves closer to launching operations. The carrier is now waiting for its air operator's certificate before commencing flights this year.

Nigeria Air closer to launch

Nigeria Air, the new national carrier of Nigeria, has received its air transport license (ATL), the preceding step to acquiring an air operator's certificate (AOC).

The airline applied for the certificate in April 2022 and is expected to receive its AOC within the next few weeks.

An ATL is a certificate that details the type of air services a carrier will operate within and outside Nigeria and is one of the documents an airline needs before it can begin operations.

The Director-General of the NCAA, Captain Musa Nuhu, presented the ATL to Nigeria Air's acting director, Captain Dapo Olumide, on June 6th. The license will be valid for a period of five years, from June 3rd, 2022, to June 2nd, 2027.

Four years in the making

Nigeria Air is approaching the certification finishing line after four years of struggling to get off the ground. Nigeria announced its new national carrier back in July 2018 but ended up suspending the project before reviving it last year.

The airline had initially earmarked a launch date of 2023 but is now targeting liftoff this summer, pending updates on its AOC. Nigeria's Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, has suggested that the airline will begin flights as early as July 2022.

Abuja_International_Airport_Terminal
The airline's headquarters will be in Abuja. Photo: kopee15 via Wikimedia Commons

Special Assistant to the Minister of Aviation, Dr. James Odaudu, told The Guardian,

"Yes, people are wondering if we will still keep to the July date. Sure, the date remains and the extension will not affect the starting date because there is interim management in place to hand the airline over to the bidder once the process has been completed. We remain on course."

On the contrary, Michael Ohiani from the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) believes the airline won't get off the ground until mid-2023.

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Searching for partners

While approval for its ATL is a big step in the right direction, Nigeria Air has yet to finalize the bidding process from private owners.

The airline will be run by private owners with 49% ownership, while Nigerian investors and the national government will hold the remaining 51% stake.

The call for tenders expired on May 10th, and a shortlist of bidders will be released soon. An estimated $250 million will be needed to launch the airline.

Are you happy to see Nigeria Air move closer to launch? Do you think Nigeria's new national carrier will prove to be a success? Let us know in the comments.

Source: The Guardian