The Federal Government of Nigeria today revealed the branding and livery for a new national Flag Carrier Nigeria Air at the Farnborough International Airshow in the UK.
Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika told delegates: “I am very pleased to tell you that we are finally on track to launching a new national flag carrier for our country: Nigeria Air. We are all fully committed to fulfilling the campaign promise made by our President, Muhammadu Buhari in 2015. We are aiming to launch Nigeria Air by the end of this year.”
Senator Sirika said the Certificate of Compliance was obtained from the Nigerian Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) two weeks ago. “I am confident that we will have a well-run national flag carrier, a global player, compliant to international safety standards, one which has the customer at its heart. An airline that communicates the essence of our beautiful country, an airline we can all be proud of,” he said.
The branding and naming of the new national carrier comes on the back of a social media campaign undertaken under the auspices of The Ministry of Transportation (Aviation) which invited Nigerian youth and students for their input and creativity to come up with a name for the new Nigerian flag carrier. The Facebook page and website nameyourairlinenigeria engaged over 400,000 people.
The Ministry of Transportation (Aviation) is also currently running an aviation road map that includes airport concessions, Aerotropolis, an aircraft Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) Center, agro allied terminals, the National Carrier and an aircraft leasing company.
The Nigerian Government has said it 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, 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.
