Abuja denies favouring Qatar Airways for new nat’l carrier
Nigeria’s Federal Aviation Ministry has dismissed as false, local media reports that it has chosen Qatar Airways (QR, Doha Hamad Int’l) as the preferred bidder for its new national airline, Nigeria Air (Lagos), pointing out that the bidding process has only just opened.
“The report, coming just two days after the issuance of a Request For Proposal (RFP) which was published in local and international news media, is not only false but capable of discrediting the process for the establishment of the airline, and discouraging interested parties,” the Ministry said in a statement published by local media.
“We wish to state categorically that no corporate entity or individual has been appointed or selected, or even preferred for the project as the process for selection has just started with the Request for Proposal.”
“We wish to state that throughout the process leading to the publication of the Request for Proposal, the guiding principle has been transparency and accountability which we promised will remain till the final delivery of the project, and by which we stand.”
It requested all interested parties to discount the false reports and to proceed with their proposals, “as we assure them of our unalloyed commitment to transparency and accountability till the end of the process”.
As reported, the Aviation Ministry published its RFP for strategic equity partnerships in Nigeria Air on March 7.
The government is inviting proposals for:
49% shareholding by a private sector consortium involving an international airline;
46% shareholding from Nigerian financial and institutional investors, resulting in total Nigerian shareholding to comprise at least 51% of the shares of Nigeria Air.
The Federal Government intends to retain a 5% stake.
All responses to the RFP must be submitted to the Ministry before 1500L (1400Z) on May 10, 2022. The bidder selection is expected to be finalised by June 2022, coinciding with the issuing of an Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC).