Nigeria Air to begin operations by December 2022

Nigeria Air is expected to launch operations by December 2022, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has revealed. The announcement comes almost five years after plans for the airline were first unveiled.

President Buhari confirmed that the establishment of Nigeria Air, the country’s proposed national airline, was 91% complete, according to Nigerian newspaper, The Cable.

This is an update to a previous estimation that the airline would launch by mid-2023, before the end of President Buhari’s tenure on May 29, 2023.

Buhari’s confirmation follows an earlier announcement in September 2022 where Nigeria’s Federal Government selected Ethiopian Airlines (ET) Consortium as one of the primary investors to partner with the government to launch its new flag carrier, the Premium Times reported.

Ethiopian Airlines will control 49% of the shares in the new airline, while three Nigerian investors – MRS, SAHCO and the Nigerian Sovereign Fund – will control 46%, with the remaining 5% to be held by Nigeria’s Federal Government, Nigeria’s Aviation Minster Hadi Sirika revealed during a press briefing held in September.