Nigeria Air to Fly Soon – Min. of Aviation

The Federal Government at the end of the Federal Executive Council, FEC Meeting yesterday said Nigeria Air will soon start flying, having got the aircraft ready and painted in its colours even as it approves the sum of N721,266,733.64 for the maintenance and technical support at Malam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano.

The Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents at the end of the weekly Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Council Chamber, Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He also said that Council approved the sum of N721,266,733.64 for the maintenance and technical support at Malam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano.

“Today in Council, Aviation had one memo and this memorandum is a contract that was awarded to CCECC and it is for the airport maintenance and technical support at Malam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano and… for a period of 12 months and the sum of the contract is N721,266,733.64 and the memorandum was approved.”

On the likelihood of when the national carrier, Nigeria Air, should be expected to commence flight operations, the Minister explained that the federal government was already done with the initial processes and that it is just a matter of sealing the last move in obtaining the Air Operator Certificates (AOC) and the carrier will start flying.

He said:  “Nigeria Air will soon start flying, we’ve got the aircrafts ready, they’re painted in the colours. We’ve crossed all the Ts and dotted the Is. We’re at stage five of the AOC issuance by the NCAA. Once that is done, the airline will begin to fly.

“So there are five stages, we’ve done stage 1,2,3,4 and we are now at stage five, once the AOC is given, the aircraft is ready to start to fly. Well, because the issuance of the AOC is in the hands of the NCAA, but I know it will be very soon, with an emphasis on soon. So as soon as we get the AOC, then we fly”, he said.