Nigeria's Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has confirmed that the federal government no longer intends to launch a new national carrier, drawing a line under years of on-and-off efforts to revive a Nigerian flag carrier following the collapse of the Nigeria Air project. Keyamo said running a national carrier under a bureaucratic government structure was not viable.
The minister said the government's focus has instead shifted to supporting existing private Nigerian airlines, signalling that financial and operational assistance could be made available to operators conditional on improved capacity and reliability. He also indicated the government would review bilateral air services agreements with a view to protecting local carriers' market position.
Nigeria Air's Long Unwind
Nigeria Air was unveiled at the Farnborough Air Show in 2018 as a planned partnership involving Ethiopian Airlines, but the project collapsed amid opposition from domestic airlines and a court ruling that voided its ownership arrangement. Keyamo, who had previously suspended the project pending a review of its documentation, said claims of a Nigeria Air revival were inaccurate, and Ethiopian Airlines has said the partnership ended after a change in the Nigerian government.
What Comes Next
In place of a state-run carrier, the Federal Executive Council has approved a privately funded Nigeria Aircraft Leasing Company intended to acquire or lease aircraft for domestic operators, backed by sovereign guarantees. The move reflects a broader pivot toward strengthening carriers such as Air Peace, United Nigeria Airlines and Ibom Air rather than creating a new government-backed airline.