Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo announced on 31 August 2023 that he was suspending both the Nigeria Air national carrier project and ongoing airport concession agreements, ten days after being sworn in. He made the announcement during a tour of Lagos's international airports alongside the managing director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Kabir Yusuf Mohammed.
"A few months after Nigeria Air was launched with so much fanfare, using a borrowed airplane, it is now suspended," Keyamo said, adding that he owed the government and Nigerians an honest assessment of the project. He said the suspension would remain in place until he had briefed President Tinubu and government agencies had finished raising and addressing their concerns.
Concessions Paused Too
The minister said the freeze extended beyond the national carrier to airport concession agreements pursued under the previous administration's roadmap, telling reporters it would have been irresponsible to press ahead while agencies of government were still flagging problems. No final decision had been made on either project, he said, but both would stay suspended pending further review.
Keyamo also used the visit to announce that the old international terminal at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos would close from 1 October 2023 for maintenance work, directing airlines operating from the terminal to relocate ahead of the deadline.
Industry Reaction
The Airline Operators of Nigeria welcomed the suspension. Association spokesman Obiora Okonkwo said it had been evident to anyone following the project that the process had been "ill-thought-out" and lacked transparency, and expressed confidence that a thorough review under the new minister would help restore Nigeria's standing in the global aviation community. The suspension would remain federal government policy for the following two years, with Keyamo repeatedly reaffirming at subsequent briefings that Nigeria Air remained shelved.
