The Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika has refuted claims in certain quarters suggesting that there were no interested investors for Nigeria Air hence the government’s decision to suspend the project for now.
A statement on behalf of the minister and signed by Mr. James Odaudu, the Deputy Director, Media & Public Affairs said “the national carrier project has an avalanche of well-grounded and ready investors.”
The statement noted that among those who indicated interests in the national carrier include; “international finance institutions such as the Afro-Exim Bank, African Development Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, aircraft manufacturers – Airbus and Boeing, airlines such as Ethiopian Airlines, Qatar Air etc. and some reputable individuals and entrepreneurs.”
It also said “Nigeria’s participation at the Farnborough Air Show in the United Kingdom in July was not for the sole purpose of unveiling the Nigeria Air logo as the public is being made to understand. It was also a meeting point with these potential investors who saw the event as another opportunity to market and re-emphasize their interests in the project.”
“It is also pertinent to clarify that the Federal Executive Council only suspended the process for the establishment of the national carrier for the time being. The project has not been killed. These clarifications have been made in the public interest” it stated.
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