Forget about national carrier, Buhari urged

As agitation and counter agitation trail the move by the Federal Government to establish a new national carrier following the liquidation of Nigerian Airways, the government has been advised to jettison the idea.
An aviation expert, Mr. Herbert Odika, said rather than establishing a national carrier, government should focus on developing the sector.
In an interactive session with journalists, the expert who was regional manager of Nigeria Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) observed that government currently lacks the resources to subsidize the national carrier when established.
The Federal Government had set up a committee for the establishment of a new national carrier which submitted its report recently but the report is yet to be made public.
But Odika said though a national carrier is desirable, the government does not have the money to spend on the airline.
He said most countries operating national carriers heavily subsidized them but Nigeria does not have the resources at the moment.
He said, “A national carrier must be ready to subsidize its charges by government. Etihad, Saudi Air, give concessions to their national carriers in areas of fueling which is the area where the main money goes. Will Nigeria be ready to reduce taxes or increase it?”
To revive the airline business in the country, Odika advised airline operators to do away with all types of Boeing 737 aircraft in their fleet because they are too costly to maintain.
He also advocated for merger of airlines, urging operators to shun ego to enhance performance and profit making.