Four years after the unveiling of Nigeria Air logo at the Farnborough International Airshow (FIA), the biggest air show in the world, the airline is yet to come into existence.
Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, unveiled the national carrier named, Nigeria Air at the last edition of the show in 2018.
Also, the logo, livery and the design of the national carrier were unveiled at the airshow, which has not held in four years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
But this year, aviators and aerospace converged on UK for yet another edition of the airshow.
The event kicked off in Farnborough, United Kingdom on 18 July and it will end on Friday, July 22.
On Monday, the outgoing British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson declared the event open and since Monday there has been an incredible display of aircraft at the show.
The prime minister also met some of the 1,500 exhibitors at the aerospace and defence trade shows.
In a speech, Johnson said: “I’m glad that I finally made it to Farnborough, this famous air show, in the climactic weeks of my time as Prime Minister.”
However, Nigeria Air is yet to materialise even as experts have continued to ask questions about the modus operandi of the proposed airline.
The takeoff of the airline has missed several targets set by the Federal Government even as many stakeholders doubt the feasibility of the airline.
It is, however, noteworthy that the Federal Government has moved ahead in the establishment of the national carrier with the appointment of an interim board headed by Capt. Dapo Olumide, a renowned aviator and former Managing Director of the defunct Virgin Nigeria.
Last month, the proposed airline received its Air Transport Licence (ATL) from the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
Numbered, NCAA/ATR1/ATL214, the licence was presented by Director General of the NCAA, Capt. Musa Nuhu, to interim management of the airline in Abuja.
The approval will run for a period of five years, starting from June 3, 2022 till June 2, 2027.
An ATL certification is a document, which states the type of operations a carrier would embark on within and outside Nigeria, ahead of the Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) that is already at the advanced stages.
However, the Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) which would empower the airline to operate scheduled flights is yet to be obtained.
Sources in the NCAA said the AOC may be ready in the next few weeks, noting that it was the availability of the AOC that would determine the take-off of the airline.
An aviation stakeholder and CEO of 7-Hangar Aircraft Maintenance Organisation, Engr. Isaac Malami, described the situation as worrisome, saying, “There is no any progressive Nigerian that is not going to be worried.”
“I can assure you that even the Minister of Aviation himself as the leader of the industry is also worried. But as an aviator, having been in the sector, I also hold an air transport license, I have one of the biggest aircraft maintenance facilities across the entire West Africa, I can tell you how many years it took me to actualise this. It was not easy.
“Aviation is complex and very technical. It is not about money in aviation. Assuming that you have aircraft, what about the pilots? If you have pilots, what about the aircraft engineers? The air hostesses, the ground support staff, the ticketing officers, the HR and so on and so forth.
“What about the physical structure? What about the cost of running the business? The maintenance of the aircraft when you start the airline. There are so many factors which I believe might have led to this. It is not a good thing but from the information in the public domain, they have gotten through the certification process and they are currently at the certification level for the AOC.”
He expressed optimism that the airline would take off given the determination of the Minister, saying though the time it would eventually take off is still unknown.
“From my calculation and the resources at their disposal, I don’t think the AOC should take more than two, three months from now. I pray for the best. What is more important for us is job creation and also to reduce the hardship on the flying public and network the country to other parts of the world.”
