Nigeria Air plane finally lands in Abuja

A plane belonging to Nigeria Air, the proposed national carrier, has landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja.

Hadi Sirika, minister of aviation, disclosed this in a tweet on Friday.

The minister had, on Wednesday, said the federal government would take delivery of the aircraft today, ahead of the commencement of operations.

“We are here. To Almighty God be all the glory. It has been a very long, tedious, daunting, and difficult path. We thank everyone for the support. This, by the will of God, will be for us and generations to come. Ya Allah make it beneficial for our country and humanity,” Sirika tweeted on Friday.

We are here. To Almighty God be all the glory. It has been a very long, tedious, daunting and difficult path. We thank everyone for the support. This, by the will of God, will be for us and generations to come. Ya Allah make it beneficial for our country and humanity 🇳🇬🤲🏽🤲🏽🤲🏽🇳🇬 pic.twitter.com/an4LbgmSf5

— Hadi Abubakar Sirika (@hadisirika) May 26, 2023

Earlier on Friday, the federal government had said it was set to officially unveil the proposed national airline.

The event, according to an invitation to TheCable, is billed to hold today, by 4 pm, at the Nigerian Air Operations Centre in the Abuja airport.

“The federal ministry of aviation cordially requests your presence at the official unveiling of Nigeria Air on Friday, 26th May 2023, at 4 pm,” the document reads.

Meanwhile, domestic aviation firms, under the aegis of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), have condemned Sirika’s move to float the proposed national airline before May 29, 2023.

The airlines, in a statement on Friday, signed by Obiora Okonkwo, spokesperson of AON, described the move as contemptuous and shadowy, saying a federal high court had halted moves by the minister to float the airline until the determination of the substantive suit brought by the union.

The association also claimed that Nigeria Air had not yet completed the process of acquiring an airline operating certificate (AOC) — a critical licence for operations.