Could listing foreign aircraft maintenance/leasing firms mean end to Nigeria Air?
Fresh fears of not finally floating the endless national air fleet, the Nigeria Air emerged Monday when the Federal Government shortlisted Ethiopian Airlines and a consortium of A. J. Walters/Glovesly/Egypt Air for the proposed aircraft Maintenance Repair and Overhaul facility in Nigeria.
Recall that while unveiling the still ill-fated Nigeria Air at the London AirShow in 2018 by the then Minister of State for Aviation and now full Minister of same sector, Senator Hadi Sirika, he made it clear that the new fleet will be coming with aircraft Maintenance Repair and Overhaul facility in Nigeria.
However now the ministry under his watch has gone ahead to hire foreign firms, a serious question mark may be hanging on the entire scheme, which he had earlier this year, claimed that will be floated soon.
Business Hilights gathered that the consortium of A. J. Walters/Glovesly/Egypt Air was also shortlisted as the preferred bidder for FG’s Aviation Leasing Company.
While announcing the short-listed firms, the Director, Public Affairs, Ministry of Aviation, James Odaudu, said the processes for the establishment of both the Aviation Leasing Company and the MRO facility were components of the Federal Government’s aviation sector roadmap, but was silent on the main Nigeria Air component.
According to him, the companies were selected during a process that involved officials of the Ministry of Aviation, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Federal Ministry of Finance, aviation labour unions, transaction advisers and prospective investors.
Odaudu said in a statement that “At the end of the conferences, one company, a consortium of A. J. Walters/Glovesly/Egypt Air was shortlisted out of three for the Aviation Leasing Company. For the Maintenance Repair and Overhaul facility, two companies namely: A.J. Walters/Glovesly/Egypt Air and Ethiopian Airlines were shortlisted out of seven that expressed interest”.
