The proposed national carrier, Nigeria Air, may not be able to commence operations as planned in October 2023 due to the absence of an Airline Operator’s Certificate (AOC), according to the Airline Operators of Nigeria.
Nigeria Air, a national carrier project initiated by Former President Buhari’s administration to replace the defunct Nigeria Airways, was scheduled to commence operation in October, as revealed by the CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, Mesfin Tasew.
Tasew, in an interview with Bloomberg TV, on Friday said the firm was eager to see Nigeria Air start flying local and international routes.
However, spokesman of Airline Operators of Nigeria, Prof Obiora Okonkwo , speaking on the matter said if Nigeria Air were to begin operations in October 2023, it would be doing so without a valid Air Operator Certificate.
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“The AOC is still on stage one. I don’t want to waste my time on that thing anymore. If they are starting in October, they are going to be operating without AOC,” Okonkwo told a punch correspondent on Monday.
It could be recalled that the Nigeria Air project has been marred by controversy, particularly during the final days of the previous administration under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Itfaced setbacks and could not progress to phase two of the AOC process by June 2023, as reported in a letter from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.
Speaking further, Okonkwo, who is also the chairman of United Nigeria Airline, added that any action contradicting the court order would be a clear violation of the law.
He expressed a belief that the court would take the necessary step to address the matter.
“The court order is still sub-exiting, so anything against that is a total violation, surely the court would do the needful.
“We have made our position on Nigeria Air known. We don’t have any more time to waste. The industry is facing a more serious challenge now, which is our priority,” he stressed.