4 Years After Unveiling, Nigeria Air Gets Operational Licence

The proposed Nigeria Air has received the Air Transport Licence (ATL) from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

The licence is one of the steps and processes towards getting certification to fly the airline.

This development comes four years after the national carrier was unveiled by minister of aviation, Hadi Sirika.

The ministry had announced on Sunday that the proposed national carrier would receive an ATL from the NCAA yesterday.

An ATL is issued as authorisation to airlines to provide scheduled and non-scheduled services.

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It is also one of the licences received by airlines before they can commence operation while they wait for the Air Operator Certificate (AOC) that fully guarantees them the right to begin air services.

Acting chief executive officer of the Nigerian Air, Dapo Olumide, said this certificate will enable them to push forward and conclude the process of starting the airlines now.

He also said the project, the Nigeria Air, is aimed at restoring Nigerian pride as one of the biggest countries in the aviation industry in Africa and around the world.

Speaking on the readiness of the airline to start operating, the CEO of Nigeria Air said the airline was already procuring aircraft from European countries and that as soon as the processes are concluded, operations will start.

Nigeria Air had been expected to start operations since it was identified as one of the major projects of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration in the aviation industry.

Sirika had promised that the airline would start operations in June/July, 2022, and the obtaining of ATL is a positive step toward actualising that objective.

Also speaking, the NCAA director-general, Captain Musa Nuhu, said there is no time schedule for the commencement of the airline yet, adding that the processes would be followed as the need arises.

Nigeria Air Limited had in April 2022 applied to the NCAA for a licence to operate scheduled and non-scheduled passenger and cargo services. The company had disclosed this in a public notice as part of the requirements for granting an AOL.