Hadi Sirika, the minister of aviation, says the new national carrier will commence operation in the first quarter of 2022.
Sirika disclosed this while addressing State House correspondents after the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja.
He said the new national carrier is long overdue and the private sector-run airline will be in operation by early 2022, with possibly cheaper rates.
Sirika said the new national carrier is expected to be a viable airline and is potentially poised to cater to millions of travellers in Nigeria and Africa.
He said the COVID-19 pandemic forced postponement of the planned date for the establishment of the national carrier initially planned for the end of 2021.
Sirika added that the ministry will return to the council in two weeks to submit a memo with an outline business case for council’s approval.
Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha
Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers.
She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay.
She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos.
As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender.
She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies.
Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the
prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category.
She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category.
She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations.
Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.
