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This week, Nigeria launched plans for a new national airline called Nigeria Air. It will start taking off in December
Although there is pent-up demand for more air travel to Nigeria, as it is currently an underserved market, the plans have already received many critics of those who think that Africa's largest economy has a myriad of other issues more urgent to solve due to power shortages and lack of basic infrastructure facing a growing problem of poverty.
And airlines are very difficult businesses to manage. In addition, the Nigerian government does not have a great track record in the aviation industry . Even Nigerian private airlines have struggled and some eventually collapse.
The management of a national carrier is notoriously difficult mainly because of political / governmental interference. This has been the scourge of previous attempts. Air business is a tight margin business. You must follow each kobo through operations to safeguard this net profit margin … 1
– Dolapo Oni (@Dolarpo) July 19, 2018
Wednesday's announcement was of limited scope. He confirmed that the carrier would be run by the private sector and that the government would hold a maximum of 5% of the airline. However, Nigerian Minister of Aviation Hadi Sirika, speaking at the Farnborough Air Show in the UK, would not confirm any details about potential partners or investors. There are reports in the press that the Nigerian government is in talks with partner airlines, including Qatar Airways and Ethiopian Airways, to help manage its operations.
To be clear, attitudes are mixed with the new national carrier. Many Nigerians see it as a sign of progress and national pride, and Nigeria is making a bold statement on the world stage.
Nigeria's long and fluctuating history with domestic carriers can be told by the design choices of their era.
West African Airways Corporation (1946-1971)
The first airline badociated with the Nigerian government was the West African Airways Corporation (WAAC), established in 1946. Its quant logo includes a winged elephant, which rises to the high with WAAC decorated on its side.
This was, of course, before the independence of West Africa. This logo was a nod to the colonial insignia of the British Protectorate of West Africa which featured an elephant.
The creature served to represent West Africa as WAAC was an airline owned jointly by Nigerian and Ghanaian. , The Gambian and Sierra Leonean governments with headquarters based in Nigeria.
WAAC was dissolved in 1958 and renamed WAAC Nigeria, as all other shareholder countries withdrew to create their own individual carriers after independence. The first flight took place on October 1, 1958, captured by Nigeria's Prime Minister, Abubakar Tafewa Balewa, in the main photo above. It was exactly two years before the independence of Nigeria from Great Britain.
Nigeria Airways (1971-2003)
Finally, WAAC Nigeria was renamed Nigeria Airways, which operated as Nigeria's official national carrier. , until 2003. Nigeria Airways maintained the colonial relic of the elephant with the Nigerian flag. Nigeria Airways' 32-year crossing was the longest of all the iterations of the country's domestic airlines during years of oil prosperity in the early 1970s to much leaner years of austerity in the mid-1970s. 1980. Finally, as Nigeria's economy deteriorated over the years, it collapsed in 2004 under the weight of debt. He left behind many unhappy retirees who are not satisfied today with the plans to launch a new airline without taking care of what is owed them.
Virgin Nigeria (2004-2008)
The dissolution of Nigerian Airways paved the way for a partnership There has been a Nigerian adaptation of the internationally recognized brand, linked to Virgin Atlantic.
But the Virgin Group has withdrawn from the business after three years of blame on the interference of local politicians and regulators. Branson is quoted in a memorable way comparing Nigerian officials to the attitude of the mafia:
To my dismay, some authorities in Nigeria chose to ignore our contract, sending heavy loads a few months ago. months to crush our living room with hammers. The behavior of the authorities was similar to how the mafia behaved in the United States in the 1930s … If Virgin Nigeria can be treated in this way, can a company in the world seriously consider investing? in Nigeria in the future?
(2008-2010)
Virgin s & Was withdrawn in 2008. The airline was renamed Nigerian Eagle Airlines. Interbrand, the brand's global consultant mandated to create the logo, described their design as an intentional use of "typically African colors … the inspiration came from the rich kaleidoscope of fabric patterns worn by Africans of the world." "West"
The eagle in the brand name and logo were more in keeping with the Nigerian coat of arms where the bird represents strength. It made sense, after all, even the Nigerian football team is nicknamed the Super Eagles (originally the Green Eagles). In addition, apart from Disney's Dumbo, elephants can only go very far in the sky.
Air Nigeria (2010-2012)
With few design changes, Nigerian Eagle was renamed Air Nigeria in 2010. Operations finally ended in 2012, when the mismanagement of the airline s & nbsp; Collapsed below 35 billion naira. debt.
Nigeria Air (2018 – ??)
This brings us to Nigeria Air, the last iteration of the list of national air carriers. Like its name, the logo is a kind of reworking of the elements of the previous air carriers. The design is more minimal than its predecessors, with a ribbon bearing the green-white-green colors of the national flag fluttering in the wind. If you are attentive, there is an illusion of optics. A white dot on the ribbon, is an eye and the ribbon floats in the shape of an eagle. Representing a typical Nigerian service but more functional and streamlined.
This time FROM6, an advertising agency in Bahrain, was in charge of design. In the beginning of the Nigerian Air video, they describe as one that will "take the country to new heights under our common symbol of pride – Nigeria Air". Unlike previous designs, Nigeria Air includes a slogan "bringing Nigeria closer to the world".
Many Nigerian commentators and observers still doubt that the logo and design translates into real aircraft leases and airport access slots. The concern, as noted by the badyst Dolapo Oni in the last tweet of his thread, mentioned above, apart from all the economic, financial and operational challenges d & # 39; A national airline, is also fraught with political challenges. It can be said that it is complicated
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