Nigeria to launch world-class airline via public-private partnership by end of 2018



[ad_1]

According to reports from the Nigerian NAN News Agency, Hadi Sirika, the State Minister for Aviation, confirmed that the Nigerian airline will be launched before the end of the year. year 2018 via a public-private partnership. Sirika said last week when he received certificate of compliance from the commercial airline of the director general of the ICRC's Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, Chidi Izuwah.

The proposed airline will cost more than $ 308 million; A preliminary cost of $ 8.8 million and a start-up cost of $ 300 million over the next three years, most of which would come from the federal government. The rest will be provided by an investor, a strategic partner still unknown, with an external capital contribution depending on the profitability of the airline in the coming years.

"The airline will make profits in three years after operations." "We are going to make the investments and follow the business plan through private sector management.While you need this initial government funding for takeoff, the important thing is that the national carrier be fully controlled by the private sector, there will be no interference from the government, and if that happens, it will invalidate the certificate and the whole process, "he said.

L & # 39; goal is that the national carrier has a fleet of 30 aircraft in five years, but to begin, the country will receive a series of December 19, 2018, the name, logo, colors, structure and type of The carrier's aircraft will be unveiled at the Farnborough International Air Show on Wednesday, July 18 in London, and an order for the aircraft will also be made during the event.

Over the years, especially since the advent of the admin At present, there have been talks and debates on the revival of the current national carrier. While the arguments for and against the idea of ​​a stimulus are both strong, the benefits of having one outweigh the disadvantages. As proposed by the aviation consultant, Ali Mohammed Magashi, at the aviation symposium last year, a national carrier was not to be considered a for-profit enterprise, but as a catalyst growth and development of other sectors of the economy.

Think tourism; Countries like Dubai, Kenya, Singapore, and Ethiopia have managed to make their airlines their main brands by promoting their national identity on their national aircraft. Think about the creation of jobs and the development of the workforce; A national carrier will provide jobs and training opportunities for pilots, engineers, flight attendants and reservation agents. It is also essential to creating and partnering with other ancillary services such as caterers, aviation insurance companies, airport management and fuel suppliers. It is not surprising that the aviation industry supports around 60 million jobs worldwide.

According to the World Bank, every 1% of public spending wisely spent on infrastructure leads to growth equivalent to one percent of gross domestic product. This means that there is an interaction between significant inputs in infrastructure development and the economic growth of a country. Like other countries with thriving domestic airlines, Nigeria can double its revenue in sectors like tourism with a thriving domestic carrier and consequently improve its GDP.

Minister Sirika noted that the population of Nigeria is large enough to support aviation. In addition, the revival of a national carrier would mean the proper use of the Bilateral Air Services Agreement, BASA, signed by the Nigerian government with more than 70 countries. According to him, the national carrier will also benefit from the single air transport market in Africa and will be the best player if the government does things right. "But if we do not, it will become a threat to us, but I believe we are on the right track, it will be a world-clbad airline with domestic, regional and international operations," he said. says

Comments

[ad_2]
Source link