On Sunday, President Muhammadu Buhari met with Girma Wake, the chairman of the Ethiopian Airlines Board, in Addis Ababa, where they discussed the operationalization of Nigeria Air.
Wake has asked for the legal issue preventing Ethiopian Airlines’ 49 percent-owned Nigeria Air from starting operations to be resolved.
Garba Shehu, the president’s spokeswoman, said that Wake also asked for the return of the airline’s cash that was held in the nation due to currency exchange issues.
About Nigeria Air, President Buhari informed the head of the Ethiopian Airlines Board that the government of Nigeria had made a “weighty decision” to reopen a national airline and that “everything will be all right.”
Wake, who met with President Buhari at the 36th AU Summit, said the airline had had excellent treatment in Nigeria ever since it began operating there 60 years ago. “Nigeria is not just a market but a hub for aviation in Africa. Nigeria is a special country and nobody travels more around the globe than Nigerians,” he said.
The aviation chief hinted that the airline had plans to expand operations in the nation, with additional daily flight services to Lagos from Addis Ababa as well as Abuja-Addis Ababa. He was joined on the visit by Mesfin Tasswe, group Chief Executive Officer of Ethiopian Airlines, and Daniel Abebe, group Vice President, Strategic Planning and Alliances. He added that once all legal issues had been handled, the airline and its partners will be ready to launch operations for Nigeria Air.
