The Group Chief Executive Officer of Ethiopian Airlines, Mr. Mesfin Tasew, has shed light on the Ethiopian carrier’s involvement in the establishment of Nigeria Air.
He revealed that the airline came close to withdrawing from the project, but the Nigerian government insisted on its continued participation.
The CEO of Ethiopian Airlines clarified that the East African airline had no initial plans to create an airline in Nigeria.
Instead, it received an invitation from the Nigerian government to collaborate on the formation of a national carrier, known as Nigeria Air.
It was also disclosed that the federal government had made a specific request for the Nigeria Air logo to be painted on Ethiopian Airlines’ aircraft for inspection, a request to which the airline agreed. This collaboration signifies a significant step in the development of Nigeria’s aviation industry.
“At one point, that leadership of Nigeria Air, which doesn’t include Ethiopian Airlines, asked us to bring aircraft painted with Nigerian logo to facilitate the progress of the Air Operators’ Certificate. So, we agreed with that, we took out one of our aircraft, we painted it with Nigerian logo, we flew it, it was for demonstration by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) for their inspection. So, after two days, we brought back the aircraft, repainted it with Ethiopian logo and it is flying. So, while we were here, waiting for the decision of the court, now there was a change of government that took place.”
Initially, the airline hesitated in response to the invitation to establish the airline but later consented based on its longstanding relationship with Nigeria, where it currently operates flights to four cities.
