An Aviation Analyst, Mr Olumide Ohunayo, has lauded the suspension of the Nigeria Air project by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo, (SAN).
Ohunayo, the General Secretary, Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ART), who made this known in Lagos on Thursday, described the move as commendable and asked that all personnel involved in the project be probed.
“I commend the Federal Government through the ministry of Aviation for stopping the Nigerian air project. That project was injurious and was never beneficial to Nigeria and Nigerians.
“They should not just stop at that airline project, but go further to probe the personnel and funds pumped into the project as well as recoup the funds,” he said.
Recall the Nigeria Air project was announced in England in 2018 at the Farnborough Air Show as a national carrier. The proposed airline was expected to gulp $8.8 million in the preliminary cost and $300 million as take-off cost.
Ohunayo further commended the Federal Government for supporting domestic airlines intending to fly international routes. He said that domestic airlines in the past were pushed and suppressed from operating international flights.
“This slowed down the process and responses they were getting from the foreign aviation bodies giving permission to start operation.
“When Air Peace started, despite the Naira not performing well, the international fares began to drop. That is the beauty of competition. We must continue in that stead and ensure that Nigeria utilises its position in the Bilateral Service Agreement,” he said.
Ohunayo commended other feats achieved in the industry in the last one year including the approval of major equipment for the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and the lighting of runways across the country.