The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) has commended the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, for suspending the operationalisation of Nigeria Air.

Keyamo during an on-the-spot facility tour of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on Thursday, August 31, 2023, directed the immediate suspension of the Nigeria Air project and the concession project, stressing that he owes it to the government and Nigerians to give honest assessment.

The House of Representatives had, in June 2023, said the launch of Nigeria Air was a fraud, while the Senate declared that the unveiling of the airline was shrouded in secrecy.

The airline was unveiled three days before the end of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

However, the AON, in a statement issued by its spokesman, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, on Friday, September 1, 2023, said Keyamo has displayed rare courage and great patriotism to save Nigeria from further embarrassment in the aviation sector.

Okonkwo noted that the suspension of the Nigeria Air project would allow the minister to put things right and help restore Nigeria’s image in the aviation sector.

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He stated: “Aside from stakeholders in the aviation industry, it was evident to everyone who had followed developments around the Nigeria Air project under the immediate past administration that the idea was not only ill-thought-out but also lacked any modicum of transparency.

“It was therefore no surprise that the House of Representatives Committees on Aviation which investigated the process and purported launch of Nigeria Air on Friday, June 2, 2023 described it as a ‘fraud’.

“It remains a puzzle to Nigerians why the processes of actualizing such a major national project was shrouded in almost utter secrecy until the end of the last government.

“However, we remain confident that by suspending the Nigeria Air project to allow for a thorough review, the Aviation Minister Olorogun Keyamo SAN will put things right and help restore Nigeria’s image in the global aviation family.

“AON continues to believe that it is not right to float a national carrier on the terms set out by the last Aviation Minister, which would undermine, even destroy, the aviation sector in Nigeria with Ethiopian Airlines waiting on the wings for total takeover.

“We have no doubt that the new Aviation Minister has the right vision for the development of the sector which is driven by public interest considerations for the good of Nigerians.

“Again, the AON commends the Minister for the great leadership he has shown so early in his tenure and pledge our unalloyed support in his quest to reform the aviation sector and implement other components of the aviation roadmap for the overall good of the Nigerian economy.”

The Star