Airlines has announced that it is in talks with the federal government of the country, private sectors and airline operators in the aviation industry for the establishment of a new airline.
The airline also noted the failure of Nigeria to own a carrier was a big threat to the airline industry in Africa, which is capable of displacing indigenous carriers in the continent.
Ethiopian Airlines Group Chief Executive officer, Tewolde Gebremariam, disclosed this during a chat with some reporters in Nigeria’s capital city, Abuja.
“I don’t mean that there is no strong airline in Nigeria, but we want an airline that can satisfy the demand of the domestic market, the regional market, and the international market.
“We are also in talks with Ghana government to establish Ghana Airways, but the biggest market, which is Nigeria, has been a challenge, to be honest with you.
“We are discussing at all levels. We are also discussing with private carriers, local carriers in Nigeria and the government but we are making it abundantly clear that we want to start a new one because starting from a clean slate or paper is advantageous because we won’t have any legacy or baggage to carry.
“There are a strong indication and interest from both sides and I am very hopeful that very soon, we will have a strong base to start with and from our track record; we have established Asky, Malawi, Mozambique and now Chad.
“We make sure that when we start something, we start professionally and make sure that it succeeds.”
On the impact of Nigeria not owning a carrier, he said: “Nigeria is a very large country but unfortunately, since the demise of Nigeria Airways, we are unfortunate that we don’t have a strong carrier,” he said.
