President directs ministry to expedite action on establishment of national airline

President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the Ministry of Aviation to expedite action on the establishment of a new national airline.

Erstwhile national carrier, Nigeria Airways, established in 1958, was liquidated in 2003.

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Buhari gave the order on Wednesday while receiving briefing from officials of the Aviation Ministry, led by the Permanent Secretary, Binta Bello.

"Mr President is quiet concerned with lack of a national carrier for now and he has directed the ministry to look into the possibility of having a national carrier as soon as possible,’’ she said.

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She said the president was also briefed on the challenges domestic airlines were facing in spite of federal government's N300 billion intervention fund to enable them boost their operations.

She said the airlines were indebted to the regulatory agencies under the Aviation Ministry, among other challenges which had left some of them struggling to maintain optimum operational capabilities.

‎The Permanent Secretary announced that the four state-of-the-art terminals being constructed with loan from Chinese Bank would be ready by the first quarter of 2016.

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She said that facilities being constructed at the four airports and ongoing expansion would enable them accommodate large aircraft like the Airbus 380.

Bello said the President also instructed the Ministry to begin the process of relinquishing airspace and radar control of neighbouring countries as these countries now have the capacity to cover their own airspace.

She reassured Nigerians and the international community that Nigeria's airspace ‎was safe and had just recorded a score of over 90 per cent by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).