According to The Cable, the chief executive officer of Qatar Airways, Akbar Al Baker made this known during the 18th Doha Forum in Doha, Qatar.

Al Baker said that the Nigerian government only approached them to ask for help on how to float a national carrier.

He said “We never applied to serve as core investor in the proposed Nigerian national carrier. The government of Nigeria only approached us on how to go about setting up the carrier. And we advised that Nigeria needs massive investments to float a national carrier.

“Nigeria, being the largest country in Africa, cannot afford not to have a national carrier that competes, first in Africa, and then the global stage. Again, Nigeria must also have the airport that can accommodate modern aircraft that can drive competition.”

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The Cable reports that the minister of state for aviation, Hadi Sirika had listed Qatar Airways and Ethiopian Airways as potential investors in the national carrier.

In September 2018, the Nigerian government announced the suspension of the national carrier project.