Festus Keyamo explained that the ‘national carrier’ project, which was meant to be a locally-driven initiative to inspire hope among Nigerians, was plagued by secrecy and fraudulent practices.

During a press briefing on the second day of the Ministerial Sectorial update in Abuja on Monday, the minister announced that Nigeria Air remains suspended, calling it detrimental to Nigeria.

Keyamo stated,

“It was never truly Air Nigeria; it was an Ethiopian airline pretending to be our national carrier.

If it’s supposed to be Nigerian, why not let our local airlines fly our flag? Bringing in a foreign airline does not serve our interests.”

He emphasized that for Air Nigeria to be genuine, it must be entirely Nigerian and benefit Nigerians fully, without a significant portion of profits going to another country. Consequently, the project remains suspended.

Keyamo highlighted recent efforts to boost the aviation sector’s economic growth, mentioning the start of cargo flights to Saudi Arabia. This move aims to help Nigeria benefit from the $6 trillion global cargo market.

He noted that cargo flights between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia, which had been suspended for a long time, have resumed. Keyamo stressed the importance of participating in the air cargo market, which constitutes 35% of world trade and is worth about $6 trillion annually, highlighting Nigeria’s previous absence in this lucrative sector.