Nigerian Government drops plans for a national carrier: Aviation Minister
Nigeria's Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo confirmed (26-Jun-2026) the government no longer intends to launch a new national carrier, following the end of the Nigeria Air project. Mr Keyamo commented: "It is not possible to run a national carrier under a bureaucratic setup without it collapsing into a bottomless pit". [more - Aviation Week]
Background ✨
Nigeria’s government shifted focus towards supporting private operators, with Minister Festus Keyamo signalling readiness to provide financial and operational assistance conditional on improved capacity and reliability, and to review bilateral air services agreements to protect local carriers1 2. Mr Keyamo also disputed claims Nigeria Air was being revived, keeping it suspended pending scrutiny of documents tied to the planned May-2023 launch3 4. Ethiopian Airlines CEO Mesfin Tasew said the Nigeria Air partnership effort ended after a change of government and the project was closed5. The Federal Executive Council later approved a privately funded Nigeria Aircraft Leasing Company to acquire or lease aircraft for local operators, backed by sovereign guarantees6.