The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has stressed that the country won’t depend on foreign airlines even while legal efforts against the newly established national airline, Nigeria Air, continue.
Unlike the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), the NLC is in support of the government’s plans to establish a national airline.
We recalls that in 2022, domestic airlines operating under the banner of the AON asked the Federal High Court to put an end to the launch of the new airline.
The Registered Trustees of AON which include: Azman Air Services, Air Peace, Max Air, United Nigeria Airlines Corporation, and Topbrass Aviation Ltd, are said to be behind the suit.
While speaking to reporters after a visit to the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP), in Lagos on Wednesday, NLC President Joe Ajaero stressed that the establishment of a national carrier for the country was long overdue.
However, Ajaero emphasized that the correct protocol must be followed before the national carrier becomes operational.
“The country can not be supporting foreign airlines to rip off the country and to the detriment of its local airlines”, he said.
“But we would demand as a matter of right a National Carrier, Nigeria must have a national carrier, you mentioned here, air, land, and sea, we cannot be depending on foreign carriers, at a stage trying to give them subvention and we keep on mouthing that government has no business in business and government now has business in another person’s business.
”If an individual is running an airline, the government will be giving individual money to survive but government cant use debt money to run its own business.”
Online media has reported that Girma Wake, the president of Ethiopian Airlines, met with President Buhari to suggest an early resolution to the legal obstacles preventing the launch of the Nigeria Air project late in February.
