President Muhammadu Buhari met with Girma Wake, Chairman of the Ethiopian Airlines Board of Directors, on Sunday in Addis Abeba, where they discussed the operationalization of Nigeria Air.
Wake had requested that the legal stumbling block preventing Nigeria Air, in which Ethiopian Airlines owns 49%, from starting operations be removed.
He also asked for the repatriation of airline funds that had become stuck in the country due to currency issues.
On Nigeria Air, President Buhari told the Board Chairman that it was a ‘weighty decision’ by the Nigerian government to re-launch a national carrier, expressing confidence that ‘‘things will be alright.’’
Wake , who met with President Buhari on the margins of the 36th AU Summit, said the airline has been treated very well in Nigeria since it started operations 60 years ago in the country.
‘‘Nigeria is not just a market but a hub for aviation in Africa. Nigeria is a special country and nobody travels more around the globe than Nigerians,’’ he said.
The aviation chief, who was accompanied on the visit by Mesfin Tasswe, Group Chief Executive Officer of Ethiopian Airlines and Daniel Abebe, Group Vice President Strategic Planning and Alliances, hinted that the airline had plans to expand operations in the country, with additional daily flight services to Lagos from Addis Ababa, as well as Abuja-Addis Ababa.
He said the airline and its partners are ready to commence operations on Nigeria Air as soon as all the court matters are resolved.