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Airline Denies Talk With FG Over Nigeria Air Revival
The Ethiopian Airlines Group has denied that it was working with the Federal Government to revive plans to establish a national carrier, the Nigeria Air.
The airline in a media release through its Group Chief Executive, Mesfin Tassew, said every discussion the airline had with Federal Government did not on the National Carrier.
This is coming a few days after an Ethiopian Airlines statement on its X handle sparked rumours that Nigeria was in talks to revive the botched national carrier deal.
Ethiopian Airlines posted on X: “The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Mr. Festus Keyamo, accompanied by his delegates, visited Ethiopian Airlines facilities. During the visit, a productive discussion took place with Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO, Mr. Mesfin Tasew, and members of the Ethiopian Airlines Executive Management.”
However, the airline’s group executives on the later release said discussions between Keyamo and Chief Executive Officer Mesfin Tassew did not touch on the subject of the National Carrier.
Also, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, had in a chat with journalists, dismissed the reports.
The Minister noted that the pictures that were seen in the media were those taken at a simple courtesy call.
“Just a simple courtesy call that they requested on the sidelines of the Organisation of African Union (OAU) summit”, he said.
In 2024, Mesfin also said the joint venture between Nigeria and Ethiopia was dead, saying: “Unless new negotiations are drafted in the future, the issue of the Nigeria air project is not one we would visit again.”
Corlins Walter