According to Vanguard, The termination of Nigeria Air's joint venture with Ethiopian Airlines has sparked a flurry of reactions from stakeholders in the aviation industry. According to them, former Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika ignored warnings about the project's feasibility, leading to its eventual failure.
Industry experts have commended the federal government for ending the partnership, which they deemed doomed from the start. Other airlines, including Emirates, Qatar, Etihad, and Turkish Airlines, had declined to partner with Nigeria Air due to concerns about the country's reputation for not respecting agreements.
Group Captain John Ojikutu, a former military commandant at Murtala Muhammed Airport, had cautioned Sirika that a national carrier would not be viable for Nigeria. Instead, he suggested establishing a flag carrier, which would be more suitable for the country's aviation industry.
Chris Aligbe, former spokesperson of Nigeria Airways, also warned that Nigeria's reputation for disregarding agreements would deter potential investors. His warnings were proven correct when only Ethiopian Airlines showed interest in the partnership, despite extensive marketing efforts by Sirika.
The failure of the Nigeria Air project serves as a lesson for the federal government, which is now advised to designate Air Peace and Ibom Air as the country's carriers, rather than establishing a new national carrier.