The aircraft that landed in Murtala Mohammed Airport in Lagos a few weeks ago before the end of the Buhari administration has been disclosed by Dayo Olumide, the managing director of Nigeria Air, that it was chartered all the way from Ethiopia.
Olumide disclosed that Nigeria Air was first launched in 2018 but wasn't unveiled due to several things that transpired which were beyond him.
He said, "It is a pleasure to be here and to finally make our position known where I can clarify all the misconceptions regarding Nigeria Air as it pertains to the technical aspects of it.
As you know this airline was launched with the logo in 2018. Several things have transpired since then that have nothing to do with me.
I was invited last February, my mandate is to secure an air operating certificate for the airline not necessarily to operate the airline but to secure a license to fly. And that is entirely my responsibility."
"Ever since 2018, all you have ever seen about Nigeria Aircraft were pictures, and drawings, not the real aircraft, and we thought it was time to show what the real aircraft will look like and also to let shareholders know.
You see we have institutional investors, they are not in aviation, but they are putting their money for 10 or 15 years and to exit may be at the premium. So they need to see what the actual aircraft will look like.
So we brought it in here to show them what the aircraft will look like. Then the social media dimension came into it.
"So when this aircraft came on a chartered flight, everybody said we have launched Nigeria Air.
There are learned people in the aviation industry who could have countered that when social media came out, they chose not to."
Olumide disclosed that Nigeria Air was first launched in 2018 but wasn't unveiled due to several things that transpired which were beyond him.
He said, "It is a pleasure to be here and to finally make our position known where I can clarify all the misconceptions regarding Nigeria Air as it pertains to the technical aspects of it.
As you know this airline was launched with the logo in 2018. Several things have transpired since then that have nothing to do with me.
I was invited last February, my mandate is to secure an air operating certificate for the airline not necessarily to operate the airline but to secure a license to fly. And that is entirely my responsibility."
"Ever since 2018, all you have ever seen about Nigeria Aircraft were pictures, and drawings, not the real aircraft, and we thought it was time to show what the real aircraft will look like and also to let shareholders know.
You see we have institutional investors, they are not in aviation, but they are putting their money for 10 or 15 years and to exit may be at the premium. So they need to see what the actual aircraft will look like.
So we brought it in here to show them what the aircraft will look like. Then the social media dimension came into it.
"So when this aircraft came on a chartered flight, everybody said we have launched Nigeria Air.
There are learned people in the aviation industry who could have countered that when social media came out, they chose not to."