The Ministry of Aviation with full support of the Presidency has concluded plans to float a new national carrier in partnership with one of Europe's mega carriers, which name government is still keeping to its chest.


The mega carrier, which presently operates into the country is to provide technical support that would include maintenance, infrastructure, training of pilots, engineers and other technical personnel and route development.
The ownership structure will have zero government control in terms of management and equity holding but its controlling shares would be owned by Nigeria, who will become stakeholders through the sale of Initial Public Offer (IPO), while the partner airline would have management control and 49 per cent stake holding.
Special Adviser (Media) to the Minister of Aviation, Joe Obi, confirmed to THISDAY that the proposed national carrier would be wholly privately owned and would operate in partnership with an international airline.
He explained that it might be entirely new airline with foreign partnership or an existing one that can emerge as a national carrier "but what is clear now is that government will not play any role in its ownership and control. It will be owned by Nigerians through IPO, although the template of that is still being worked on."
But THISDAY learnt that government was no more considering building up a domestic airline into a national carrier because of the inherent problem of such arrangement, which include the initial owner insisting on having some control and possibly sabotaging the new plan.
http://allwestafricannews..com/2012/09/fg-ready-to-float-new-national-carrier.html