Mesfin Tasew, the Chief Executive Officer of Ethiopian Airlines Group, has attributed the failure to establish a national carrier for Nigeria to political interference. He stated that Ethiopian Airlines had aimed to assist the Nigerian government in creating a profitable airline, but the project was hindered by opposition from Nigerian airlines.
The partnership to launch Nigeria Air, initiated by President Buhari’s previous administration and overseen by former aviation minister Hadi Sirika, has been mired in controversy. The current aviation minister, Festus Keyamo, has criticised the deal, claiming it would not benefit Nigeria.
This is the first time the Ethiopian Airlines CEO has addressed the contentious project since the current government halted it. In an interview with Bloomberg, Tasew explained that the project has been abandoned due to political complications.
He remarked, “We had high hopes for establishing a strong national carrier for Nigeria. Although we made a start, the project was unsuccessful following the change in government. The project is now closed.”
Tasew continued, “As it stands, we have no plans to return to Nigeria. We have no intention of partnering with any Nigerian airlines at this time, as the project has been politicised. We sought to support Nigeria by leveraging our expertise and experience to create a reliable and profitable airline. However, our efforts were not welcomed by Nigerian airlines, who felt that our involvement would harm their businesses. Since they have rejected the idea, Ethiopian Airlines does not see a reason to pursue it further.”
