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Nigeria

Senate rejects Nigeria Air contract revival, presses for China flight rights

Lawmakers want a Nigerian-owned national carrier by other means and a renegotiated air services deal with China, a matter for airlines and Nigerian traders.

Photo: Fawaz Onakoya, Pexels

What happened

The Senate rejected calls to revive the contracts awarded under the Nigeria Air project, describing further discussion of the failed national carrier initiative as unproductive. allafrica.com+1 Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the position at plenary after a debate on a motion sponsored by Senate Chief Whip Tahir Monguno (APC, Borno North). allafrica.com+1 Lawmakers maintained that Nigeria needs a viable national carrier and urged the federal government to explore alternative arrangements for establishing a Nigerian-owned airline. allafrica.com+1 The chamber also called for urgent renegotiation and enforcement of the Bilateral Air Services Agreement between Nigeria and China so that Nigerian airlines can fly direct to China. allafrica.com+1

Around it

The motion addressed an imbalance in flight operations between the two countries, with Chinese planes able to fly directly to Nigeria while Nigerian planes cannot fly direct to China. allafrica.com+1 Akpabio said Nigerian businesspeople travelling to China must route through carriers such as Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines, while Chinese business travellers face no such constraint. NALTF

Sources

  1. allafrica.comNigeria: Senate Rejects Nigeria Air Project, Urges Govt to Establish National Carrier
  2. NALTFSenate Rejects Nigeria Air Contracts, Demands Direct China Flights

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