Nigeria is currently in the process of speaking to different vendors about who will be their national airline carrier. They are in deep talks with a variety of different airlines, but there are reports that they are close with Qatar Airways.

Representatives on behalf of Nigeria have denied that they are the favorite, and have said that they are not quite done with the bidding process.

Nigeria hopes to get this done by June 2023, making the airline known as “Nigeria Air” eventually. The government is seeking to provide an investment in the aviation space, by providing a national air carrier. They are looking to only have a 5% stake, and are not looking to go anything higher than that. For reference, they have not had a state-owned air carrier since 2003.

James Odaudu, Director of Public Affairs, provided a statement on the talks. “For some time now, the name Qatar Airways has been coming up as the core investor of the airline in media reports, but we wish to state that no preferred bidder has been selected for the national carrier, Nigeria Air. (…) No corporate entity or individual has been appointed or selected, or even preferred for the project as the process for selection has just started with the Request for Proposal.”

They hope to provide a reputable, worthy airline to the country and give its aviation fanatics something to be proud of.