Aviation minister’s visit to Ethiopian Airlines facilities fuels national carrier project revival

·          They requested for a courtesy call, says Keyamo

A statement posted on the airline’a verified X handle @flyethiopian said, “His Excellency Festus Keyamo, Minister Aviation and Aerospace Development of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, accompanied by his delegates, visited Ethiopian Airlines facilities”

“During the visit, a productive discussion took place with Ethiopian Airlines Group  CEO, Mr. Mesfin Tasew, and members of the Ethiopian Airlines Executive Management’.

The images accompanying the message on X show the minister in a group picture with the team from Ethiopian Airlines and another in which the minister posed for photograph in the airline’s A350 simulator.

The Minister refuted the claim saying the carrier requested for a courtesy call sd s side event during the Africa Union summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The Minister was part of President Bola Tinubu’s delegation to Addis Ababa to participate in the 38th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union Heads of State and Government. The meeting is slated for February 14 – 18, 2025.

 Keyamo had been critical about the Nigerian Air deal that handed which he termed ‘fraudulent’. In 2022, Ethiopian Airlines won the bid to manage Nigeria Air with a 49% stake, while the Federal Government held 5%, SAHCO 15%, and other investors 31%.

Nigerian domestic airline operators and those who expressed fears over the deal argued that with a majority stake, Ethiopian Airlines could engage in monopolistic practices, such as limiting competition on specific routes, setting unfair prices, and prioritising its interests over those of Nigerian consumers and the local aviation industry.

But others who were in favour of the deal said the deal was the best for the country considering that the country was not putting a dime into the project coupled with the fact that Ethiopian Airlines would provide technical expertise and aircraft as the management reverts to Nigerians within a certain period.

Shortly after assuming office, the Minister announced that the deal had been suspended as he awaits President Tinubu’s directive on the project.

A diplomat who spoke to Aviation Metric under the condition of anonymity said at the African Union summit in Addis Ababa last year, the issue was taken up by the former Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde which made President Tinubu send the Director-General of Nigeria Intelligence Agency (NIA) with two others to proceed to Addis Ababa on a fact-finding mission on the deal.

The envoy who was in the know of the situation said the Ethiopian Airlines and Nigeria Air deal is been looked at at the highest level of government.

While the Ethiopian Government and Ethiopian Airlines are not averse to the termination of the Nigeria Air deal, they were however miffed with what they alleged to be “a campaign of calumny by the country’s airlines and a few stakeholders against Ethiopia as a country and Ethiopian Airlines that is reputed to be the most profitable airline in Africa and the 36^th best carrier in the world”.

A serving diplomat who is not authorized to speak to the media said information and documents available to his Ministry which he shared with our correspondent said they are contrary to the ‘misinformation  Airline Operators of Nigeria’ fed to the public that the Nigeria Air deal was not a fraud.

He said the deal was approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) which had Keyamo in attendance and with copies of the ‘real’ agreement given to every Minister in attendance at the time’.

Wole Shadare