Ethiopia-Nigeria talks over joint airline venture fail
Disinfectant workers spray disinfectant on an Ethiopian Airlines plane arriving at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, in Abuja, Nigeria on September 7, 2020. - After a five-month closure of the Nigerian airspace due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, flight resumptions began in Abuja, Nigeria. (Photo by Kola Sulaimon / AFP) (Photo by KOLA SULAIMON/AFP via Getty Images)
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Talks between officials of Ethiopian Airlines and their Nigerian counterparts to establish a joint venture (JV) airline did not succeed, APA can report over the weekend.
“The Nigerian government has lost interest in partnering with a foreign airline,” Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Mesfin Tasew said recently in Dubai.
The plan for the proposed airline, to be known as Nigeria Air, was for Nigerian investors to take a 46 percent stake, with the government holding 5 percent and Ethiopian airlines holding the remaining 49 percent.
However, the airline is continuing to develop its multi-hub strategy in Africa.
Tasew said this setback will not stop the Ethiopian Airlines, which is the Star Alliance member, from developing JVs to establish sister airlines in Africa where Ethiopian Airlines has an equity stake.
“We have been approached by several airlines in Africa for support, and we are evaluating them,” Tasew said. Countries include the Democratic Republic of Congo as well as Equatorial Guinea.
He said meanwhile, Togo-based ASKY, in which Ethiopian holds a 40 percent share, and Malawi Airlines, which was Ethiopia’s first JV, continue to do well. Zambia Airways—in which Ethiopian Airlines holds a 45 percent share—is also continuing to develop.
