BREAKING: Ethiopian Airlines finally talks about the contentious Nigeria Air

Ethiopian Airlines’ Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Mesfin Tasew, provided insight into the East African airline’s involvement in the formation of Nigeria Air, revealing that the airline was on the verge of withdrawing but that the government was adamant about seeing the process through to completion.

For the first time, Ethiopian Airlines’ management is discussing the airline problem that hampered the last few hours of the previous administration.

On May 27, the airline was founded by Senator Hadi Sirika, the former minister of aviation. Subsequently, it was found that the use of an ET aircraft for a demonstration flight had violated the regulations pertaining to the formation of a new airline. The airline never made it to market as a result.

According to this newspaper, Ethiopian Airlines was chosen as the preferred bidder to oversee the process, but the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) sued the Federal Government to contest the decision.

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However, the CEO of the airline claimed in an interview with some Nigerian media in Addis Ababa that the East African carrier was called to collaborate with the federal government in order to launch Nigeria Air, the country’s national airline, rather than having any intention of establishing an airline in Nigeria.

It further clarified that Ethiopian Airlines had consented to the federal government’s request to have its aircraft bearing the Nigeria Air emblem so that Nigerians could be inspected.

“To expedite the issuance of the Air Operators’ Certificate, the leadership of Nigeria Air—which does not include Ethiopian Airlines—asked us at one time to provide planes painted with the Nigerian emblem. We so agreed to that, and after removing one of our aircraft, painting it with the Nigerian flag, and taking it on a flight, we allowed the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to observe it. After two days, we returned with the aircraft, painted the Ethiopian emblem on it, and got it back in the air. Therefore, a change in government occurred while we were waiting for the court’s ruling.

He stated that despite first opposing the offer to establish the airline, the airline eventually consented because of its long-standing relationship with Nigeria, where it now operates to four cities.

He said that while Ethiopian Airlines and the Nigeran government were getting ready to shareholding, they got word that certain Nigerian businesses and airlines were slandering Ethiopian Airlines and the national government, so they filed a lawsuit and won an injunction to halt the formation of Nigeria Air.

Ethiopian Airlines sought to leave as a result, but the Nigerian government urged it to carry on with the process of becoming the national airline for the continent’s most populous country.

Ethiopian Airlines’ Group Chief Executive Officer stated that the company had not yet made a decision regarding whether to proceed with the establishment of Nigeria Air. However, the federal government had addressed some concerns and insisted that the project would not be abandoned, saying that groundwork should be continued until the court revokes the order.

Tasew stressed that Ethiopian Airlines was not solicited to become a partner of Nigeria Air; that airline had already been founded.

He added that if and when the national carrier is founded, Nigerians will gain a great deal from it, as the federal government claimed that Nigeria lacks reliable local and international airlines.

Ethiopian Airlines had no intention of establishing an airline in Nigeria, according to Tasew. When I assumed my current role as Group CEO in May 2022, the Nigerian government requested that ET (Ethiopian Airlines) submit a bid and assist in the establishment of a Nigerian flag airline. It was sent by letter.

“At first, we were reluctant to discuss that. We mentioned that we were busy and have other projects in other nations. However, the Nigerian government demanded that Ethiopian Airlines must assist the country in establishing its national carrier because it is an African airline. Hence, we owed them deference. We go to four Nigerian cities in order to aid the people and administration of that country; we are unable to refuse requests for assistance. As a result, we had to honour the Nigerian government and submit a proposal.

“And since the Nigerian government had also asked other airlines in the Middle East and Europe to enter the bid, we believed that they had options, ET being one of them. I’m not sure if they took part or not. After submitting our proposal, the Ministry of Aviation wrote to us to inform us that Ethiopian Airlines had been chosen as a partner in the airline’s establishment.

Subsequently, in order to guarantee their presence in the airline and to expedite its construction, the Nigerian government required that the investors’ structure consist entirely of Nigerian investing institutions and only required 5% of the shares. We disagreed on various things despite having numerous conversations and coming to many conclusions.

“How Nigerian Airlines and its affiliates began slandering the Ethiopian government and airline”

“And as we were putting the shareholder agreement together, we learned that certain Nigerian businesses, including airlines, had begun disparaging the airline’s founding, protesting its existence, and slandering Ethiopian Airlines’ and the government’s names. We reasoned at the time that we might as well leave Nigeria if neither the public nor the administration of the country wanted it.

However, the Nigerian government adamantly maintained that we must move on since this is a key problem for Nigeria. We had to appear in court with the Nigerian government, which included the Ministry of Transport, and defend ourselves when this group of persons brought a court order.

“We needed to protect ourselves. As a result, as far as we are aware, the court is still deliberating on it. However, the Nigerian government requested that we keep up the background investigation until the court matter was resolved.

“Nigeria Air existed before us; the Nigerian government had founded it prior to our invitation. It has a separate leadership, was busy with many activities, had begun preparing and applying for the Air Operators’ Certificate (AOC). Therefore, it was a matter of reorganising Nigeria Air’s ownership when we arrived. For the record, they created the logo beforehand; Ethiopian Airlines did not. We also reasoned that the Nigerian government and people would gain from the establishment of Nigeria Air.

“Because we discussed your desire to establish a new airline with the Nigerian government. They claimed that there are no trustworthy airlines in Nigeria and that they are looking for a company that can offer a reputable service that leaves and arrives on time and doesn’t cancel flights on both the local and international markets.

The Nigerian government feels that the population in Nigeria is being disadvantaged by the exorbitant airfares that foreign airlines charge. Therefore, the goal of the Nigerian government was to establish a very powerful, trustworthy national carrier that serves both the local and global markets. And we wanted to proceed with it because we believe in it.

According to Tasew, Ethiopian Airlines agreed when the federal government promised to get back to them with a decision.

“To begin with, the government took the initiative; it was not our idea. We now have no problem cancelling the project if that is what the government requests. There isn’t a problem. The government must resolve the legal dispute in court if it wants us to move forward with the project. In any other case, we would be happy to assist the Nigerian government in establishing the national carrier. Therefore, we let the Nigerian government make that decision.

“We don’t have any problems, and we won’t be upset if it gets cancelled. Our only purpose is to assist. We are also okay with the parties asking for our assistance, changing their minds, or changing their approach. We informed the Minister that we would respect whatever decision made by the Nigerian government.

“We don’t intend to destroy Nigerian airlines.”

However, we believe that everything that has been reported in the media is entirely false. Without a doubt, if we travel there, our intention is not to destroy Nigerian Airlines. We don’t want to bring down Nigerian airlines. Without a doubt, we must establish a dependable airline and offer services that meet the demands of the Nigerian people. They actually need to be powerful. These airlines cannot compete if they are weak. Some of them may cease to exist if they are unable to compete. It is not exclusive to the airline industry; it applies to any industry with rivalry. The weaker ones will shrink while the stronger ones grow.

Therefore, a powerful airline will compel the weaker airlines to reevaluate their effectiveness. to reevaluate their business practises and offer more dependable services that will ultimately benefit the Nigerian people. Thus, they answered, “No, it will kill us if Ethiopian Airlines comes.” Our goal is to deliver excellent service; we do not intend to murder them. And others respond, “No, they’ll bring all of their old planes,” which is untrue. We’ll arrive in well-maintained little aircraft.

Not only are they brand-new, but they’re also aircraft, like the Boeing 737 MAX. In reality, we had signed a leasing agreement from Canada to lease three 737 MAX aircraft, which are one and a half years old, in the hopes that the airline would actually come into being. These aircraft are entirely new. Nigeria has now said, “No, we don’t need it,” he stated.