Nigeria suspends relaunch of national airline

[ABUJA] Nigeria is suspending the relaunch of its national airline just over two months after it announced the new venture, the country's aviation minister said Wednesday.

In July, the Nigerian government announced the relaunch of the carrier - rebranded as Nigeria Air - in London, with plans to get it up and running by the end of the year.

But Nigeria's aviation minister Hadi Sirika said that the relaunch was now indefinitely suspended, without elaborating on the cause of the delay.

"I regret to announce that the Federal Executive Council has taken the tough decision to suspend the National Carrier Project in the interim," said Mr Sirika in a statement posted on Twitter.

"All commitments due will be honoured. We thank the public for the support as always."

The formation of a new national airline was a key election campaign promise made by President Muhammadu Buhari three years ago.

The country has been without a national flag carrier since 2003 following the demise of Nigeria Airways, which was plagued by debt and collapsed in financial difficulties.

AFP