The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has been unable to confirm Nigerian media reports that startup NG Eagle (2N, Lagos) has finally been granted an air operator's certificate (AOC).
"I am not aware of an AOC to NG Eagle," NCAA spokesman Sam Adurogboye informed ch-aviation.
Nigeria's Leadership publication alleged NG Eagle had received an AOC for domestic operations. It was considered a potential national carrier in light of legal complications surrounding the establishment of Nigeria Air (Lagos), the federal government's joint venture with an Ethiopian Airlines-led consortium, the unconfirmed report said.
Citing competition concerns, the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), representing private sector airlines, has won an urgent interdict preventing the federal government from selling shares in Nigeria Air to Ethiopian Airlines. The defendants have applied for the case to be transferred from Lagos, Nigeria's commercial centre, to Abuja, the seat of the federal government, which the AON is opposing. The Federal High Court in Abuja will rule on the case transfer on April 25.
NG Eagle is a NGN22 billion naira (USD53 million) national carrier startup project by the state-owned Asset Management Corporation (AMCON). It stalled in mid-October 2021 after the NCAA abandoned its certification process on orders of the Nigerian Senate. The political sidelining was linked to AMCON's NGN235 billion (USD572 million) debt, including its NGN200 billion (USD487 million) exposure to Arik Air (W3, Lagos) - still under AMCON's receivership - and NGN35 billion owed to various civil aviation agencies. The Nigerian National Assembly in February 2022 declared NG Eagle would not be certified until Arik Air offset an outstanding debt of NGN10.8 billion (USD24.8 million).
Meanwhile, AMCON through its Receiver-Manager has appealed last week’s ruling by the Federal High Court in Lagos, which stopped the transfer of Arik Air assets to NG Eagle Airlines and Super Bravo Limited, reports Nigeria's Daily Trust newspaper. Sources close to AMCON said some elements of the judgement were "unusual and unheard of in insolvency cases,” the report said. Following the court's decision, AMCON said it would exercise its right to appeal the ruling relating to its "dealings in specific transactions concerning limited assets".
