THE committee on the establishment of a national carrier has submitted its report to the Federal Government.

The report was received by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Aviation, Mrs. Binta Bello at the headquarters of the ministry in Abuja yesterday.

The committee, inaugurated in Abuja on August 25, was charged to consult with the international community and private sector with the aim of coming up with a national carrier on the basis of public-private partnership model. It was given four weeks to complete its assignment.

They were also charged to invite the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) to determine the debt profile of domestic airlines to serve as a guide in its recommendations, and to develop the optimum model for a National Carrier for Nigeria.

In an interview with journalists after receiving the report, Bello, said, “The committee was inaugurated based on the directive of the President and they are to advice the government appropriately on how to go about the establishment of a national carrier.

On when the national carrier would come on board, she said: “The report has just been submitted to me and I have not read the recommendations.”

She stated that the committee kept to the stipulated time of four weeks given them by the Federal Government, adding that they did a diligent job.

The chairman of the committee, Capt. Abdulsalami Mohammed, said the team consulted widely before coming up with the report.

He said: “The creation of the committee on the establishment of a national carrier has generated a lot of excitement and comments both in the print and electronic media as well as social media networks since its inauguration.

“It was, therefore, not surprising that we received a lot of memoranda from interested stakeholders within and outside the country.

“We consulted with a total of 74 stakeholders, ranging from airline operators to aviation agencies, service providers, financial consultants, institutional investors, aircraft and parts suppliers and former staff of Nigeria Airways Limited.”

Mohammed said the committee had made far-reaching recommendations, noting that if accepted and implemented by government, it would have positive impact on the aviation industry in Nigeria.