Stakeholders Reject Ethiopian Airlines’ Plan to Fly Local Routes

Stakeholders in the aviation industry have rejected the plan by Ethiopian Airlines to set up a domestic carrier in Nigeria.

Ethiopian Airlines’ Group Chief Executive Officer, Tewolde Gebremariam, in an interview in Abuja this July, had said the airline was considering establishing a domestic airline in Nigeria.

According to the stakeholders, the East African carrier was establishing airlines in many countries in Africa to take over the air traffic market in the continent, a strategy that would not allow countries in such partnership the ability to develop their aviation sector to its full potential.

They said Nigeria being the most populous country in Africa and second country with the highest passenger traffic with well-educated and skilled manpower in all sectors of the economy, would not allow a foreign carrier to take over its domestic market.

They vowed to continue to mount pressure on the federal government to give more support to the sector so that strong airlines would grow in the country.