Nigeria Air: Court adjourns proceeding till February 13

The Federal High Court in Lagos has adjourned proceedings on the national carrier till February 13, 2023.

This is also as the court maintained its order directing the Federal Government and domestic airlines to maintain the status quo in their suit concerning the establishment of a proposed national carrier.

Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa Thursday made the order pending the determination of the suit filed by The Registered Trustees of the Airline Operators of Nigeria and five others in the aviation industry.

Last week, the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos granted an order of interim injunction restraining the Federal Government from executing the proposed or draft agreement of the establishment of a national carrier between Ethiopian airlines and Nigeria.

Justice Lewis-Allagoa who granted the order on November 12, 2022, ruled that an Order of Maintenance of Status Quo by all the parties in the suit from taking any further step(s) in relation to the subject matter of the suit pending when the determination of the Motion on Notice is granted.

About eight domestic airlines sued the FG to court, listing Nigerian Air, Ethiopian Airlines, Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, as defendants.

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Among other prayers, the airlines want the court to stop the national carrier deal and withdraw the Air Transport Licence already issued to Nigeria Air by the Federal Government/Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.

They also claimed that the firm which served as Transaction Adviser for the transaction, was incorporated in March last year and alleged that the company was linked to the aviation minister.

The four other plaintiffs are Azman Air Services Limited, Air Peace Limited, Max Air Limited, United Nigeria Airlines Company Limited and Topbrass Aviation Limited are the first to sixth plaintiffs.

The first to fourth defendants are Nigeria Air Limited, Ethiopian Airlines, Sirika and the Attorney-General of the Federation.

However, two “intervenors/applicants” filed an application praying the court to strike out the name of The Registered Trustees of the Airline Operators of Nigeria as a party in a suit arguing that its inclusion in the suit “is invalid”.

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.