NG Eagle is the new airline convened by Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), set to take over the defunct Arik Airline weighed down by over N300 billion debt.
AMCON, as Receiver Manager in the last five years both to Arik and two other airlines, had garnered a lot of courage and assembled experts over time, towards the floating of a new airline known as NG Eagle.
The coincidence of the establishment of NG Eagle is not only to bridge the wide gap created by the epileptic Arik airline, but to also throw up more competitive stead in the aviation industry.
It is also far away from cynicisms and insinuations of the preparation of NG Eagle to take over the planned national carrier, as its intention is to allow a thriving aviation industry devoid of any unforeseen circumstances, and debt burden that precluded Arik airline among others.
Alas, Public Private Partnership (PPP), along with wholly private ownership has being a major template adopted by many business outfits in the course of floating a well thought out business arrangement.
With experiences both in debt recovery and management, administration of the banking industry, oil and gas as well as aviation, it became more easier for AMCON to float an airline not only as owners, but to open another competitive atmosphere, and create a new vista in the industry in Nigeria.
The coming of NG Eagle Airline will also open another platform of divestment from one area to another, not only for the necessity of it but to make positive contributions that will encourage would-be investors both local and foreign into the industry, and in the long run better Nigeria’s economy.
Hitting the ground running with some few aircraft, the stage is not only set for the launch of NG Eagle but in creating another round of engagements to many Nigerians with employment opportunities and to address redundancy status of the staffers of defunct Arik airline.
With death of airlines occasioned by both economic and operational lapses that had affected the high patronage of the aviation industry, considering other variables, particularly security problems bedevilling the country, the regulator, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) will have no choice than to create an enabling environment to would-be airliners and investors to invest heavily in the industry.
Already, all the processes leading to the approval of Air Operators’ Certificate (AOC), is in place as due diligence, necessary paper work and other technical requirements is already achieved towards the debut of NG Eagle.
AMCON dexterity in management of diverse conglomerates no doubt will play out in the running of the new airline into a profitability stead, in line with the expectations of both local and international standards.
Stakeholders in the aviation sector will have no choice than to close rank to ensure the new airline contribute its quota to the development and effective management of the industry.
The new innovations by the managers of NG Eagle is well thought out, and will open a chapter towards an initial success of the airline, in the shortest possible time.

•Abubakar Yusuf, a Journalist, writes from Abuja and can be reached on yus.abubakar3@gmail.com.

Update news