Nigeria would contemplate China’s C919 aircraft for brand new airline By Reuters

MONTREAL (Reuters) – Nigeria would contemplate shopping for China’s newly-certified C919 passenger jet because it grows the nation’s fledgling provider Nigeria Air to 30 planes by round 2025, Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika mentioned on Saturday.

Sirika mentioned the brand new airline would have a mix of Airbus and Boeing (NYSE:) planes, however added the provider can also be keen to have a look at the Chinese language narrowbody jet, which Chinese language regulators licensed on Friday.

“We’ve not checked out that C919. But when it is nearly as good because the others then why not,” he advised Reuters on the sidelines of the United Nation’s aviation company’s triennial meeting in Montreal, Canada.

On Friday, China hailed the event of its first medium-haul passenger jet because the embodiment of the nation’s drive in the direction of self-sufficiency, with security approval awarded to a aircraft that goals to problem Western plane giants for orders.

The primary C919 plane, designed to compete with standard single-aisle fashions made by Airbus and Boeing, will likely be delivered by the tip of the 12 months, state Xinhua Information Company mentioned.

It stays unclear when the aircraft is likely to be licensed by the US or Europe, opening the way in which to gross sales in most overseas markets, however business analysts say it will likely be as much as a decade earlier than China can severely deal with the present Boeing-Airbus duopoly.

“China and Nigeria (have a) very cordial and pleasant relationship with mutual advantages,” Sirika mentioned.

For many years, China has loaned billions of {dollars} to Africa to construct railroads, energy crops and highways because it deepened ties with the continent whereas extracting minerals and oil.

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, is the highest importer of Chinese language items, hoovering up $23 billion value in 2021.

Nigeria’s poor transport and energy networks have stymied financial progress for many years, holding again the distribution of wealth in Africa’s greatest economic system the place 40% of individuals dwell beneath the nationwide poverty line.

Nevertheless, the nation is rising its aviation sector, the place visitors is now above pre-COVID-19 pandemic ranges, Sirika mentioned. The airline is considered one of President Muhammadu Buhari’s 2015 election marketing campaign guarantees.