According to News reaching ShockingNews, the plaintiffs registered trustees of the Airline Operators in Nigeria (AON), Azman Air Services Limited, Air Peace Limited, Max Air Limited, United Nigeria Airline Company Limited, and Top Brass Aviation Limited, obtained the temporary injunction in a lawsuit with the filing number FHC/L/CS/2159/2022.
It stated that Justice A. Lewis-Allagoa, who issued the order on Friday, November 12, 2022, decided that all parties to the lawsuit were prohibited from taking any additional action until the Motion on Notice is decided. This restriction was imposed by an order of maintenance of status quo issued by the judge.
A total of eight domestic airlines filed a lawsuit against the FG, naming as defendants the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, and Nigerian Air and Ethiopian Airlines.
In addition to other requests, the airlines ask the court to halt the agreement with the national carrier and revoke the air transport license that the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority had previously granted to Nigeria Air.
The plaintiffs asked the court to decide five questions in the originating summons of the case, one of which is whether “the entire process for the sale and transfer of shares of the 1st defendant to the 2nd defendant and its consortium by the 3rd and 4th defendants is in compliance with the provisions of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (Est.) Act, 2005, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act, and International Civil Aviation Organization Regulations, excluding the selection, permission, or award by the third and fourth defendants to the second defendant and its consortium is not invalid, entitling the entire process to a new bidding exercise?”
Therefore, the plaintiffs asked the court to rule that “all administrative acts and decisions of the third and fourth defendants in the sale of the shares of the first defendant to the second defendant and its consortium are null, void, and of no consequence.”
A determination that the second defendant was unable to compete for shares of the first defendant and open for business as a result was another request made by the plaintiffs.
“An order mandating the prompt, new, and transparent bidding process(es), with the plaintiffs participating as indigenous Nigerian airline operators who have a legal right to do so.
“An order ordering the prompt revocation and cancellation of the air transport license (ATL) granted to the first defendant by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).”
National Carrier
The nation’s planned national carrier, Nigeria Air, was revealed on July 18, 2018, at the Farnborough Air Show in England.
Two months after it was launched, the initiative was put on hold because of criticism over its viability and relevancy. A preliminary cost of $8.8 million and a take-off cost of $300 million were anticipated for the new airline.
