.jpg "Tewolde Gebremariam")
Ethiopian Airline boss has promised to support Nigeria and other African nations that are at the verge of setting up their national airlines. Chief Executive Officer of Ethiopian Airline, Tewolde Gebremariam, stated that he would support full ownership structure by government devoid of interference, but with strong management to run the carrier.
He opined that setting them up on Public Private Partnership (PPP) would not be the best because of proper funding that the airlines would need at inception, which can only be provided by government.
He cited the example of China where government is fully running four big airlines; Air China, set up in 1988; China Eastern Airline, founded in 1988; China Southern Airlines, also founded in 1988 and Hainan Airlines Co., Ltd founded in 1989.
Nigeria and some African nations are gearing up for the resuscitation or creation of new national airlines for their countries. The Nigerian government has already set up an advisory committee to fashion out plans for a new national airline.
