In the bill, the Federal Ministry of Aviation provided a budget of N400m as working capital for the national carrier, describing it as an ongoing project.
Since three years after the Federal Government unveiled the branding and livery for the proposed airline, named Nigeria Air, the project had remained a subject of continuous debate.
Officials at the aviation ministry, however, stated on Friday that plans to get the airline up and running were still in place.
“This, of course, is why you saw the amount that was budgeted for it as working capital in the 2022 appropriation bill,” an official at the ministry, who pleaded not to be named due to lack of authorisation, stated.
In May this year, the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, tweeted that discussions for the project was held at the United States Embassy in Abuja.
This came as Nigerians condemned the continued delay on the part of the Federal Government in establishing the national airline.
In July 2018, the Federal Government unveiled the branding and livery for the new airline, Nigeria Air, and stated that the carrier would be inaugurated at the end of that year.
Sirika unveiled the carrier at a press conference during the Farnborough Air Show in London that year.
“I am very pleased to tell you that we are finally on track to launching a new national flag carrier for our country, Nigeria Air.
“We are all fully committed to fulfilling the campaign promise made by our President, Muhammadu Buhari, in 2015. We are aiming to launch Nigeria Air by the end of this year,” the minister had stated.