The Federal Government has assured aircraft manufacturer, Boeing, that any aircraft leased to domestic operators are safe.

Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo, gave the assurance during a meeting with Boeing executives in Seattle, Washington.

Keyamo, who also lamented that Nigerian has been unable to take advantage of its bilateral air service agreements, BASA, due to the lack of capacity of local operators, said the ministry was working to create an enabling environment and implement the right policies and regulatory framework for domestic airlines to thrive.

He said: “I am giving a personal guarantee, beyond even compliance with the law. Personal guarantee, that I will not tolerate the frustration of any agreement with any result. Let us imagine that the aircraft comes to Nigeria, I will give a personal guarantee of safety of these aircraft and reposition those aircraft, whether through the judicial process or through the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, which I supervise.”

Speaking further, the minister added: “If anybody tries to frustrate you by asking for gratification or anything, report it to me, and I will take action. We want to open the doors for everybody to come into Nigeria. Let me say that this relationship that is developing with Boeing is going to be a symbiotic relationship, not a parasitical one. We have a lot to offer as a country, but let me reiterate it here: we are the biggest economy in Africa, the most populous country in Africa, not only populous country. Most of the traffic you see, most of the hubs in Africa, are being transited by Nigerians.

“We are going to have a wonderful relationship with the airline operators. I have had wonderful relationships with Boeing over the years, but we’re here to actually increase and enhance that relationship.

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“I’m here with most of the airline operators of Nigeria, because in Nigeria, it’s a unique country where the civil aviation is driven more by the private sector. So, for some time now, government has actually removed its own participation in the airline business. So, it’s the private sector that drives the airline business, and that’s why you see most of the private operators here.

“What we as a government want to do is to create enabling environment, the right policies, the right regulatory framework to support their growth and development. When we came into office, one of the focal points that we adopted is support from local operators, and that is why we are going around the world. We have crossed so many kilometres and seas to come here to make this possible, to enhance air capacity by appealing for your support and your cooperation.”

On Thursday, federal government signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with Boeing to enhance the operational efficiency and safety of Nigerian airlines while positioning them for growth in the global aviation market.