Lagos — There are indications that the American Ex-Im Bank will be visiting Nigeria in November this year on a trade mission with the objective of giving financial support to Nigerian airlines to acquire new fleet and spare parts.

To strengthen this intention, the U.S. Commercial Service, Commercial Specialist on aviation, Mr Ibrahim Ibrahim will this week be visiting the United States of America to participate in the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) conference where support for Nigerian airlines is expected to be discussed.

THISDAY learnt that Ibrahim is expected to enlighten the Ex-Im bank officials at the conference and issues that will be tabled will be the main business activity of the airlines, key contact(s), type of interest, whether in procurement, agent/distributor, joint venture or technical partner.Also expected from the Nigerian airlines are organization's sizes where information like year of establishment, number of employees, annual revenue, assets value, owners equity, value of key ongoing project(s), business size and country/regional presence.

The Ex-Im Bank Trade Mission to Nigeria will include major US truck, aviation, and marine vessel suppliers.Recently the director general of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, Dr Harold Demuren was in Dublin , Ireland to ratify the international convention on access to cheap funds for aircraft acquisition by local airlines.

The instrument was signed by the NCAA and officials of the International Registry of Mobile Assets, a body which assists airlines to grow their fleet.