Most debates on national carrier tend to tilt in favour of those who said that government owned airline cannot succeed in Nigeria, going by the experience of the defunct Nigeria Airways Limited. Those who oppose the establishment of a national carrier usually justify their position by saying government has no business doing business.
But there is a new dimension to the clamour for a national carrier. And that is seeing a national airline as catalyst to the growth and development of other sectors of the economy. In this vein, the airline will not be established solely for profit but to support other sectors of the economy like tourism, manpower development, aircraft maintenance, catering, developing airports and creating a hub, while the airline is subsidized; maybe, not directly by government but from money generated by ancillary services, while government eliminates charges by the airline that could weigh it down.
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