The Nigerian government plans to hand over management control of Arik Air to Ethiopian Airlines under an agreement aimed at resurrecting Arik as Nigeria's national carrier. Arik Air ranks as the largest private airline in Nigeria and has served as its de-facto national carrier since Air Nigeria ceased operation in 2012. “The government of Nigeria believes that Ethiopian Airlines is doing very well in the aviation industry. In fact, the founder of Arik Air, Joseph Arumemi-Ikhide, warned that he would sue Ethiopian Airlines if it dares to take over the management of Arik Air. Meanwhile, Ethiopian Airlines has become a big player in Nigeria since it began flying there in the 1960s.

Source: Ethiopian News August 23, 2017 14:37 UTC