Max Air Ltd., says it has signed contract agreement with the Federal government to evacuate 3,184 of the 5,037 Nigerians expected to return from Libya.
Alhaji Ibrahim Dahiru, the airline’s Public Relations Manager, said in a statement in Kano on Sunday.
Dahiru said that the contract agreement was signed between the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the representative of Max Airline, Malam Shehu Wada, in Abuja.
“With this development, Max Air is expected to operate six flights to bring in 3,184 Nigerians from Libya, using its large fleet of Boeing 747-400 series aircraft.
Dahiru said that recently, Niger Republic engaged the Airline to evacuate over 5, 000 Nigeriens which it did successfully.
“Max Air Ltd. has also been the leading Airline in Hajj and Umrah Operations in the last 11 years in Nigeria.
“The airline has also been involved in the evacuation of Nigerians from Libya and Egypt recently as well as the movement of many Nigerians, especially sports men and women and military personnel.
The airline has the manpower and equipment for the movement of large number of people from Nigeria to any part of the world through its chatter arrangement.
The Federal Government had earlier appointed the Med-View Airline, through the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), to participate in the evacuation of 5,037 Nigerians from Libya.
The Airline’s Executive Director, Business Development and Commercial, Mr Isiaq Na’Allah, and Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, the spokesman of NEMA, South-West Zone, confirmed the development in Lagos on Saturday.
NAN reports that the agreement was signed between the parties on Friday in Abuja. It is expected to facilitate the smooth repatriation of Nigerians from the volatile North African country.
The agreement was signed on behalf of the airline by Na’ Allah, while the Director-General of NEMA, Alhaji Mustapha Maihaja and Mrs Fatima Bukar, a Senior Legal Officer of NEMA, signed on behalf of the agency.