/ 8 November 2000

NIGERIA AIRWAYS SHORTLISTS INVESTORS

FIVE foreign airlines have been listed as future investors in Nigeria Airways, the struggling national air carrier slated for privatisation, a senior official said. The airlines are KLM, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Singapore Airways and South African Airways. The government has agreed to offer 40% of the airline’s shares to the foreign investors, 20% to institutional organisations, 10% to workers, 20% to Nigerians while the state would retain the remaining 10%. The privatisation will begin in June, the official said. Workers of 41-year-old Nigerian airline have expressed fears that privatisation would mean job cuts. – AFP