Nigeria’s civil aviation authority is considering certifying China’s C919 passenger jet for use by the country’s airlines, the agency’s director general told Reuters, as carriers expand their fleets and ties with Beijing deepen.
The narrow-body C919, produced by Chinese state-owned planemaker COMAC, is designed to compete with Airbus and Boeing. COMAC has already held several rounds of talks with Nigeria as it seeks to open up access to the African market.
However, the company faces hurdles. Its two aircraft models lack certification from key Western regulators, while delivery schedules are already slipping. Earlier this year, the United States temporarily blocked exports of the CFM engines used in the C919 due to trade tensions.
Nigeria, with a population of 230 million, is seen as an emerging aviation market. Civil aviation chief Captain Chris Ona Najomo said the authority was weighing the months-long certification process needed for the C919 to fly domestic routes, noting its absence of Western validation.
“We’re looking at the certification of the aeroplane. That is where we have to start,” Najomo said on the sidelines of the UN aviation agency’s assembly in Montreal.
COMAC offers support to Nigerian carriers
Najomo added that COMAC had proposed maintenance and training support for Nigerian operators and was open to arranging dry leases, under which aircraft are provided without crew.
“We told them that if they can facilitate a good dry lease arrangement, that would be preferable,” he said.
Abdullahi Ahmed, chief executive of Nigerian airline NG Eagle, which currently operates three aircraft, said he would consider COMAC jets if they received certification and came with proper support.
Nigeria’s stronger compliance with the Cape Town Convention — an international treaty that simplifies leasing aviation assets — has improved its Aviation Working Group rating, boosting confidence among lessors and making newer aircraft more accessible to its 13 carriers.
While air travel remains expensive for many Nigerians, IATA data shows the average real airfare fell by 43.6% between 2011 and 2023.
At present, the C919 is only flown by Chinese airlines. COMAC’s smaller C909 regional jet is in service with three airlines in Southeast Asia.
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A suspect crashed his truck into the hallway of a Detroit-area synagogue where children were attending preschool on Thursday (12 March) and was shot dead in a confrontation with security personnel, with no one else seriously injured, authorities said.
Iran should continue “blocking the Strait of Hormuz,” while the U.S. should “shut” its Middle East military bases, new Iranian Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said on Thursday in his first speech since being elected. He is still yet to appear in public, and a broadcaster read out his words.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has set recognition of Tehran’s inalienable rights, payment of war compensation, and international guarantees against any future invasion as conditions for ending the U.S.–Israel war with the Islamic Republic.
International security and climate change are top of the agenda as leaders and policymakers from around the world meet at the 13th Global Baku Forum in the Azerbaijani capital this week.
The U.S. should shut down its military bases in the Middle East, Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Thursday (12 March). His words were read out by a broadcaster on state Iranian television.
A towering lava fountain from Kilauea shot about 400 metres into the air late on Tuesday (11 March) on Hawaii Island, prompting temporary closures at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and part of a key highway as volcanic ash and debris fell over nearby areas.
More than 68,000 children in eastern Afghanistan have been displaced after clashes between Afghan and Pakistani forces intensified along the border, according to a new report by Save the Children.
Georgia has cancelled international tenders for the construction of major road sections that form part of a regional highway linking the country with the borders of Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Centuries-old palaces and mosques in Isfahan, Iran’s celebrated cultural capital, lie in ruins after a series of air raids struck the city’s historic centre, leaving officials to warn of a devastating loss to both national and global heritage. AnewZ’s Touraj Shiralilou visited the city.
A suspect crashed his truck into the hallway of a Detroit-area synagogue where children were attending preschool on Thursday (12 March) and was shot dead in a confrontation with security personnel, with no one else seriously injured, authorities said.
Although against international humanitarian war, targeting desalination plants and other key locations is increasingly being used as a way of making an opponent weaker in battle. Water-related violent events have increased rapidly since 2022.
Freight transport on the China–Europe Railway Express grew strongly in the first two months of 2026, highlighting the growing importance of rail links between Asia and Europe. The network moved about 352,000 shipping containers between January and February, a 25% increase from a year earlier.
At least 64 people have been killed in southern Ethiopia following recent landslides and floods, the regional government’s communications office said on Thursday (12 March), citing local police
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 12th of March, covering the latest developments you need to know.
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