Nigeria has appointed advisers to help it set up a national airline and develop its aviation infrastructure -- currently seen as a barrier to economic growth -- to create a hub for West Africa, junior aviation minister Hadi Sirika said Wednesday. Sirika said a group of 6 firms including Lufthansa would advise the govt on setting up an airline, an aviation leasing company and a maintenance hangar, and on creating concessions to run the country's airports. A cabinet meeting Wednesday chaired by VP Yemi Osinbajo had approved US$4.99m of funding for the project, he added. Decades of neglect and lack of investment have left Nigeria with low-quality infrastructure that is seen as a hurdle to prosperity and the govt has already said that upgrading it will require private investment. <br/>
general
China is expected this week to conduct the maiden test flight of a home-grown passenger jet built to meet soaring domestic travel demand and challenge the dominance of Boeing and Airbus. The C919, built by state-owned aerospace manufacturer COMAC, was set to take wing over Shanghai Friday, the company said Wednesday. “If weather conditions are not suitable, the maiden flight will be rescheduled,” COMAC said, adding that engineers had completed some 118 tests. The narrow-body jet represents nearly a decade of effort in a state-mandated drive to reduce dependence on Airbus and Boeing. “The first flight itself is not a huge deal. [But] of course, it’s going to be a hugely symbolic moment in the evolution of China’s aviation industry,” said a managing editor at Flightglobal. <br/>