Nigeria Air to serve Niamey daily (Minister)
Nigeria Air (NAL) has been in the making for more than four years and should finally take off by the end of December. Although it wants to establish itself in the domestic market before expanding outside Nigeria, the Nigerian parastatal airline already has an idea of one of its first regional destinations.
Nigeria Air, which is expected to launch its flights by the end of next month, plans to serve an Abuja - Niamey route. This was revealed by the Nigerian Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, on Friday, November 4, 2022, at the end of an audience granted to him by the Nigerian President, Mohamed Bazoum (photo). According to the carrier's projections, the line between the Nigerian and Nigerian capitals should not be operational any time soon.
Indeed, its first international route is not expected to be open for another two years after take-off. It will first launch a rotation between Abuja and Lagos, Nigeria's economic capital, before serving other domestic destinations.
The Nigerian flagship will start operations with an initial fleet of three 166-seat Boeing 737-800s (16 in business class and 150 in economy), chartered by Ethiopian Airlines, its technical partner and main shareholder (49%). Its fleet is expected to grow to 30 aircraft in two years.
Nigeria Air is co-owned by the Federal Government (5%), the consortium of MRS and Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO) (46%), and Ethiopian Airlines (49%), the Ethiopian national airline group. The Nigerian parastatal airline will enter a highly competitive domestic market. Currently, the country is served by Arik Air, Air Peace, Dana Air, Aero Contractors, Overland, Azman Air, Max Air, United Nigeria, Green Africa Airways and Ibom Air. Other public and private carriers are in the pipeline.
As a reminder, Air Peace is currently the only airline offering direct flights between Nigeria and neighbouring Niger. Before the pandemic, Overland also covered this market.
