 The airline is also adding new routes.
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Air Nigeria expands its fleet
Barth Ikiebe, Abuja
Air Nigeria has concluded plans to buy four new aircraft as it expands its operations and opens new routes to Europe, America and Africa.
Air Nigeria’s Managing Director, Kinfe Kahssaye, said that the airline planned to introduce two Airbus A330-200 and two Boeing 737NG aircraft.
Each aircraft, according to him, will cost around seventy million US dollars.
At the moment, Air Nigeria has a fleet of eleven aircraft.
"The new aircraft will be used on a variety of new routes, including to the United Kingdom, Johannesburg, Dubai, Benin, Calabar and Uyo". Kahssaye explained.
Air Nigeria intends launching new routes in the first quarter of this year and will continue expanding its network over the next five years.
“The year has been good not only for Air Nigeria, but for other domestic airlines,” said Kahssaye. “Last year, none of the airlines had a serious incident, unlike in the past. Kudos should be given to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) that properly monitored the sector and ensured that the right things were done.”
Between 2005 and 2009 the airline made a loss of US$370 million but, according to Kahssaye, thanks to more funding and new management, Air Nigeria is on the way to becoming profitable.
The arrival of the new aircraft came on the heels of Air Nigeria’s first flight to the US as part of its code sharing agreement with Delta Airlines. The agreement allows the two carriers to operate direct flights between Lagos and Abuja to Atlanta, Georgia.
Kahssaye said that some of the airline’s expansion plans include building a maintenance hangar next year.
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