Summary
- United Nigeria Airlines is in talks with Texas officials to ascertain a direct flight route to reinforce connectivity between the 2 countries.
- The airline currently doesn’t have aircraft capable of constructing the transatlantic journey, but a possible codeshare agreement with a US carrier like American Airlines could possibly be an option.
- United Nigeria Airlines is experiencing domestic expansion and growth, adding latest routes and aircraft to its fleet to extend connectivity inside the country.
A 3rd direct link between the USA and Nigeria could also be on the horizon following meetings between tourism officials from the West African country and Texas Governor Greg Abbott. A delegation from United Nigeria Airlines met with the Governor earlier this month to debate flights to the state, which is home to the biggest Nigerian population within the US.
Back on the map
The airline is trying to Texas as a part of its vision to expand and enhance connectivity locally and internationally. Nigerian aviation officials previously visited Houston in July to debate direct flights and ways to strengthen bilateral relations between the 2 countries.
The team from United Airlines Nigeria, led by Professor Obiora Okonkwo, had what they described as a “fruitful” meeting with Dallas Forth Value International Airport (DFW) and individually met the Governor to debate the flight options. The Nigerian airline doesn’t currently have any aircraft capable of constructing the transatlantic hop. Still, a codeshare agreement could possibly be made with a US carrier comparable to American Airlines, which has a big hub at DFW.
The route can be the third link between Nigeria and the USA. Currently, Delta Air Lines operates direct flights to Lagos Murtala Muhammed (LOS) from its primary hub at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson (ATL) with an Airbus A330. At the identical time, United Airlines connects Lagos with Washington Dulles (IAD) using its Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
Photo: Dallas/Forth Value Airport
This might not be the primary time Texas has had a direct path to West Africa. United Airlines previously operated a service to Lagos from Houston but ended it in 2016 as a consequence of difficulty repatriating funds. Easy Flying has reached out to the airline and Governor Abbott for further information, but requests remained unanswered as of press time as a consequence of the Thanksgiving holiday within the US.
Growing at an incredible pace.
United Airlines Nigeria can be expanding rapidly domestically because it receives latest aircraft. In accordance with data from ch-aviation, the airline currently operates a fleet of 4 Embraer ERJ145 aircraft, which carry 50 passengers each. The airline is leasing an Airbus A320-200 (LZ-FSA) from Fly2Sky because it looks to extend domestic connectivity.
The carrier recently announced a brand new link to Sokoto from Lagos because it looks to expand within the north of the country. Kano, the second largest city in Nigeria after Lagos, can be getting a brand new connection to the nation’s capital of Abuja with the arrival of the brand new Airbus. Each routes are scheduled to start out firstly of December. Chief Operating Officer (COO) of United Nigeria Airlines, Mazi Osita Okonkwo, outlined what’s next for the carrier domestically:
“The expansion of flight services to Kano and Sokoto, with an additional vision for Edo, Plateau, and Borno states is an element of the strategic plans of the corporate to unite Nigerians and offer them more options for air travel.
“With the expansion of air transport services to the north, Nigerians would have more options to attach with more cities, their family members, and businesses in safety and in comfort.
“We consider that with enhanced air transport services, Nigerians will interact more amongst themselves and travel more to enjoy the wonder that nature has blessed this country with.”