New domestic carrier, United Nigeria Airlines yesterday kicked off its operations with Lagos-Enugu inaugural flight.
The airline which commenced operations with four aircraft said it would service Lagos, Abuja, Enugu, Asaba, Owerri and Port Harcourt destinations with plans to expand to other domestic and West Coast routes in the next three months.
Speaking during the ceremony to mark the inaugural flight in Enugu, Chairman of United Nigeria, Obiora Okonkwo said he observed a gap in the industry, so established the airline to fill that gap and make more aircraft available to boost capacity in the aviation sector, adding that the airline’s strategy made it decide to make Enugu its operational hub.
Okonkwo said Enugu state government would give the airline the encouragement adding that the airline was driven by the desire to provide service in the industry and service to mankind.
He said his short term and long term plans are to consolidate and establish all its routes, hinting that the airline hopes to expand beyond Nigeria, starting from the West Coast.
Speaking on how prepared he is for competition, he said, “Well, we are in. I guess those who are in the business should be competing with us first. We should be the people they should be worried about because we are new. We think that within the next three months we shall be able to expand our routes.
On projected growth of air traffic, Okonkwo said the market is huge and there is need for more aircraft.
“It might surprise you to know that we have full load in all the routes we have operated this morning. Today is the first day of our service so that is good and it shows what will happen,” he disclosed.
The airline’s station manager in Enugu, Chika Adeyanju said the airline decided to use Enugu as its operational base because of the airline’s resolution to unite Nigeria and make a difference in the industry.
“We noticed that most airlines have their operational base in Lagos and Abuja, so we wanted to make a difference, so we decided to start from Enugu so that things will be normalised and equalised,” Adeyanju said.
She said air travel would continue to grow in Nigeria because it makes it easier for people to move from one place to another, adding that as more airlines spring up, it denotes healthier competition and better choices for passengers.
“We are United Nigeria, flying to unite. We want unity, peace and on-time travel. Our unique selling point will be safety and on-time departure.
“We have four aircraft and some more will come soon. Since we are starting with domestic, it is viable for us to start with small aircraft. As time goes on, we will be having up to four or five flights into Enugu, she said.
Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu Manager, Cecilia Oguama, said the airport management is happy that United Airlines has commenced operations and assured that if the airline createe enough awareness, they will have enough passengers to justify operating to the route, noting that more airlines have started operating to Enugu since the rehabilitation of its runway, which is now of international started and that has boosted passenger traffic from 1000 passengers a week in 2019 to 7000 passengers a week currently after the COVID-19 lockdown.
“The traffic in and out of the airport has increased tremendously. We are now having between 6,000 and 7,000 passengers weekly. Before COVID-19, we had less than 1000 passenger traffic because we had only one airline then.
“In 2019, we only had Air Peace operating but now we have four others operating regularly including United Airline. We have close to eight flights daily and United Airline has made Enugu their base, so they would enjoy tremendous support from the airport. Cargo movement has not started yet because the international terminal hasn’t opened for operations,”Oguama said.
The Governor of Enugu state, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, said Enugu state government was excited to welcome United Nigeria Airlines to Enugu.
Ugwuanyi who was represented by deputy chief of Staff, government house, Enugu, Malachy Okwueze, congratulated the company, particularly, the chairman of United Nigeria for the giant feat.
“We are excited not only because United Nigeria is now flying into Enugu but particularly because Enugu is the hub for United Nigeria. Enugu is the best state that any business can thrive here because Enugu is a home of peace.
“It is the safest State in Nigeria. I can assure you on behalf of the governor that you have not made any mistake to make Enugu your hub. Enugu State government will give you all the encouragement and we will continue to support you. We are glad to welcome you and we will continue to partner with you,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Airports Council International (ACI) has accredited two of Nigeria’s International Airports, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja and the Port Harcourt International Airport Omagwa during the global body’s Airport Health Accreditation Programme.
The Airport health accreditation programme is designed to assess how aligned airports health measures are with the ACI Aviation Business Restart and Recovery guidelines and ICAO Council Aviation Restart Task Force recommendations along with industry best practices.
Both the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport and the Port Harcourt International Airport have become the first and second to be accredited in this programme.
This followed the efforts made by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), led by the Managing Director, Capt. Hamisu Yadudu, and the management team to ensure the safety and security of all travelers and Airport users.
FAAN recently beefed up safety protocols at all airports, following the new wave of Covid-19, and a monitoring team was set up for each airport to drive total compliance. This is in line with the Airports Council International (ACI) Airport Health Accreditation Programme, which is designed to reassure the travelling public of the safe precautions being taken to reduce any risks to their health as well as maintaining secure Airport Facilities.
