As Dana Air sets Q2 2015 deadline for inaugural flight
As the Federal Govern­ment battles to open new sources of rev­enue in the face of tumbling crude oil prices, Nigerian registered carriers appear locked in a keen competition to determine who takes the biggest pie out of the West African aviation market.
Daily Sun learnt the airlines’ scramble for the West Coast was not just the result of the absence of national carriers in those ountries, but rather sig­nals a shift in the investment vision of the Federal Gov­ernment targeted at support­ing private sector opertors to rake in funds from the region to compensate for her many years of playing the big brother role in some of those countries.
So far, three of Nigeria’s notable airlines, Arik Air, Aero Contractors and Med-View Airlines are currently enjoying what is obviously a monopoly of routes within the sub-region operating daily scheduled and chartered flights to countries like Ghana, Togo, The Gam­bia, Benin Republic, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cameroon and even as far as Sao Tome and Principe.
It may not be just aviation that seems to be benefiting from the new shift to econom­ic diplomacy by the Nigerian government.
According to Ademola Onafowokan, Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Ghana, trade commissions in the various Embassies and High Commis­sions are stepping up efforts to support existing and prospec­tive investors from Nigeria to thrive within the West African sub-region.
Only last week, Dana Air announced it had concluded plans to also commence com­mercial flight operation into the West African market by the second quarter of 2015, thus bringing the number of Nige­rian airlines flying the West Coast to four.
“Dana Air is fully prepared to begin flight operations into the West African sub-region by the second quarter of 2015,” said Samuel Ogbogoro, spokesperson for the airline who also disclosed that the airline has acquired additional aircraft to boost its fleet.
Ogbogoro said, aside the foray into the West African market, the airline will also open additional domestic routes by December this year.
Analysts estimate that in­vestment outflow from Ni­geria to countries in the sub-region has risen steadily by about 40 per cent in the last 15 years following the country’s return to democratic rule. This was bolstered by the presence of Nigerian banks, insurance companies, telecommunica­tions, entertainment and film, manufacturing, oil and gas, and aviation operators which have become very noticeable in some of the West African states, where Nigeria has also helped to stabilise economi­cally and politically.
“We are here to support Ni­gerian companies to grow so that they can also contribute more to her GDP,” Onafowo­kan said at a reception party he  organised last month for Med­view Airlines at the Nigerian High Commission in Ghana during its inaugural flight into Accra.
The new trade policy has led to a rise in the number of Nigerians now working as expatriates in neighbouring countries, a trend that has not only created new jobs for Ni­gerians, but has also boosted the economy of such persons, their families and the larger economy.
“The Nigerian government would not shy away from pro­tecting any of its nationals that carry out legitimate business transactions in Ghana and any of the West African nation,” Onafowokan, the Nigerian envoy to Ghana assured.
Meanwhile, officials of the Nigerian airlines plying the West African routes have ac­knowledged that traffic has been very encouraging. This, according to some observers, was necessitated by the recent increase in the volume of trade relations between Nigeria and some of these countries.
Another reason for the ris­ing passenger traffic was the fact that Abuja and Lagos, two of Nigeria’s major cities, are also increasingly hosting a lot of trade, diplomatic, health and academic conferences that are attracting passengers into the country from the sub-region. The sub-region is also attracting a lot of tourists and religious pilgrims.
Muneer Bankole, Manag­ing Director/CEO of Med- View Airlines, which made its maiden flight into Ghana recently corroborated the fact that Abuja and Lagos are play­ing a big role in raising the volume of air traffic into the country for domestic airlines. He also listed increase in the number of Nigerian students studying in some of the West African countries as one other reason for a rise in traffic. “On our inaugural flight to Ghana, we were surprised at the num­ber of Nigerian students and movie stars who booked and flew with us even when we did not do any public adver­tisement,” Bankole said.
Another reason for the ris­ing passenger traffic for Ni­gerian carriers is the ongoing transformation and upgrade of facilities at the Murtala Mu­hammed International Airport, which has greatly assisted patronage for Nigerian car­riers plying the West African routes.
The Lagos international air­port is now able to carry out seamless transit of West Afri­can nationals from Nigerian carriers into internationally-bound foreign airlines.
Trevor Henry, Manager, Sales and Distribution for Arik Air, who specifically cited the case of his airline said it is now possible for Arik Air to pick up passengers from Togo, Benin Republic and Cameroon and transit them either into its out­bound flight to South Africa, London or New York from the Lagos international airport.
He said Arik as a Nigerian carrier was also acting as a quasi national carrier for Be­nin Republic. According to him, besides taking passen­gers from Lagos to Cotonou, Arik Air was also granted the permit or licence by Benin Republic authorities to fly out passengers directly from Coto­nou into Douala in Cameroon.
Said Henry: “We are now creating a network and now passengers can buy direct air tickets to London, South Af­rica and New York from Cam­eroon, Benin Republic, Togo and Senegal, and we can fly them to those destinations out of Lagos as a hub. Passengers now come in with Arik Air flights from any of its neigh­bouring countries and then fly out overseas out of Nigeria as is done in Kenya, Ethiopia, Dubai, Qatar and other Euro­pean countries.”
However, Med-View boss, Bankole, also supported Henry’s stance when he said, “someone in Ghana can now fly through Med-View from Accra to Lagos and connect any other city within Nigeria or abroad,” Bankole said.
“We are commencing flights to Dubai in UAE and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia soon. What that means is that you can fly from Accra today to Lagos and get to Dubai. And you can move from Accra to Lagos and continue the jour­ney to Jeddah,” he added.

Nigerian carriers jostle for W’African skies