Virgin Nigeria Airways
Encyclopedia
Air Nigeria is the national flag carrier of Nigeria
. The airline operates scheduled regional and domestic passenger services. Its base is Murtala Mohammed International Airport
, Lagos
. The airline is a replacement for defunct Nigeria Airways
. Its registered office is in Ikoyi
, Lagos State
, while its head office is on the 9th floor of Etiebets Place in Ikeja
, Lagos State.
The carrier's loyalty programme is named 'Eagleflier'.
signed an agreement to establish a new airline for Nigeria, to be called Virgin Nigeria Airways
. Nigerian institutional investors owned 51% of the company and Virgin Atlantic Airways
the remaining 49%. The airline's inaugural flight was on 28 June 2005 from Lagos to London Heathrow
using an Airbus A340
-300 aircraft. Virgin Nigeria quickly became one of Nigeria's largest airlines, carrying its 1,000,000th passenger and 4,000th ton of freight within two years of operation. The airline has also received accolades including THISDAY Awards 2006 Airline of the year and a nomination for 2006 African Airline of the year by ASATA (Association of South African Travel Agents). Virgin Nigeria had plans of making Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport
in Abuja its second base where in addition to its Lagos base Murtala Mohammed International Airport
it would serve all countries in West Africa.
The Nigerian government set a deadline of 30 April 2007 for all airlines operating in the country to re-capitalise or be grounded, in an effort to ensure better services and safety. The airline satisfied the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA)’s criteria in terms of re-capitalization and was re-registered for operation.
On 19 August 2008, Virgin Atlantic announced that it was "in talks to sell its 49 percent stake in Virgin Nigeria" and reviewing "whether it is appropriate that the Virgin brand should remain linked to Virgin Nigeria”. This followed a dispute which arose after Virgin Nigeria's domestic operations were moved against its will by the Ministry of Transportation to Terminal 2. Virgin Nigeria had twice refused the directive to relocate its domestic operations from the international terminal citing the Memorandum of Mutual Understanding it signed with the previous (Olusegun Obasanjo) administration and pending appeal in a Lagos High court as reasons for not complying.
On 9 January 2009, Virgin Nigeria announced they would suspend all long haul flights to London Gatwick Airport
and Johannesburg
, effective 27 January 2009..
On 17 September 2009, Virgin Nigeria announced on their website they had rebranded as Nigerian Eagle Airlines. Nigerian Eagle Airlines also stated that they planned to focus on domestic and regional flights with further expansion into Europe
and eventually the United States of America. Virgin retained its 49% stake in the new Nigerian Eagle Airlines with the remaining 51% held by Nigerian investors.
On 2 June 2010, following the acquisition of a majority share in the airline, Jimoh Ibrahim
, the new Chairman, announced that the airline had undergone a further name change to Air Nigeria Development Limited, branded as Air Nigeria.
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
. The airline operates scheduled regional and domestic passenger services. Its base is Murtala Mohammed International Airport
Murtala Mohammed International Airport
Murtala Muhammed International Airport is an international airport located in Ikeja, Lagos State, Nigeria, and is the major airport serving the city of Lagos, southwestern Nigeria and the entire nation. Originally known as Lagos International Airport, it was renamed midway during construction...
, Lagos
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
. The airline is a replacement for defunct Nigeria Airways
Nigeria Airways
Nigeria Airways Ltd., more commonly known as Nigeria Airways, is a defunct Nigerian airline. The company was founded in 1958 after the dissolution of West African Airways Corporation. It was wholly owned by the Government of Nigeria, and served as the country's flag carrier. The airline was...
. Its registered office is in Ikoyi
Ikoyi
Ikoyi is the most affluent neighborhood of Lagos, Nigeria, located on Lagos Island. It lies to the northeast of Obalende and encompasses the eastern half of Lagos Island and lies at the edge of the Lagos Lagoon...
, Lagos State
Lagos State
Lagos State is an administrative division of Nigeria, located in the southwestern part of the country. The smallest in area of Nigeria's states, Lagos State is the most populous state in Nigeria and arguably the most economically important state of the country and west Africa, containing Lagos, the...
, while its head office is on the 9th floor of Etiebets Place in Ikeja
Ikeja
Ikeja is an outer-ring suburb of the city of Lagos and capital of Lagos State. It is also one of Nigeria's 774 Local Government Areas . The Murtala Mohammed International Airport is located there...
, Lagos State.
The carrier's loyalty programme is named 'Eagleflier'.
History
On 28 September 2004, the Nigerian government and Virgin GroupVirgin Group
Virgin Group Limited is a British branded venture capital conglomerate organisation founded by business tycoon Richard Branson. The core business areas are travel, entertainment and lifestyle. Virgin Group's date of incorporation is listed as 1989 by Companies House, who class it as a holding...
signed an agreement to establish a new airline for Nigeria, to be called Virgin Nigeria Airways
Virgin Nigeria Airways
Air Nigeria , is the national flag carrier of Nigeria. The airline operates scheduled regional and domestic passenger services. Its base is Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos. The airline is a replacement for defunct Nigeria Airways...
. Nigerian institutional investors owned 51% of the company and Virgin Atlantic Airways
Virgin Atlantic Airways
Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited is a British airline owned by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group and Singapore Airlines...
the remaining 49%. The airline's inaugural flight was on 28 June 2005 from Lagos to London Heathrow
London Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe...
using an Airbus A340
Airbus A340
The Airbus A340 is a long-range four-engine wide-body commercial passenger jet airliner. Developed by Airbus Industrie,A consortium of European aerospace companies, Airbus is now fully owned by EADS and since 2001 has been known as Airbus SAS. a consortium of European aerospace companies, which is...
-300 aircraft. Virgin Nigeria quickly became one of Nigeria's largest airlines, carrying its 1,000,000th passenger and 4,000th ton of freight within two years of operation. The airline has also received accolades including THISDAY Awards 2006 Airline of the year and a nomination for 2006 African Airline of the year by ASATA (Association of South African Travel Agents). Virgin Nigeria had plans of making Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport
Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport
Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport is an international airport located in Abuja, FCT, Nigeria, and is the main airport serving the Nigerian capital city. It was named after Nigeria's first President, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe. It consists of an international and a domestic terminal. Both terminals...
in Abuja its second base where in addition to its Lagos base Murtala Mohammed International Airport
Murtala Mohammed International Airport
Murtala Muhammed International Airport is an international airport located in Ikeja, Lagos State, Nigeria, and is the major airport serving the city of Lagos, southwestern Nigeria and the entire nation. Originally known as Lagos International Airport, it was renamed midway during construction...
it would serve all countries in West Africa.
The Nigerian government set a deadline of 30 April 2007 for all airlines operating in the country to re-capitalise or be grounded, in an effort to ensure better services and safety. The airline satisfied the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA)’s criteria in terms of re-capitalization and was re-registered for operation.
Sale of Virgin's stake and rebranding
On 9 January 2009, Virgin Nigeria announced they would suspend all long haul flights to London Gatwick Airport
London Gatwick Airport
Gatwick Airport is located 3.1 miles north of the centre of Crawley, West Sussex, and south of Central London. Previously known as London Gatwick,In 2010, the name changed from London Gatwick Airport to Gatwick Airport...
and Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, effective 27 January 2009..
On 17 September 2009, Virgin Nigeria announced on their website they had rebranded as Nigerian Eagle Airlines. Nigerian Eagle Airlines also stated that they planned to focus on domestic and regional flights with further expansion into Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and eventually the United States of America. Virgin retained its 49% stake in the new Nigerian Eagle Airlines with the remaining 51% held by Nigerian investors.
On 2 June 2010, following the acquisition of a majority share in the airline, Jimoh Ibrahim
Jimoh Ibrahim
Jimoh Ibrahim is a lawyer, politician, businessman, entrepreneur, industrialist and philanthropist in Nigeria. He is the current Group Chairman and Group Chief Executive Officer of Global Fleet Group, a diversified conglomerate, based in Nigeria, with business interests and subsidiary in...
, the new Chairman, announced that the airline had undergone a further name change to Air Nigeria Development Limited, branded as Air Nigeria.
Current
The Air Nigeria fleet consists of the following aircraft (at December 2010):| Aircraft | In Fleet | Orders | Passengers | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J | Y | Total | |||
| Boeing 737-300 Boeing 737 Classic The Boeing 737 Classic is the name given to the -300/-400/-500 series of the Boeing 737 following the introduction of the -600/-700/-800/-900 series. They are short- to medium- range, narrow-body jet airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The Classic series was introduced as the 'new... |
8 | 0 | 16 | 100 | 116 |
| Boeing 737-400 Boeing 737 Classic The Boeing 737 Classic is the name given to the -300/-400/-500 series of the Boeing 737 following the introduction of the -600/-700/-800/-900 series. They are short- to medium- range, narrow-body jet airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The Classic series was introduced as the 'new... |
1 | 0 | |||
| Embraer E-190 | 2 | 7 | 12 | 84 | 96 |
| Total | 11 | 7 | |||
Past fleet
Before rebranding, Virgin Nigeria had also operated the following aircraft:| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A320-211 Airbus A320 family The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001... |
2 | 2005 | 2007 | Leased from BH Air BH Air BH Air Ltd., or Balkan Holidays Airlines, is an airline headquartered in Sofia, Bulgaria. It is a branch of tour operator Balkan Holidays International and as such offers charter flights to the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, Germany, Israel and Switzerland, as well as ad hoc charters to other... |
| Airbus A330-200 | 1 | 2007 | 2007 | Leased from bmi Bmi (airline) British Midland Airways Limited , is an airline based at Donington Hall in Castle Donington in the United Kingdom, close to East Midlands Airport, and a fully owned subsidiary of Lufthansa... |
| Airbus A340-300 | 2 | 2005 | 2006 | Leased from Virgin Atlantic Airways Virgin Atlantic Airways Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited is a British airline owned by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group and Singapore Airlines... |
| ATR 42-500 | 1 | 2008 | 2009 | Leased from Interstate Airlines Interstate Airlines Interstate Airlines is a charter airline based in Maastricht, Netherlands. It operates wet lease services within Europe. Its main base is Maastricht Aachen Airport.-History:... |
| Boeing 737-300 Boeing 737 Classic The Boeing 737 Classic is the name given to the -300/-400/-500 series of the Boeing 737 following the introduction of the -600/-700/-800/-900 series. They are short- to medium- range, narrow-body jet airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The Classic series was introduced as the 'new... |
2 | 2005 | 2007 | Leased from GECAS |
| Boeing 767-300ER Boeing 767 The Boeing 767 is a mid-size, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It was the manufacturer's first wide-body twinjet and its first airliner with a two-crew glass cockpit. The aircraft features two turbofan engines, a supercritical wing, and a conventional tail... |
2 | 2007 | 2009 | Leased from SmartLynx Airlines |
| Fokker 50 | 2 | 2007 | 2008 | Leased from Denim Air Denim Air Denim Air B.V. is a charter airline based in Mijdrecht, the Netherlands. It provides ACMI wet lease services to other airlines. Its main base is Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.It is wholly owned by Panta Holdings and had 242 employees .... |