Arik Air Adds Links to Ibadan

Independent Nigerian carrier Arik Air has inaugurated flights between the country’s federal capital Abuja and Ibadan, the largest city in the Oyo State metropolitan area and the most populous city in the whole of sub-Saharan Africa up until the 1970s. The airline launched the four times weekly service on September 19, using a 72-seat Bombardier Dash 8-Q400.

Ibadan is located in south-western Nigeria and is a prominent transit point between the coastal region and areas to the north. Ibadan had been the centre of administration of the old Western Region since the days of the British colonial rule, and parts of the city's ancient protective walls still stand to this day. It is already linked to Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport by Overland Airways, with an estimated 4,000 O&D passengers making the journey in the past year.

“By linking Ibadan with Abuja, Arik Air offers air travellers more convenient connections between Ibadan and Abuja than what was previously offered with many travellers having to utilise the ever- busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway,” explained Chris Ndulue, Managing Director, Arik Air. “The Ibadan Airport has remained underserviced in spite of the fact that it is located in the third largest city in Nigeria by population and the largest in geographical area. We owe it a duty as a truly Nigerian airline to help in the infrastructural development of the country. This explains our resolve to connect all airports across the country”

During the second half of this year Arik Air has been on a mission to enhance domestic connectivity within Nigeria. The carrier has recently opened new Lagos - Asaba and Abuja - Asaba routes and more domestic and international routes are set to be launched. In fact, we can reveal that Arik Air will shortly announce details of a partnership with Routesonline to use its Route Exchange online trading platform for a proposed network expansion into Europe. The formal Request for Proposals (RFP) is due to be launched at World Routes in Berlin on the afternoon of October 3.