United Nigeria Airlines has said it is preparing a major push into West and Central Africa, with plans to launch new routes to Monrovia, Banjul, Dakar, Abidjan, and Conakry in the short term.
The airline’s Chief Commercial Officer, Adedayo Olawuyi, said this when he paid a courtesy visit to the secretariat of the League of Airport and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC) in Lagos on Thursday.
Olawuyi, who said United Nigeria Airlines is currently the second largest domestic Nigerian airline, said it is also moving forward with a previously announced partnership in Guinea-Bissau, where it intends to help establish a national carrier for the African country. Beyond West Africa, he said the airline will also open routes to Central Africa, with Douala and Libreville as destinations, while UK, USA, Canada, Turkey, Dubai, and Saudi Arabia are part of the expansion plans. He also mentioned Johannesburg, South Africa as a planned destination.
“As you know, we have just acquired some aircraft, and we still have more on the way. Our plan is to grow within the region and also internationally. In the short term, we are looking to increase our presence in West Africa, starting with routes such as Monrovia, Banjul, Dakar, Abidjan and Conakry.
“I’m sure you also read about the partnership with Guinea-Bissau, so there are plans for us to set up an airline there, which will help us increase our fleet presence in West Africa. In Central Africa, we are looking at Douala and Libreville, and further down, at Johannesburg, South Africa. Despite the attacks, we will continue to look at South Africa, because it’s about more than the issues happening today, it’s about trade between the two countries. So those are our plans on the regional and African front.
“We are also looking at the UK, the US, Canada, Turkey, Dubai, and Saudi Arabia. So those are the things we have planned for the next 6 to 24 months in terms of expansion. All of this is subject to aircraft delivery, regulatory approvals, and obtaining foreign operator or foreign carrier permits, depending on the country. But for all of those destinations, we have already started the process, and for some of them, we are already very far along,” he said.
Speaking on forming partnerships through code-share agreements, he said: “You can’t do anything by yourself. As the African proverb says: if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together. So that’s exactly what we are trying to push. As we speak, we have already begun some interline partnerships with local and international carriers, which I’d rather not name now but as we finalize them, we’ll announce them, all aimed at finding the best ways into this market. There are some markets we can’t enter on our own, maybe because of high competition, or because traffic numbers aren’t enough to justify our own direct flight.
“So we are looking at partnering with a few airlines within the country and across West Africa and the rest of the continent to help fast-track this, as well as for the international destinations. Even on routes like Canada and the US, we might start with a code-share before launching our own service. As for other companies in the value chain, if we’re unable to acquire our own aircraft, we can opt for a lease instead, which will also help us achieve our goals faster. So cooperation is definitely one way that will help us achieve our goals.”