DUBAI- West Africa’s leading airline, Arik Air, has further consolidated its position as West and Central Africa’s largest commercial airline by expanding its network to include the Middle East and becoming the first airline to offer a commercial passenger service between Dubai and Nigerian capital Abuja.
Arik Air will launch its first commercial flight on this route from Monday, July 28th, and will operate five flights every week between Dubai and Lagos via Abuja. The operation of the flights on this sector will greatly benefit the growing number of Nigerian nationals living and working in the UAE as well as UAE businesspersons who travel frequently to Nigeria.
While some UAE-based airlines offer weekly flights between the UAE and Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital, the Abuja sector remained unserved. Last year, the UAE-Lagos route served more than 300,000 passengers.
Dr. Michael Arumemi-Ikhide, Arik Air’s Global Chief Executive Officer, said:“This is another exciting moment for us all at Arik Air, not only launching a new international destination, but becoming the first airline to link the capital Abuja to Dubai. As the Nigerian population in the UAE continues to increase, the need to connect the city of Dubai to Lagos Abuja was imperative.”
“As the number one airline in West Africa, we have an obligation to ensure that we constantly strive to enhance the service we offer travelers who fly with us. Guests on the new route can be assured of receiving Arik Air’s highest safety and service standards,” he added.
“The new flights between Lagos and Dubai recognize the increasing demand for travel between these three very important commercial cities. There is a large community of Nigerian nationals in the UAE and the establishment of flights to Abuja and Lagos will allow them to travel to their home country directly without any delay,”Dr. Arumemi-Ikhide added.
The airline has currently deployed a fleet of Airbus A330-200 aircraft on the sector with the aim of providing maximum in-flight comfort, luxury and convenience. Each aircraft is equipped with 30 Premier Business Class seats and 187 Economy Class seats.
Arik Air also announced the appointment of the UAE-based Dadabhai Travel, one of the long-serving and well-reputed travel agencies in the region, as its General Sales Agent (GSA) for the GCC region.