Arik Air challenging South Africa Airways on Lagos route

News added by Muhammad Kashif under Airline News

Arik Air, the fast-expanding Nigerian airline, is to begin daily flights between Lagos and Johannesburg next Monday , providing stiff competition to South African Airways (SAA) which has had the route to itself since Virgin Nigeria ceased its service in January

well-funded Arik will pose a huge challenge to SAA as Arik will offer more flights to Johannesburg and easier access to a large west African network.

Another advantage is that its modern Airbus A340-500, which it will use on the route, has been fitted with the best in-flight facilities available.

Premier Class passengers will have individual secluded booths with flat beds featuring a new generation in-built massage system and a hand-held unit controlling seat and lighting functions. The airline also boasts that its economy class has 7,6cm (3ins) more leg room than the industry standard.

“We understand that the Johannesburg-Lagos route has for too long been underserviced with a distinct lack in choice for direct flights to Lagos. Flying a brand new, high specification Airbus A340 on this route with a daily service shows our commitment to ending the current limited options for anyone travelling to Lagos and beyond,” said MD Michael Arumemi-Ikhide.

It is understood that Virgin Nigeria, which operated two weekly flights to Johannesburg and four to London’s Gatwick Airport, pulled the plug on its long-haul routes after failing to operate the flights profitably as a result of political interference.

SAA was quick to take advantage of the demand, increasing its capacity on its four weekly flights to a larger Boeing 747-400. However, the airline sees this as a short-term solution and would ultimately like to increase flights on the route.

The presence of Arik may change all that. Arik Air, which was started in 2006 by businessman Joseph Arumemi-Johnson, appears to have few funding constraints. It operates a fleet of 26 state-of- the art aircraft, and has placed a 6bn order for new aircraft with Boeing, including several 787 Dreamliners.

Last year, Arik air launched a daily flight to London Heathrow and has already secured traffic rights to 10 additional international destinations, including New York, Dubai and Beijing.

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