Victor Ezeja
United Nigeria Airlines has announced the arrival of a new Embraer E190 aircraft to its capacity for domestic flights.
In a post on X, the airline said the aircraft arrived at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos on Thursday, 31st October.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelA video attached to the post showed the Executive Chairman of United Nigeria Airlines, Professor Obiora Okonkwo, inspecting the aircraft and exchanging pleasantries with some crew members.
The airline said the addition of the E190 aircraft to its fleet is in line with its “commitment to providing a reliable, safe, and seamless travel experience,” adding that it is just one out of many more to come.
“United Nigeria Airlines is excited to announce the arrival of our brand new E190 aircraft, landing today at Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos. Personally received and inspected by our Chairman, Professor Obiora Okonkwo, OFR, this addition reflects our steadfast dedication to uniting our passengers with their destinations across Nigeria and Africa.
“This addition aligns with our commitment to providing a reliable, safe, and seamless travel experience! And this is just one of many more to come,” the post read.
However, checks by Prime Business Africa reveals that the aircraft was actually obtained from Marathon Airlines, Greece on wet-lease for one year starting 1 November 2024. Another aircraft, A320-200, is being sourced from Bulgaria’s Fly2ky for wet-lease. According to the ACMI agreement, the contract will last from November 2024 to 31 March 2025.
The United Nigeria Airlines which was founded in Nigeria in 2020, started operations on 1 February 2021 after receiving its Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). It currently operates domestic flights to nine destinations in Nigeria. Its fleet comprises four aircraft (Embraer ERJ-145LR).
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It previously wet-leased an A320-200 from Jordan Aviation which was used on domestic flights from December 2023 to April 2024.
A wet-lease in airline business is a leasing arrangement whereby one airline (the lessor) provides an aircraft, complete crew, maintenance, and insurance (ACMI) to another airline.
Commenting on the news, an aviation professional, Ifeanyi Clement pointed out that acquiring an aircraft on wet-lease shouldn’t be celebrated as fleet expansion. According to him, aircraft on wet-lease are supposed to be used only “to cover the schedule of an aircraft on AOG not fleet expansion.”
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
