The Giant of Africa – Nigeria has more than a couple of airlines that offer both local and international travel services to citizens and foreigners.
Air transport is one of the quickest ways to go around a country as big as ours. Stretching from northern Nigeria to the East with any of Nigeria’s transport systems is not an easy journey at all except with airlines.
First, if you’ve traveled on Itu, Cross River Road, or any other Nigerian road, then you’ll understand why Nigerians come back from journeys and want to rest, even though they did nothing but sit throughout.
Secondly, our rail networks are semi-efficient, they can’t get you to every city. The majority of the states in this country do not have an effective train service. Throwing you back to the nightmare of traveling by road. Unless…
… yes, unless you have the financial capacity to reduce your troubles by traveling by air – on Nigeria’s Airlines.
Although traveling with airlines in Nigeria is expensive, it is worth every Naira note spent. You can’t trade your comfort for some cheap currency, especially if you have it.
Let me not say much about international travel you already know that if you want to ‘japa’ or do some fancy things outside Nigeria, it will be most efficient to use the Nigerian airlines
To help you with your troubles, Battabox (this website) decided to make a comprehensive list of all the airlines in Nigeria, their destinations, and other details
Full List of Airlines Operating in Nigeria
Airlines in Nigeria run both internationally and locally. You should check out all the airlines available, its destination, and other details before you purchase a ticket or make a holiday budget.
List of International Airlines in Nigeria
Although some International airlines still run locally, they are specifically airlines that can take passengers out of Nigeria.
Remember also to have all international travel documents ready before booking your flight.
- Arik Air
- Air Nigeria
- Allied Air
- IRA Airlines
- Pan African Airlines
- Air Afrique
- Air France
- KLM
- Air India
- Atlantic Express
- Alitalia
- British Airways
- Bell view Airlines
- China Southern Airlines
- Delta Airlines Emirates
- Egypt Air
- Ethiopia Airlines
- Ghana Airways
- Lufthansa German Airlines
- Middle West Airways
- Qatar Airways
- Saudi Air
- South African Airlines
- Turkish Airlines
- Virgin Atlantic
- Virgin Nigeria
List of Domestic or Local Airlines in Nigeria
Domestic or local airlines travel only within the country
- Air Peace
- Azman Air
- Med view Airline
- Dana Air
- ARIK Air
- First Nation Airline
- AERO Contractors
- MAX Air
- Overland Airways
- IRS Airlines
- Ibom Air
- Kabo Air
- TAT Nigeria
- Allied Air
- Pan African Airlines
- Green Africa Airways
READ:
List of Airlines in Nigeria with Details
If you will like to know more about the airlines above, their destinations, hub, and head office, then read the lines below.
Arik Air
Arik air is one of the well-known airlines in Nigeria. If you regularly travel by air in Nigeria, you must have experienced some of its services.
It was founded in 2002 but started operation on 10th October 2006. They started with local travel and international travel to a few countries, like Trinidad and Tobago.
However, in 2008 it was permitted to travel to the United States. Still, in 2008, it traveled to London. Then in 2009, it visited Johannesburg and Newyork, and in 2014 it went to Dubai.
They operate from two major hubs in Nigeria: the Murtala Muhammad International Airport in Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport in Abuja.
The airline had not recorded any major crashes, although, on the 8th of March 2008, the pilot of the flight announced an emergency when smoke was coming out of one of the cabins. Still, the airline landed safely.
Arik airline is one of Nigeria’s international flights. It travels to a host of other countries. It also covers the majority of the local destinations in Nigeria.
Some destinations of this flight include
- Lagos
- Abuja
- Illorin
- Kano
- Owerri
- Jos
- Yola
- Ibadan
- Calabar
AERO Contractors
Aero airlines are one of the oldest airlines in Nigeria. It was founded in 1959. Its major hub is at the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
The airline is owned by Aero Contactors Nigeria Limited, which was owned by the Ibru family. However, the majority of its shares are owned by Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON)
Apart from flight services, they also run helicopter services, air charter, fixed-wing domestic services, international scheduled passenger services, and third-party aircraft operations,
The airline runs only locally. Its major destinations are
- Abuja
- Sokoto
- Asaba
- Uyo
- Port Harcourt
- Enough
- Calabar
- Owerri
- Lagos
- Kano
- Benin
- Kaduna
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Air Peace
Air Peace is another Nigerian airline operating in Nigeria. It is a private airline owned by Allen Onyema. It was founded in 2013
Allen Onyema is a Lawyer and businessman who said he started the airline to improve economic opportunities for the Nigerian youths.
Air Peace is ranked as the best airline in Nigeria. In 2016, it was given the best domestic airline in Nigeria Award by the Nigeria Air Traffic Controller Award (NATCA)
Since its birth, this airline has increased its places of travel. It takes passengers to many of the local airports in Nigeria and even across Nigerian borders.
Air Peace has their head office in Ikeja Lagos. This is also its hub. They are the largest airline in Nigeria and West Africa. They also provide private Charter services.
Some local destinations it covers are
- Yola
- Akure
- Warri
- Uyo
- Port Harcourt
- Kaduna
- Kano
- Owerri
- Calabar
- Asaba
- Illorin
- Awka
- Enugu
- Gombe Ibadan
- Abuja
- Benin
Some international it covers include
- Niger
- Ghana
- Gambia
- Cameron
- Senegal
- Sierra leone
- United Arab Emirates
- Liberia
- China
- South Africa
The aircraft have reported a series of occurrences where lives would have been lost. But due to expert handling, the airplane always landed successfully with minimal injuries.
Dana Air
Dana Air is one of the growing airlines in Nigeria. It began in 2008, and since then, it has improved its services to attract air travelers.
Dana Air is owned by Dana group, and its headquarters is in Ikeja Lagos.
This airline has reported 3 major incidents, one of which was a pain to the general public. In this incident, 153 people died as the aircraft crashed into a two-story building on the 3rd of June 2012.
Dana Air is yet to go international. Some of its local destinations include.
- Owerri
- Abuja
- Port Harcourt
- Uyo
- Enugu
- Lagos
Azman Air
Amzan Air is one of the best airlines in Nigeria regarding customer service and adherence to aviation rules.
Since its birth in 2010, the company has worked tirelessly to cover the gaps other companies in the Nigerian aviation industry have not been able to bridge.
Its founder, Abdulmanaf Yunusa Sarina has the mind of using his business to create opportunities for people as well as bring National integration.
The airline was involved in an accident in which its tire busted while it was landing. The airplane was then suspended by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to enable them to investigate the matter.
Their headquarters is in Kano, from which they operate both internationally and locally. Some of their locations include.
- Gombe
- Kaduna
- Kano
- Lagos
- Asaba
- Benin
- Abuja
- Birnin Kebbi
- Maiduguri
- Owerri
- Port Harcourt
- Saudi Arabia
- Senegal
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Ibom Air
Ibom air is one of Nigeria’s owned airlines. Awka Ibom State Government owns it. This is the first airline to be owned by the state government.
Their first take-off was on the 7th of June 2019. It took off from Uyo International Airport and landed safely at Lagos international airport.
Ibom Air is focused on giving the best customer service and ensuring the safety of its passengers.
Here are some of its local destinations
- Abuja
- Lagos
- Calabar
- Enugu
- Port Harcourt
- Uyo
IRS Airlines
IRS airline is another airline in Nigeria. It was founded in 2002. It has its base in Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport in Abuja but also operates from Murtala Mohammed Airport in Lagos.
They operate locally and within African countries. Once, they crashed in Niger, where the two pilots survived with injuries.
IRS Airlines also look out for customer comfort, and it is relatively affordable.
Some of their locations within Nigeria include
- Abuja
- Lagos
- Maiduguri
- Kaduna
- Kano
- Yola
Green Africa Airways
Green Africa Airways is also based in Ikeja, Lagos. It was founded in 2015 by Babawande Afolabi but started its operations on 21st August 2021.
Since 2018, this airline received licenses to operate from the Nigerian Civil Aviation authority. However, Green Africa Airways did not fly for some years after it was founded.
Green Africa Airways are a strong competitor in the Nigeria Aviation industry. They have a team of experienced professionals.
They are also one of the most affordable Airlines in Nigeria. Here are some of their local destinations.
- Abuja
- Lagos
- Owerri
- Port Harcourt
- Illorin
- Enugu
- Akure
Kabo Air
Kabo Air is one of the oldest airlines in Nigeria. It was founded in 1980 by Alhaji Muhammadu Adamu Dankabo. However, Kabo holdings now own it.
It has its base at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano.
Kabo Airlines started by operating only charter services. It stopped domestic services in 2001 and focused on taking people for Islamic pilgrimages.
Although it was given an operational permit to travel to Rome, Nairobi, and N’Djamena, it never plied those routes. However, they started going to Abuja, Kano, Dubai, Cairo, and Saudi Arabia.
Since 2017, Kabo airlines has only run charter services for Hajj
Allied Air
Allied Air is another Nigerian airline based in Lagos. It is a Cargo airline and runs charter services in Nigeria and other parts of Africa.
It was founded in 1998 by Valentine Tongo and successfully re-capitalized in 2007 to be registered as an Airline in Nigeria.
Allied Air is a cargo airline, and its routes are both domestic and international. Some of its destinations include:
- Lagos
- Port Harcourt
- Abuja
- Accra
- Abidjan
- Dakar
- Cotonou
- Banjul
- Douala
- Free town
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Med-View Airlines
Although this airline stopped its operation a few years ago. It is still worthy of being mentioned as one of the airlines in Nigeria because it helped rescue stranded Muslims in some parts of the country.
The airline is also praised for its timely airlift of Islamic pilgrims from Saudi Arabia to Nigeria.
Between 2017 and 2018, Medview airlines crumbled, and they could not meet up with taxes or do the proper repair of the aircraft.
They finally closed in June 2018, sacking many employees they owed for over six months.
However, while they were still in business, they offered professional international and domestic travel services.
Here are some of their destination
- Abuja
- Lagos
- Maiduguri
- Port Harcourt
- Owerri
- Enugu
- Yola
- Illorin
- Kano
- London
- Monrovia
- Dubai
- Accra
- Free town
- Conakry
- Abidjan
Overland Airways
This is also an old airline in Nigeria. It was founded in 1998. It has its headquarters in No. 17‚ Simbiat Abiola Road‚ Ikeja‚ Lagos‚ and operational units in other parts of the country and West Africa
The airline was started to increase the country’s economic development by bridging the distance gaps between industrial cities.
They present world-class services to their customers while having safety as one of their objectives.
On the 29th of September 2022, FAAN Abuja awarded the airline for its contribution and support to the airport. It also won the most consistent airline award from the management of Ibadan airport Nigeria.
Also, on August 16th, they won The National Productivity Order of Merit (NPOM) Award.
They offer charter services, Cargo services, scheduled flights, and even group travel. They are a flight of excellence.
Some of their destinations within the country include
- Abuja
- Lagos
- Bauchi
- Dutse
- Akure
- Ibadan
- Illorin
- Asaba
- Taraba
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Conclusion
The Nigeria Aviation system is a working system that commutes business owners as well as leisure seekers to their destinations. If you want to reduce time spent on travel, you can consider these flights an effective way to travel.
