Asky Lagos Routes Per 16 January 2011

Asky Airlines will adjust its network and operate the following routes via Lagos per 16 January 2011:

Lome – Lagos – Kinshasa – Libreville – Lome: 3 weekly round-trip
ET040 LFW1415 – 1600LOS1645 – 1915FIH2000 – 2145LBV2230 – 2330LFW B737 137
ET041 LFW0230 – 0530LBV0615 – 0800FIH0830 – 1100LOS1130 – 1115LFW B737 125

Lome – Lagos – Yaounde – Bangui – Cotonou – Lome: 4 weekly round-trip
ET042 LFW1330 – 1530LOS1615 – 1750NSI1835 – 2000BGF2045 – 2330COO0015+1 – 2359LFW DH4 25
ET043 LFW0100 – 0245COO0315 – 0615BGF0650 – 0815NSI0900 – 1045LOS1130 – 1130LFW DH4 36

The new routing replaces the current service to N’Djamena and Douala.

This Week’s Update

A few short updates:

• Aero has postponed plans to operate commercial flights from its Lagos private terminal, after protests from Bi-Courtney, the owner of MMA2.
• Air Nigeria will commence flights from Lagos to Kano via Abuja on 2 November 2010.
• The Nigerian Police took delivery of a new Bell 412 helicopter (5N-LEH) this week. It also operates 5N-KSH.
• The Bauchi State Embraer 145 (5N-BJM) is now leased to Associated Aviation.
• Biman Bangladesh was barred by its government from leasing a 26-year-old B742 from Kabo Air for the Hajj flights.
• A Gabon based airline called RegionAir now offers flights from Port Harcourt to Douala, Port Gentil, Pointe Noire and Luanda. The airline intends to add Calabar and Malabo to its network shortly.
• Reportedly, permission was granted to Asky Airlines to start flights from/to Lagos per 31 October 2010.

Asky Airlines Drops Lagos

The Togo-based carrier Asky Airlines no longer serves Lagos. The new airline only commenced three weekly services between Lomé, Lagos and Kinshasa in January 2010.

Air Ivoire never started the announced three weekly flights between Abidjan, Lagos and Douala.

This Week’s Update

Some bits of news:

Jimoh Ibrahim confirmed in an interview that he acquired Nigerian Eagle Airlines (formerly Virgin Nigeria Airways). Still, no formal comments have been made by the airline’s management.

Bellview Airlines set a new date for the re-start of its operations. Regional and domestic flights will start again on the 2nd of April, while the airline will commence a daily service to London Heathrow on April 24, 2010. Seeing is believing.

Arik Air’s fleet is down to 25 aircraft after the wet-leased aircraft from bankrupt Denim Air were withdrawn. Asky Airlines will fill the gap that Arik Air left in Niger by closing down Arik Niger. The Togo-based airline will start a three weekly Lomé-Niamey-Bamako service.

Ailing president Umaru Yar’Adua was flown into Abuja airport onboard a Saudi Medevac GV (HZ-MS5A) on Tuesday night.

The Nigerian Aviation Fire and Safety Association (NAFSA) condemns the “poor state” of fire cover across airports in Nigeria.

Plans by the Federal Government to bail out the aviation industry may fail, because the airline operators could not reach an agreement about the allocation of the funds.

Yemenia announced it will commence flights to Nigeria soon. Possibly to Kano?

Update of the update: the sale of Nigerian Eagle Airlines to the Nigerian businessman seems to be off and here is another picture of Arik Air’s A330. The aircraft is named ‘Sultan of Sokoto’, surprisingly. An Arik B738 (5N-MJP) is also baptised with this name.

Asky Airlines To Commence Flights

Asky Airlines will commence the Lomé-Lagos-Kinshasa-Lagos-Lomé route tomorrow. Flights can be booked through the website of Ethiopian Airlines, which also operates the flights.

Air Ivoire seems to have delayed the start of their new Abidjan-Lagos-Douala-Lagos-Abidjan route again.

Asky Airlines (Lomé) To Fly To Lagos

Asky Airlines, a new West African regional airline supported by Ethiopian Airlines, will start services on 15 January, 2009. It will operate three weekly flights from its hub Lomé to Kinshasa via Lagos with a B737-700.

Schedules are:

• ET023 LFW 13:00 – 14:45 LOS 15:30 – 18:15 FIH (on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays)
• ET022 FIH 08:15 – 11:00 LOS 11:45 – 1:130 LFW (on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays)

Asky will be the only airline to connect Lagos with Kinshasa and Lomé by air.